SUB-THEME: PRINCIPLES OF UNLIMITED ADVANCEMENT AND ALL-ROUND FRUITFULNESS
TOPIC: LIVE A LIFE OF GIVING AND SHOWING APPRECIATION
TEXT: Luke 6:38, Acts 20:33–35
A lifestyle of giving and appreciation is a life that is well positioned for advancement and all-round fruitfulness.
To give is simply to yield possession of one's property to another. Appreciation is the act of recognising, acknowledging, and being thankful for the gifts one has received from another.
In Luke 6:38, Jesus spoke about the spiritual law of action and reaction (which includes giving and appreciation) using the practice of the Jews when they go to offer to God, especially in the Temple. The offering, usually of grains, is pressed down, shaken together, and more added to it so that it is running over. This is done with the expectation that God will also bless them abundantly and make them fruitful.
Without any contradiction, giving is living. Everyone gives, whether consciously or unconsciously. Nobody can refuse to give out carbon dioxide or faeces. To do so is to be on the pathway to death.
The Dead Sea is so named because, though it receives water from smaller streams and primarily from the Jordan River, it has no outlet, therefore no sea animal or plant grows in it. That is what happens to individuals, businesses, and Churches that do not give. They become "dead." Regardless of how "poor" a Church is, they must imbibe the culture of giving like the Macedonian Church (2 Cor. 8:1–5). Until there is a giving, there cannot be a season of fruitfulness (Luke 6:38, Gen 8:22, Ps 126:5–6). Until a man gives his seed to a woman, fruitfulness is not in view. Hence, fruitfulness is preceded by giving.
A lifestyle of appreciation engenders advancement. It is God's will to set the believer and the Church above all nations of the earth (Deut. 28:1). There is no ceiling above the Church—no limit to the height the Church and the believer can attain (if we are willing to pay the price). One of which is the price of appreciation. When we appreciate God,
1. He takes us from where we are to where we should be (Deut 28:1)
2. He preserves the blessings we have received (Mal 2:1-2)
3. He makes perfect and whole His works in our midst (Luke 17:12–19)
4. He multiplies the miracle for which we are thanking Him. (Jer 30:19)
Truly, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). May God give us grace to commit ourselves to a lifestyle of giving and appreciation for our advancement and all-round fruitfulness, in Jesus name. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to live a life of giving and showing appreciation to you and my neighbours in Jesus name. AMEN.