THE TWO BLESSINGS

By the way, do you Christians minister to your ministers like this woman did in 1Kings 17:9 to her first-time MINISTER?

Don’t believe pastors who tell you that giving to your pastor or church will result in you receiving more and more. Why do we have to give to gain more and more if God has more and more? Why doesn’t God use the more and more he has rather than taking our less and less?

The fact is, I don’t ask my church members to give because I want them to be rewarded. I only ask them to give if they are aware that they are blessed in two ways.

1. WITH WHO
2. WITH WHAT

WITH WHO

Giving is primarily a matter of identity. Before we even consider or calculate what we have, we contribute because of who we are. Before you act and participate in giving, you must be a giver as a person.

You must sit with yourself and figure out who you are, whether you are a natural giver or a natural consumer. How do you feel when you give, is it a burden, a delight, and why do you give? How do you feel when you give but don’t get anything in return? Is it possible to give despite the accountability? Would you be willing to share with people who have more and are better than you? With respect to things, who are you? What kind of emotional attachment do you have to things (money and resources) as a person? What is your materialistic worldview? Do you see things based on you or do you see yourself based on what you have materialistically? WHO ARE YOU, EXACTLY? For any true giver, the first thing to give is who you are. (John 3:16).

Before you seek to give, you must be blessed with an identity, the WHO of a giver. Any giving that is not accompanied by the blessing of the giver’s identity is mechanical and based on righteousness by works, and it’s no surprise that such givers expect better gains. Paganism and occultism are the only religions that enter into a materialistic contract with gods for wealth through giving.

WITH WHAT

I usually tell members at the fellowship and those who consider me to be their pastor that they can’t give what they don’t have, but they can give whatever they have.

When we ask individuals to give, we are asking precisely those who have been blessed with something and know that they have been blessed with it regardless of the amount, but not everyone. Giving is a responsibility for those who have been blessed, not for those who have not been blessed.

Knowing that you have been blessed with something, as well as the process of obtaining it, inspires you to give. And by doing so, you are taking part in the actual blessing process.

I usually utilise the analogy of THE RIVER and THE POOL to show folks what I mean by this blessing process. The water in the river is normally clear and clean, but it has one secret: it is continuously moving. It comes into contact with various rocks, soils, plants, and live animals as it goes. Its purity comes from the fact that it never stops giving. It tackles its problem of dirt and stagnation by giving.

The best way to be selfish is to think about other people’s needs (Philippians 2:4).

The pool, on the other hand, is both a gatherer and a collector. Pools usually have more water than running rivers. Pool water, on the other hand, is not pure; it contains filth and stagnation, which leads to a variety of issues due to the insects and viruses that swarm around the stagnation.

Every day, the pool RECEIVES nothing and RELEASES nothing. The pool does not move; instead, it digs and drills deeper in the same spot. The pool is not cheerful and is always sad as a result of materialism. It is always enraged by those who ask it to give. It is constantly concocting ideas to justify its greed. Always on the defensive and smelly.

You now understand why givers are happier than those who have but do not give. Pools attract disease and the diseased (recall the guy at the pool from John 5:1-15). People who are intimately involved in pools are the ones who complain about giving; pools pledge 10,000 if dragged and pressed, whereas they might donate 100,000 if they so choose.

Have you observed that those who give receive more blessings than those who do not? The secret isn’t that they give; rather, it’s that they’ve taken part in the blessing. Do you know why materially poorer people appear to be healthier, have a healthier, and wealthier attitude than those who can’t let go of their possessions?

Let me stop here for the time being, brothers and sisters, but learn to bless what blesses you…that is how the universe works. You haven’t earned the most basic necessities of life, so learn to repay the favour and stay functional.

If your pastor gives you spiritual blessings, give him material blessings as well. Your doctor, lawyer, teacher, security guard, and housekeeper should all be GIVEN beyond pay because they do more for you than you can afford.

Your attitude should be similar to that of Jesus Christ, who, despite his wealth and the fact that he didn’t need us, gave everything he had and then gave himself after it was depleted (Philippians 2:4-5)

ARE YOU BLESSED WITH THE TWO BLESSINGS RIGHT NOW…?

Today, I dare you to give to someone and tell me how it made you feel.

God bless you, I invoke Truth, Wisdom and Faith (2Tim 2:7)

Priest Isaiah White
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
Questioning to Believe, Believing to Live