Give, and it shall be given unto you.

[Classik]

We already know the verses that encourage us to give.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.For with the same measure that ye mete withal itshall be measured to you again.

There are numerous other verses.



I think Slider has a good point here:

In other words, you don't give in expectance of a return larger that what you gave. You give because you love God, and if you don't get anything back, you don't gripe about it. But... God may bless you according to HIS riches (which are pretty vast).

So, must we expect something in return whenever we give unto God? I have always had the feeling that once you give unto God, God blesses you in one way or another. Is it always good to expect something in return or get something larger than what you gave?
++
We don't give in vain!!! No! Giving that lady some dough might change her life. But can I go without blessings or gain?

 

[Classik]

Also, must one give painfully?

 

[Classik]

Also, must one give painfully?

Kind of giving all (almost all) you have

 

[Slider]

So, must we expect something in return whenever we give unto God? I have always had the feeling that once you give unto God, God blesses you in one way or another. Is it always good to expect something in return or get something larger than what you gave?
QUOTE]

The way I see it is God gave first... He gave his only begotten son. Furthermore, if you have been taught the Word of God at Church, then God -- through his Preacher -- has given you something far more valuable than any amount of money.

 

[Ace1234]

I don't buy into the concept we give and expect God to give back, it makes God a vending machine, complete doctrines are made on this point and some churches it's all about worldly gain. I do know several that think like this, they give, plant seeds, etc., expecting riches will fall from the sky and they continue to live in poverty year after year. Many fake pastors run scams every day taking money from the poor who want to use God.

Christ and the aposltes were poor and died poor and gave all, including their lives.

We give to others for the sake of love. The bible teaches that when we give we shouldn't let the right hand know what the left is doing, simply we give or try to help in secret. Many give today, then brag about it, often embarresing the person they helped.

Matt 6

2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

I agree that the giving principle can work, if you're a giver, often in your time of need people will give unto you, but expecting to gain because you gave is a wrong motive, give out of love.

 

[Classik]

I don't buy into the concept we give and expect God to give back, it makes God a vending machine, complete doctrines are made on this point and some churches it's all about worldly gain. I do know several that think like this, they give, plant seeds, etc., expecting riches will fall from the sky and they continue to live in poverty year after year. Many fake pastors run scams every day taking money from the poor who want to use God.

Christ and the aposltes were poor and died poor and gave all, including their lives.

We give to others for the sake of love. The bible teaches that when we give we shouldn't let the right hand know what the left is doing, simply we give or try to help in secret. Many give today, then brag about it, often embarresing the person they helped.

Matt 6

2¡°So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3¡°But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

I agree that the giving principle can work, if you're a giver, often in your time of need people will give unto you, but expecting to gain because you gave is a wrong motive, give out of love.

Thanks, Ace. This is really a wonderful reply. I used to think I must expect something in return when I give. I'm glad to have changed. God can still give you when we give. But the idea of 'He must give me' is completely wrong. There is no 'must'.

I also love obeying God when he asks me to give. At times it pains to give. But when you finally give you will have the peace of mind and joy that you gave.


And the 'give me I give you' mentality some people have is wrong.

Thanks, Ace

 

[Tina]

Christ and the aposltes were poor and died poor and gave all, including their lives.

Not true !

Jesus received gold, frankincense and myrrh at his birth. During the three years of Jesus' ministry, wealthy women who followed Him provided for HIm.

Luke 8:3
" ....and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance."


These people were wealthy and there were many of them. They provided for all the Messiah's needs. The group travelling with Christ received so much they needed a treasurer, Judas. It would seem Jesus carried more than pocket money. All the monies that were coming in needed to be held by someone !


His Apostle Paul travelled three times around the known world, had enough to pay for a Roman trial, supported all those who travelled with him (Acts 20:34) and was kept in prison for two years by Felix, the Roman procurator of Judea,. for the sole reason that Felix hoped to obtain a bribe from the apostle. He would not have waited so long for a trivial amount. He knew Paul was capable of paying him a substantial sum and he was prepared to wait (Acts 24:26).

Paul, a strict Pharisee, would have observed tithing as a regular practice all his life. He encouraged generous giving and taught people to lay aside at the beginning of each week the first fruits of their increase.


1 Corinthians 16:2
"On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come."


"storing up as he may prosper" .... hardly sounds like "poor" to me !



No, I do not expect God to return me anything when I give to church, because I KNOW He will take care of all my needs (Phil 4:19).

God has proven to me time and again each time I have financial needs that He provides. It does not always come in the form of money or cash, sometimes it came in various other forms, eg. like kind people, free services, unexpected discounts, free gifts, unexpected windfalls .... just too many for me to list.

Believe it or not, I even had unexpected cash in my walllet and bank accounts which were more than enough to meet my needs !


There were times I gave and gave ... to church and to other needy people, sometimes total strangers. So many people had taken money from me but no one returned a single cent !

Imagine how frustrating it can get. I was asking God why I should continue giving when no one ever returns my money. And these are large amounts, not just a couple of hundred $ but thousands... I gave away only to be left with nothing for myself !

But God never failed me. He saw my heart and consistently provided for me. I must say that what He has provided for me far surpasses what I gave and there's more to come later in the year !


Yes, don't give with expectations but give with a grateful and cheerful heart for we have a faithful God..

 

[Classik]

Christ and the aposltes were poor and died poor and gave all, including their lives.

I would say: Christ was not money conscious. He wasn't an egotist, and never paraded His wealth. He wasn't poor, I believe.

 

[Classik]

I'm glad to hear you are one of the earnest people who give, Tina. Keep it up:nod