Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD. “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited”. Isaiah 54:1-3
This week we will continue looking at enlarging your capacity to receive from God through intentional giving. Intentional giving also means understanding that there is a harvest for every seed sown. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22. It also implies understanding that the harvest is always greater than the seed and that ultimately it is God that gives the increase. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase”. 1Cor.3:6-7. “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,” 2Cor.9:10
Intentional giving also means giving with the understanding that your harvest is proportional to your seed. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38. “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”. 2Cor.9:6 The magnitude of your giving is measured not by the size but by the cost or level of sacrifice with which you gave. The poor widow in Mark 12:41-44 did not give the biggest amount of money than others but Jesus said she gave more than others. The reason being in terms of the amount of what she gave compared to what she has
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Every thing that comes into your hand contains seed and bread. Bread is for you to eat and seed is for you to sow. Make sure you do not eat your seed for that is foolishness.
