Offering What God Blessed

Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you in return. Luke 6:38

A believer must learn to continually let go of his money; the unbeliever's way is the way of accumulating; the Christian way of financial management is the way of giving. Matt. 6:33; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6; Phil. 4:17-19.

God has promised us that we will have no lack on earth; the birds of the air have no lack of food, and the flowers of the field have no lack of clothing; even so God's children should have no lack of clothing and food—Matt. 6:31-33. The Bible shows us a fundamental principle—one must give to become rich and one becomes poor by accumulating riches; whoever cares only for himself is destined to be in poverty; whoever learns to give is destined to have riches —v. 33; Luke 6:38.

The ministry speaking these days is on material offerings; not merely offering per se, but a deliverance from the love of mammon. The value I have been holding since my youth which the Lord had taught me and of which I am still learning is this very matter of honoring the Lord with the blessing He bestowed. This month I was exceedingly glad and was even surprised by what the Lord has been doing in me and my wife. 

There is a need in India at the moment, a very great need for buying a blending center for the whole country. The budget was way beyond I expected. When the burden was first announced I was in awe, literally wondering how this could be met in India from the churches and saints. Later, through much fellowship the budget was even doubled with a proposal for double of the original plan. But deep within I felt this is a good opportunity for the saints in India to experience the Lord in the way of offering.

Now, the burden has been released to all the churches in India with each family an approximate participation of about a hundred thousand INR. Few months later, when the burden was trumpeted again I had the burden to participate by offering what the Lord has already blessed us with; an investment we made as a family in Chennai in 2014. 

In fact, there is something very particular about that land we inveseted the Lord's blessing on. The entire land deal was finalised in just one day through one of the brothers whom I have been shepherding since my training days. Whenever we prayed for that land in our family prayer, we prayed that the Lord would bless "Chennai Land." And the Lord did not allow us to have a feeling that that land is indeed ours, but the Lord's. Now when the need for a blending center in Chennai came up, "Chennai Land", the burden is even loud and clear. Chennai Land is for Chennai Land; what the Lord gave us is to be given back to God. That was the burden within me. But I kept the matter to myself, praying over it for months and waiting for the right time to fellowship with my wife.

Surprisingly, when we had a special fellowship in Gurgaon for the churches in North India, we all wrote a consecration slip and dropped it in the offering box. When I fellowshipped with my wife, the amount she and I consecrated to meet this need is on par with what I intended to offer. I mentioned to her about the burden, and we both are in perfect harmony and one accord. Once she and I agreed on this matter, I called up a brother concerning our burden, then I transferred first the copies of land documents of the three plots in Chennai. What a blessing and a joy to be able to participate in the Lord's move by way of giving what the Lord has given to us. Now we pray that this love offering may be acceptable to the Lord and be a blessing to His move in India. What a joy to offer what God had blessed!

2 Corinthians 9:6-7But take note of this: He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with blessings shall also with blessings reap; Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

Proverbs 11:24There is one who scatters and increases yet more, And there is one who withholds what is appropriate but ends up only in want.