From The Desk of:

YOU CANNOT BEAT GOD’S GIVING

    In the immediate context of Psalms 96:7-9, worshiping and giving glory to God, the psalmist said to “…bring an offering, and come into his courts” (v.8). Every child of God should honor and praise God with their life through their words and actions. But they should also do so through their giving. “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (Pr. 3:9). Our giving is reciprocated to God for all he has given to us. We should not feel that we will have less if we give generously. One, because it is not true. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). Then two, because such thinking lends itself to the concept that we can somehow out give God, meaning we can give more than he can bless us with. Nothing can be further from the truth. Here are two reasons why.

    I. Nothing in this world is really ours. Everything belongs to God only. “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that is therein” (Deut.10:14; 1 Cor. 10:26,28). This means the whole universe is the Lord’s possession. While speaking to Job out of a whirlwind the Lord said “…whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine” (Job 38:1; 41:11). God also said “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and all the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Ps. 50:10-12). The Lord even declared that all people are his (Ezek. 18:4). The reason everything belongs to him is because he is the Creator of everything (Gen. 1:1; Acts 17:24-26). You cannot beat God’s giving when you own nothing to give.

    II. Whatever we have to give is what God has given us to give. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?” (Rom. 11:34-35). No one gave to God first but was first given to. We are all stewards of God’s property and should be faithful with it (Mt. 25:14-30; 1 Cor. 4:2). The devil has power to give earthly riches unto men (Mt. 4:8-9). But he understood what the righteous have is because of God (Pr. 10:22). Satan speaking of Job said to the Lord “…thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land” (Job 1:10).

    Job understood this as well saying “…the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). It is impossible to beat God’s giving when we only give what he gave us to give. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him…” (1 Cor. 16:2).

Richard Stevens III