Giving and Receiving

Faith is not just accepting general truths of faith found in the Bible such as the Christian position or future prophetic events. Trust of faith is evidenced in us relying upon the promises of the Word of God and the Son of God, which give us concrete choices. 

There’s no other subject the Lord Jesus spoke more about than about money and possessions. This shows us how important it is to deal properly with these matters. We’ll also see how this subject is closely connected to our spiritual growth, but more on that later. 

Our Lord and Master Himself said to us: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). This should be every Christian’s motto! It’s also remarkable to consider what promises the Lord gave to His disciples in connection with the subject of ‘giving and receiving’ which we can still rely on in faith today. 

One of these promises that challenges our faith is: “Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). 

George Müller could testify to this at the end of his life: “I have been for fifty years, by God’s grace, acting on the principle of Christian giving according to the Scriptures, and I cannot tell you the abundance of spiritual blessing I have received to my own soul through acting thus; that is, seeking to be a cheerful giver; seeking to give as God has been pleased to prosper me… Many beloved saints are depriving themselves of wondrous spiritual blessing by not giving as stewards what is entrusted to them. They act as if it were all their own, as if all belonged to them.” (From an address at a Mildmay Park Conference.) 

Everything we own we only have by grace. God has entrusted us with money and possessions so that we can administer them for Him and use them for the promotion of the kingdom of God—and obviously to enjoy it ourselves. The fundamental question we should ask ourselves is not, ‘How much should I give?’ but ‘How much should I keep for myself?’ 

In 1 Kings 17 we find a widow who only has a handful of flour and some oil left. From out of nowhere the prophet Elijah appears and desires of her to make something to eat for him from the little she has left. At the same time he assures her that subsequently God would look after her, if she would obey his words. An enormous test of faith! What does she do? She indeed uses all she has to look after the man of God. 

How does God respond to this selfless devotedness? He opens the windows of heaven and subsequently we read: “The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty” (1 Ki. 17:16). Because this woman acted in faith and trusted the prophet’s word, she experienced how God took care of her in a wonderful way. This story should encourage us to trust God more and to give Him alone the first place. 

“You can always give without loving, but you can never love without giving.” (Amy Carmichael) 

In the area of giving and receiving there are countless examples in church history in which God has impressively demonstrated the fulfilment of His promises. Because the subject of ‘money and possessions’ was so central and important for the Lord Jesus, we want to look at some challenging experiences of faith in the course of this book, which should encourage us to take the Lord at His word in this area and act accordingly. 

The following incident took place in Essen, Germany, many years ago.  

Albert Winterhoff, an evangelist, was walking through the streets of the city when the Lord suddenly said to him: ‘Enter this house and give your money to this family’. 

Albert was obedient and rang the doorbell. An old lady opened the door and asked: ‘What do you want?’ 

‘My Lord tells me to give you my money’. And then he preached the gospel in the home. 

It turned out that this woman was caring for a sick person who was in dire need of medicine. When Albert had left the house and was about to cross the street, a man came up to him, gave him money and disappeared. Such experiences were not uncommon. God always rewards generosity! (Das Leben Albert Winterhoffs [The life of Albert Winterhoff], A Steinmeister, CSV) 

Do you see yourself as the owner or the steward of what God has entrusted to you? What could you of ‘your’ possessions make available to others? For example, would you willingly give your car or house to someone when there’s a need? Are you looking for such ‘opportunities’ or would you rather avoid them? 

J.P.S.