Giving to your supplier

Generous people are always comfortable talking about money, and they are even more comfortable giving it. Self-centred people obsess over keeping what they have and how to get even more. That’s why Jesus, who was the most generous person in history, spoke so much about money. He understood its source, its use, and who owns it all. Sixteen of His thirty-eight parables deal with how to handle money and possessions. In the four Gospels, one out of every ten verses deals with the subject. The Bible has five hundred verses on prayer, roughly the same amount on faith, but over two thousand on money and possessions. Is God trying to tell you something? If so, what? It’s this: everything you have came from God! So you’re not an owner but an administrator of His estate. That means when He taps you on the shoulder and says, “Give to this person or to that cause,” you don’t argue or rationalize but say, “Yes, Lord!” After raising the money to build the temple, David prayed, “Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You” (vv. 12-14 NKJV). When you give to God, you are just giving back to your supplier.