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"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.
Freely you have received, freely give."
(Matthew 10:8)
This week, we are looking closely into Danielle Strickland's teaching for all believers about how to start their day. She begins with "surrender", instructing us to kneel before the Lord, raising our arms with palms lifted upward in the "I surrender" posture. Next, she says to not close our fists, but open them, remembering Jesus' words, "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). This message is one of generosity. Danielle says, "That was the instruction, to give freely what they had received freely. That was the instruction for the disciples. When they did that, they saw a lot of things happen that were amazing. I feel like that's still the recipe. Nothing's really changed, freely give what you've freely received." (Source.)
Let's talk about this very practical advice to be generous. The Bible has much to say to us about the principle of generosity. One of my favorite verses on generosity is Proverbs 11:24-25:
"There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself."
The most blessed, prosperous people I know are generous people. They realize that all their blessings come from God and that they are merely stewards, so they obey Jesus' command to freely give. By the way, Jesus had a lot to say about money. For example, He said in Luke 6:38, "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."
Being generous with hands open to help and give to others is the way to live! How generous are you? Do you tithe and then some? Are you always looking for more ways to give finances and resources to the work of God? Some of you get this, and I am so very happy for you, because if you live this way, then you are content and blessed. My wife, Ashley, and I enjoy blessing others. We give our tithes and offerings to our local church, and one of our core values of DFEA is to be a conduit, to bless others. On a practical level, we enjoy giving at least a 20% tip to the waiters and waitresses who serve us when we go out to eat. We also enjoy blessing strangers with $20 bills. It is so fun! We do not do this to receive, but I promise you, you cannot outgive God!
Try this when you wake up in the morning (and why not every morning?): Say to the Lord, "Good morning, King Jesus. As Your servant, I surrender all to you (hands lifted in the air). I ask You to help me be generous today and freely give (palms open)." Oh, this is going to be good!
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