Where are your thoughts heading right now? I suspect your first reaction is, “Yes, I agree. I can’t give money I don’t have.” When we think of giving money is an automatic response to our thinking patterns. But what if I told you giving isn’t about money all the time. God’s word says, “Let every man give according to the purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Giving is a matter of the heart. He says, “according to the purposes of the heart.”
What is in your heart? Is your heart full of love, an abundance of the presence of the Lord to give away? Is your heart hardened? Can you give abundantly out of your love?
Love. The Bible says the greatest is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). How do we obtain that great love? First of all, I believe we all have love. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and the Bible states that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). However, have we obtained enough of God’s love to give it away. I know that may seem like a strange statement, but I want you to stay with me here because I think this will be life-changing.
Are you trying to gain more love? Are you a love vessel of God’s love to give away? Often, we become offended, irritated and frustrated with people. When we are full of God’s love, these fleshly reactions tend to go away. What if I told you that you could get to a place where you never felt rejected or offended again? It is possible! The key is to get so full of God’s love that nothing and no one can shake you. How do you do that? Get to know the greatest team of three you have at your disposal, Father God, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit. Get in the word of God to learn how loving and forgiving He is, build your relationship and communication with Him through prayer, and worship and get in the presence of God. In worship, as we bring an offering to Him, we are changed.
I remember years ago, being short with people. I didn’t have patience, to be honest, sometimes I still don’t have patience. I had a love encounter that lasted for days with our Father God and it changed my life. I ministered to some Christian businessmen for two days. I was brought into their meeting to love on them and prophesy over them. Even though I was there to serve, I ended up receiving a vast amount of love. Two days later, I left for a three-day solitude spiritual retreat where the Lord imparted His love and spoke to me about love. I became a love machine! My son once said, “Mom, you can love anyone.” It was the greatest compliment someone could give me.
I continued to stay in the presence of the Lord and as I did, He continued to fill me in different ways with His love. I launched a Be Love Ministry out of this encounter. However, as good as this sounds, it is not the end of the story. Remember, I said, “You can’t give away something you don’t have.” I didn’t always continue in that place of love. As my ministry grew and volunteers were few, I had to take on many responsibilities and administrative work. I didn’t have the time I once had to spend six hours a day in the presence of the Lord. I noticed myself being short, irritated and frustrated with people again. I wasn’t releasing love because I wasn’t overfilled with love. Yes, I have a love of God, and I am love, but I noticed I wasn’t always acting like it. In fact, one time, I think I was busted as I had a Christian t-shirt on when I was irritated with a service person, and I could see them reading my shirt. I couldn’t give away something I didn’t have because I was getting burned out and I wasn’t spending the time in the presence of the Lord that I once was.
Are you so full of God’s love you can overflow it at all times? We will have ups and downs, highs and lows. I love to say we can live on the mountaintop and I believe we can if we try. However, I stopped trying and I think maybe some of you have too. How do we get back to that place of exuding God’s love? One simple answer is by being in the presence of the Lord and taking on His characteristics. We are made in the image of God. God is love. Therefore, we are love. Let’s get back to the place where God has called us to be, in His presence, so we can be so filled with His love that we have more than enough to give away. My goal in life is to out love the person next to me. What does that mean? Being so full of God’s love that as we are conversing and both trying to be love that I can out love them. When they out love me and are nicer, more patience, etc., is when I know I need to shift and get refocused again in His love.
