Your gifts will make room for…someone else.

Often when we quote the scripture in Proverbs that says: “Your gifts will make room for you and bring you before great men,” we often times try to fit it into the context of spiritual gifts.

It’s like we are saying that our God-given abilities and our gifts of ministry will allow us to stand in great and grand places for God’s glory.

But let's take Proverbs 18:16 with a different lens of perspective.

From the New Living Translation, Proverbs 18:16 says this: “Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people.”

Upon further review, we see this is not a Scripture about spiritual gifts, talents and abilities. This a Word from God’s about the concept and benefits of being generous.

The short and sweet translation is this: Your generous, unselfish spirit and willingness to give will take you a long way.

Did you know that another definition of generosity is freedom from meanness or smallness of mind or character? Generosity is a character trait that creates freedom from smallness of mind and character. To embrace all that God has for you only becomes possible when your mind is free to move in the faith of the Spirit. There is no room for confined thinking. To embrace all that God offers in His grand Kingdom requires the ability to unclench your fist and release the things that He has given you and not hold them selfishly or invest unwisely. God is looking for generous hearts not selfish hoarders. As in every Godly principle – charity brings freedom. The word “charity” is equally defined as “giving” and “love”. Giving is identified with love and includes much more than money.

2 Corinthians 9:10-12 (NLT) says, 

"For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God." 

God speaks of His Blessing as seed for a reason. Seed is a renewable resource. Once in the ground if cared for properly, it will reproduce itself. It will not only produce enough to provide for the sower but it will also yield enough to pay forward a blessing to others. God is a generous giver. The only way that this cycle will end is if the next person chooses to be selfish. God is seeking obedient servants to accomplish this task. He is looking for perpetual givers to secure the blessing cycle He has created. Poor servants sit down and wait for God to pour into their lives instead of moving forward in faith to be a blessing. Once God has identified you as a generous giving servant, He will begin to bless you in extraordinary ways. He is watching your deeds, motivations and attitude quite closely. If your trust in Him facilitates a lifestyle of benevolence, then God marks you for His abundant blessing because He knows that you in return will bless and care for His Children. 

Apostle Paul wrote in theNew Testament to the believers in the ancient city of Corinth, praising them for their willingness to help contribute to the work of God financially, and reminding them of the proper spirit needed when giving as unto the Lord. He didn’t give them a percentage to give. He didn’t browbeat them or threaten them about giving. Instead he reminded them of the vast benefits of generosity.

In our society today many are discouraged from giving because of the overabundance of prosperity teaching and the false teacher who abuse the money and the gospel for gain. But you must understand that your giving is unto God, not to people. People are indeed the tangible recipients of your giving — and sometimes people will mishandle your kindness. Don’t let that hinder you from doing what God has commanded.

Furthermore, the prosperity teaching only have it halfway right. God does want us to walk and live in abundance. But He grants us abundance only when He knows that we won’t hoard it all for ourselves. The power of our faith is that it increases when it is given away. The greatness of generosity’s seeds is that the harvest is multiplied each time it is shared. The happiest and most joyful people are those who give money and serve. I live by this principle. And I know that it is contrary to everything our culture screams at us, but look at the culture's track record: suicide, bankruptcy, divorce, murder. We aren't very happy. True joy comes from serving. Mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually balanced people have learned the value of giving. 

This Intercession Tuesday I dare you to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to move your heart so that your gifts can make room for…someone else! 

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Enter Into Prayer

Father God, Your Son Jesus taught us to live and to love. He taught us how to serve one another as You served, not counting the cost but being available to all. We pray that You will give us generous hearts and spirits that willingly give of our time, talent and treasure to build up Your Kingdom here on earth. Take our feet where they need to go, give us hands that readily reach out to others, give us ears to hear the silent cries of another, eyes to see their needs and hearts to reach out to them. May we bring You to them in our own unique way. We ask this in all humility and gratitude. 

You have called us to flavor the world with compassion and to illuminate the world with generous spirits. Help us to see the faces of those who will look to us for a touch of compassion and love: our words of kindness, our arms of comfort, and our generous gifts. Teach us to realize our gifts and talents and be willing to share them. Help us to grow in the grace of giving, giving to others as much as we are able, willing to give even beyond our ability because we trust in You and have given ourselves to You according to Your will. May we be generous  always willing to hear the cry of the poor and willing to share. Trusting that you Father will provide for us as we provide for others and we know that that takes an even deeper faith. But we know that when we make a generous return to You in thanksgiving for all You have given us, You will make room for us and bless our gifts and multiply them so that we can be a blessing to others.

And as we plant these seeds in love we believe in Your promise that, "You will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that we'll not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3:8–10) We will sow generously and reap generously—pressed down, shaken together, and running over! We will be cheerful givers to those in Christian service, and then You will supply all our needs from Your riches in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 9:6; Luke 6:38; Philippians 4:15–19)

But let me love as the kingdom of God is here on earth, without limits, knowing that my needs will be provided by Your very hand. And help me to present it with dignity. Let it show on my face the joy of providing for others and make me a person of integrity. Let my 'yes' be yes. Let me not only be intuitive to others needs, but prompt me to ask what is going on in their lives.

Father as we offer our lives as living sacrifices, may we do so with generous hearts from a deep trust and confidence that your abundance is sufficient for all you have put before us. Free our lives from the anxiousness, and let us dwell in the joy of extravagant generosity, in Jesus Holy Name. Amen!

We "Dare You To Love" by sowing a seed into our local initiative. It will be life giving!