2 Corinthians 9:7. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

When somebody gives us a present or money even, grudgingly we would feel insulted, wouldn’t we? Chances are we wouldn’t want to receive that gift, because of the hurt it causes in our hearts.  If on the other hand somebody gives it to us cheerfully it warms and excites us. And every time we see that gift popping up, our minds turns back to the person who gave it to us with loving kindness. We are made in the image of God. (Not our sins.) If we are hurt and insulted by it, we shouldn’t be surprise that is how God also feels like when we give grudgingly.  Think of it this way, God has given us so much including sending His Son Jesus to die a cruel death so that we maybe save and become kings in heaven and in return we are so mean, we don’t want to thank Him by giving Him back even a little of what God originally has given us in the first place.

Matthew 25:35. “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I was a stranger and you took Me in.”

Think about it, when we are helping somebody else we are ministering to Jesus. That is a huge honour to be used by God. Also we are suppose to give and not be puffed up about it. We are simply doing what a good steward of God does. Obeying Him and loving our neighbour as ourselves. If somebody gives us something we needed that we know costs them an arm and a leg, wouldn’t we feel so grateful to them, and want to repay them back some way? That is how God feels when we go the extra mile. The more difficult it is in giving the more it touches God’s heart. When God is touched like that He is definitely going to outdo us in generosity. Also our God is not poor, that He can’t afford to be so generous that it blows our minds away.

Luke 6:38. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

So God will open His hand in giving only if we open our hand first, especially if we do it out of a cheerful heart. God is a great big God, whose treasures never runs out. He is more generous and wealthy than any of us.

There is a saying I heard many years ago. “If you look after God’s interest, He will look after yours.” Maybe not in the way we are expecting, but as we are in need of. God will look after His own, most surely. Make sure you give to those, who God is calling you too. People who come around knocking at your door for example is often the one God has send you to help. If you plough your money or your gifts into people who are ploughing it straight back into the kingdom of God, is a good place to start. Money shouldn’t be our everything! Money can’t take the place of God. God can look after us with or without money. First seek the kingdom of heaven above everything else and then like the scripture says all things will be given to you.

We must examine our hearts every day, to see if our motives are pure and acceptable to God.

Prayer is so powerful and we need to pray for everybody not just our family.