The More You Give, The More You Get?

The More You Give, The More You Get?

Psalm 37:1-2 “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;  for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.”  

Do you ever wonder why some people are so evil?  Does it ever seem like those that are doing everything right are struggling and those that seem to only care about themselves are doing great?  I remember when I was little I used to wonder this.  My parents are so faithful and they pray all the time.  They gave so much of their time and money to the church.  I couldn’t understand why we struggled so much.  I have heard numerous people say, “The more you give, the more you get.”  Well, my parents literally couldn’t have given any more than they did.

They gave weekly at church, they provided for all 11 children, plus anyone else that needed anything.  If a friend had no where to stay, they moved them in with us.  One time it was a family with 8 or 10 children, on top of our 11 children.  It was a crowded house, but that is who my parents are and have always been.  So, when we struggled or had tough times I really didn’t understand it.  I would question God.  “What the heck is going on,” I would say.  “My parents give so much, shouldn’t it be there turn to get something every now and then?”  Maybe you have been in a similar situation or had similar thoughts. I am going to share with you what the Lord has just shared with me.

My parents were getting more and I just couldn’t see it because it did not look like what I thought it would.  In my mind as a child, and actually even today I felt like if you give more you will get more meant you will get more money and that may be the case for some people.  However, that was not the case for my parents.  However, they got things far better than money.  They got to witness miracles that they would not have gotten to witness if they had a lot of money.  They prayed for something and God came through, every time.  This is a blessing that you don’t get to see as much if you have a lot of money because you tend not to need as much so you aren’t asking God for things, your are relying on yourself to provide.  

I have told you in past episodes about how my dad needed a car and even before he had time to tell my mom his car broke, God provided him another one.  Also, when they didn’t know how they were going to feed us for dinner one night and then two different neighbors just happened to have too much food and gave the extras to us.  These are just two of the numerous miracles they have seen.  Also, when they needed money to start a business, God provided the exact amount they needed.  God has always provided for them and even though it didn’t look like I thought it would, I can see it now.  

God also protected our family through everything.  That is not to say that we never had any issues and we skated through life on easy street.  Each of us have gone through some difficult times.  However, God has been there with us through them, whether we could see it at the time or not.  One of my brothers was working at a factory that make the wire fencing.  He was pulled through he machine one night.  He should not have made it through that, and yet, he did.  He had very few injuries.  My grandfather thought someone was knocking on his door one night but the guy was actually trying to break in.  He cut my grandfathers throat after robbing him and my grandfather was healed and out of the hospital in record time.  One night my little sister was in the hospital and the doctors had done all they could.  They said if her fever didn’t break that night, they didn’t know what else they could do to help her.  My parents prayed and her fever broke.  I could go on and on.   God provided so much more and I just didn’t see it at the time.

God also provided a community.  They had many people that helped out.  When you are kind to people, they want to be kind back.  My parents are the type of people that will give you the shirt off their back if you were cold.  My dad literally turned the other cheek one time when someone hit him.  If they needed something, someone was always there to help out.  This is another way that God provided more but I couldn’t see it at the time.

Having a faith like this also comes with its fair share of enemies.  It says in John 15:19-20 “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.”  My parents ran into some issues with people not agreeing with things they did.  Since I was just a kid I did not know most of them.  However, I do remember that someone reported my dad to the boss because he wore a cross and they said it was offensive.  Through all of the things that happened to my parents because of evil, God protected them and protected his job.

Good will always win out over evil! This is what God is trying to say in this verse.  We don’t have to be envious of evil doers “for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.”  It may seem like they are getting everything they want and it may seem like everything is going in their favor.  However, it won’t last forever.  Their time is coming.  Even if they do get all they want in this world, they still have to answer for their behavior and the way they lived their life. I would much rather be struggling in this world and then live in eternal happiness in heaven, then have things go great in this world and have eternal suffering in the after world.  How about you?  

Can you look back over your life and see where God has provided for you?  After listening to this episode today can you look back and find some ways that you didn’t see before?  Maybe his provisions didn’t look like you thought they would?  Have you been wondering why God hasn’t been there, but now you can see He was there, His help just didn’t look like you expected it to?  I was surprised by what the Holy Spirit showed me today as I distinctly remember asking Him why my parents had to go through so much when they were so faithful.  Today He opened my eyes and showed me all the ways that He was there for them and all the ways that their suffering actually brought them closer to Him.  I hope sharing this with you will help your eyes to be opened to all the unexpected benefits of your suffering.  

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord we are so grateful for all the unexpected ways you show up for us and you give us more than we know.  Lord we are sorry that we don’t notice all you do for us.  We will keep our eyes open more and be on the lookout for your hand in our lives as we know it is always there.  Lord, You are so amazing and we love you so much.  We thank you for protecting us from those that hate us. You are awesome Lord and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus holy name, Amen.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  How is your quest to become more gentle this week going?  Hopefully you found something helpful in the articles I sent this you this week.  If you know someone else who would benefit from the email, feel free to forward it on.  I will put a link for the two articles in the show notes in case you haven’t signed up for the challenge yet but you want to take a look at the articles.  One of them is titles, “Gentleness is Strength: The 7 Habits of Highly Gentle People.” (Click here for article)  The other one is titled, “22 Unusual Ways To Be Gentle With Yourself.” (Click here for article) If you still want to sign up to receive the emails right to your inbox you can email me at [email protected] or click on the link in the show notes. (Click  here to sign up)  If you can’t find the show notes, they are on the page where you clicked on the episode.  I  look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  Have a blessed day.