How do I know if I should give?

Giving can often be an exercise in frustration. I’m not sure about you, but I receive requests for money almost every day. Should I give? Is this a good cause? Will they spend my money wisely? Is this a reputable organization?

Can you relate to this dilemma? What’s your solution? How do you decide whether to give or not? How do you decide how much to give? 

The Bible says, “‘... Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.’”(1 Samuel 15:22, NKJV) Wow! That is so powerful! All I need to do is tune in to the voice of God and the Word of God. God will speak to our minds and show us what to do. 

Do you remember the story of the widow who was going to cook her last meal and then die? We don’t really know whether she was planning on committing suicide or if it was just the admission of someone who had given up. Her desperate words were recorded: “So she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’” (1 Kings 17:12, NKJV)

In the meantime, the prophet Elijah’s resources had also dried up. God told him, “‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.’” (1 Kings 17:9, NKJV)

Why would God send a homeless prophet to a depressed, impoverished woman? The answer is simple. God wanted to give both of them a huge miracle and teach her the secret of obedient giving. 

The forlorn widow was down to her last meal when the prophet made a request that seemed almost cruel: “And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, ‘Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’” (1 Kings 17:11, NKJV) 

If you read the rest of the story in 1 Kings 17, you will discover that her blind obedience and generosity gave her a lifetime supply of resources. “For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” (1 Kings 17:14, NKJV) WOW! 

I believe that obedient giving will be the secret to your next breakthrough. Would you pray about your next act of generosity? Would you start the journey of giving and watch the response from heaven?

Because you’re a miracle.

Your friend, Paul Marc Goulet