GIVE WHAT YOU NEED
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV)
One of the most important keys to a plenty too much life style is learning the laws of sowing and reaping. Increase comes from God not by what we get but what we give. One of the most important things to learn in a time of lack like we’re going through with the Corona virus, is to give out what we need and not what we feel.
The golden rule teaches us that we are to do or give unto others what we would like others to give to us. It’s easy to think of things we would like or need to receive. Being simply aware of that is a key to know what we should be giving. What we feel like doing is often the opposite of that. For example, one of the most important things I know I would like to receive is a greater awareness of God’s presence. The problem is that what is easy to do and what I feel like doing is to focus on all of the negative things going on in the world. If I do, that will make me less aware of God’s presence. What I need to give needs to be in accord with what I need to receive, praise and focus on God’s goodness instead of the world’s “badness.”
A great example of turning a negative situation around by giving what we need instead of giving what we feel is a story I tell in my book about what my wife Sharon did one Valentine’s day. I was on a missions trip to the Philippines and she was feeling sad and lonely because I was gone. She felt like indulging in self-pity, but she decided to give what she needed instead of what she felt. She decided to throw a party for the single mothers in our church. She bought them Valentine’s flowers and had a special meal for them. I remember calling her afterwards and she was so full of joy. She said it was one of the best Valentine’s days she’d ever have. I joked it was also the most expensive one I’d ever had, but it was worth her investment.
Whatever you need today, figure out a way to sow that.