God has been speaking to Kathie and me about sowing financial seeds. Last month we took money that normally would’ve been spent on non-essential items (surprisingly a lot), and gave it to various people as the Lord directed us. We put the cash in cards, wrote some things the Holy Spirit had directed us to write, sealed the envelopes, and gave it away.
Thinking we would hear back with great words of appreciation (only one person sent us a thank you card), we moped around in disappointment. Then God spoke to us…
“This wasn’t about them. It was about you.”
This challenging act of obedience for us led to a breakthrough in our thinking. And it’s a lesson every Believer must learn: cultivating a heart that is willing and obedient where giving is concerned, regardless of the recipient’s response.
How we give goes to the core of our character. Are we a cheerful giver, or do we give with reluctance? The Word says God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7), but why? Because giving cheerfully demonstrates that our hearts are in our giving. It shows that we aren’t just giving out of obligation, but because we love God and want to bless Him.
Giving doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Like everything in His kingdom, God works through relationships. He wants us to be a bless others, and be blessed by others. However it’s the sowing of blessings into other people that sets us up to receive the harvest of blessings back.
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
This law of seedtime and harvest governs the Kingdom of God. For this reason, we must not selfishly hoard what we receive. Instead, we need to get in the flow of God’s system of doing things so we are in a position to experience the reaping of real blessing.
The simple act of giving has the power to multiply blessings
Giving freely opens us up to receive far more than what was given. We can’t judge our giving as losing something. When we give, we are actually sowing an expression of love into another person’s life. And God takes into account every act of sincerity and love. He is looking at whether we give with strings attached, or if we don’t care if we ever get anything in return.
“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:24, 25, NIV)
Don’t think that sowing or giving to someone comes only in the form of money. Any seed we sow with a loving and giving heart will reap a harvest. It doesn’t have to be financial. The words we speak, and our actions, are also seeds.
Whatever a man sows, he will also reap
We will reap a harvest of joy if we sow joy. We will reap a harvest of peace if we sow peace. When we sow into another’s life, we are, in essence, sowing God into their lives.
Working to get our hearts right when it comes to giving is a continual process. It involves aligning our motives with the Word, and changing our thinking regarding loving others the way God commands. Love is the key to experiencing fulfillment and satisfaction, and should be the motivation behind every seed we sow.
When you allow yourself to be released to give, you will be challenged to overcome your flesh. Kathie and I were certainly challenged when God spoke to us to sow our money. However, if you obey His instructions, the return will be more than anything you could imagine…including thank you cards.
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