MEMORY VERSE: I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me, Proverbs 8:17
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 7, Ps 90, Isa 35, Rev 5
One of the keys to unbelievable breakthrough is giving. Giving gives you influence. Proverbs 18:16 says a man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. There are some doors hard work cannot open, gifts will open them within minutes. I once shared the story of a brother in church who bought his boss men's shaving accessories. Few weeks later he left the contract for a bigger contract. Everything was going on well until something happened and his contract was terminated. During Christmas period, this brother called his old boss just to say hi and wish him a Merry Christmas. As they talked , the boss asked him about the contract and he narrated what happened. Right on the spot the boss gave him his old job back ; his gift opened door for him.
Giving to God gives you great influence. It is important to note that different gifts produce different results. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says sow sparingly reap sparingly, sow generously reap generously. There are three basic types of gift. There are normal gifts, this is giving out of the abundance you have. No matter how small a gift is, God always say thank you. When you give Him a normal gift, He gives back to you in many folds. He ensures it is pressed down, shaken together and running over, Luke 6:38. The second types are the gift that hurts. These gifts cost something. An example is found in Matthew 14:13-21 where a young boy gave his lunch to Jesus. This boy gave Jesus a gift that cost something i.e. lunch. Before the end of that the boy got back twelve baskets of fish and bread from Jesus. When you go out of your way or give a God a gift that costs you something, the Lord extends His hands of generosity to you.
The third type of gift is called widow’s mites. A widow’s mite is when a widow gives all she has or when a fellow gives all he has not knowing where his next supply would come from. This is an offering of faith. When you give God such offerings, he turns a situation around. I had a major challenge not too long ago and it was obvious I was going to be sacked especially due to the no of evidences they had. After the first hearing the union representative advised me to resign because I was fighting a lost battle. Instead of resigning I decided to pay my widow’s mite. Since it was obvious that I was going to be sacked, I decided to give the last salary I was paid before the final hearing to Jesus. At the final hearing, the case turned in my favor and I was re-instated.
KEY WORD: When you give Jesus your last, He turns it into the first of many good things.
