This past week, Angela and I received a lot of furniture from her parents. They are in the process of downsizing their house and didn’t have space for all the stuff they had. What started as seeing if we wanted the grill and patio furniture turned into so much more. By the end of the move, we had received way more than we expected. It was a huge blessing that will save us a lot of money in the future.
During worship at Charisma’s homegroup this week, I was thanking God for the huge blessing of all the furniture. God spoke to me and told me, “This is the fruit of seeds you planted.” He then began to remind me of all the furniture Angela and I had given away in the past. When we first got married, there were some end tables we got as a present, so we gave away the ones we already had. When we upgrade to a queen size bed and had two full size beds and only one guest room, we gave away one of our beds. When we got a new car, we gave away our old one. I don’t say this to brag, but to paint the picture of the seed we had planted.
When Angela and I gave away those things, we didn’t do it because we were expecting to receive something greater. We just wanted to bless someone. We didn’t keep a record of those things and wait for the day when we would see a return. Honestly, I had forgotten about most of it until God brought it back to my memory. Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” God promises a return on our gifts. In fact, He challenges us to test Him in it. I can promise you that the furniture that we received this week is worth way more than what we gave away. God opened up the windows of Heaven and poured out His blessing.
Don’t be afraid to give. Don’t be afraid to use something you have to bless someone else. When we give some of what we have, it gives God some room to pour blessing into our lives.
until next time…
Photo courtesy of flickr.com/photos/cobalt