What if You Give and Nothing Comes Back

Mar 31, 2013 | Uncategorized

You’ve probably heard a thousand times already: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (NIV). You give and you wait and nothing comes back. Didn’t the Bible say that when you give to God, either through your tithes or an offering, its going to come back a hundred fold?

So what do you do if nothing comes back?

You would probably be disappointed, disgruntled, dismayed or you can believe that it is just a form of testing. Testing for what? Testing your faith, of course. We’ve all heard that God is not like an ATM that if you make a deposit, you can easily make a withdrawal anytime you want. I think that’s foolishness and an utterly wrong motive to giving. So if you do not receive a return to your giving, does that mean that God is holding back His promises when you “believe” that you have been faithful in giving?

Here is what I think:

1. God may be holding back on blessing you for your faithful giving because there is sin in your heart. You can be a faithful giver and a sinner at the same time. You would be the only one to know that–and God of course. If God blesses you in this kind of situation, then it is pure and unadulterated grace. But if He is not blessing you then this is a pretty good reason why.

Psalms 66:18-20
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

2. God may be witholding His blessings from you even though you are a faithful giver because it is not yet the best time. In the first place why are you waiting for a return on your giving? Is that an investment that will earn you dividends? In one way, you can think of it like that, but it is also not a good motive to give. We give because we are compelled by the love of God. We do not wait for anything in return.

Ecclesiastes 3:11, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

3. God may be delaying your blessing because we did not give cheerfully.

2 Corinthians 9:7, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

4. God is making giving a lifestyle in your life. When giving has become a part of your life then whether God returns what you gave does not matter anymore. You will have great confidence that God will be there to take care of you and provide for your needs.

Psalms 112:4-9
Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
Good comes to those who lend money generously
and conduct their business fairly.
Such people will not be overcome by evil.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.
They share freely and give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
They will have influence and honor.

5. YES, God may be “delaying” your blessing because that is God’s decision. I can’t argue with that.
God is a sovereign God.

The Bible says God loves us and has good plan for us and this includes blessing us abundantly (John 10:10). His plan for us to prosper and give us hope and a future (Jer 29:11)

He is also a God that is not influenced by our “generosity” to bless us. He gives because He wants to and that is enough explanation to me.

His promises that He will supply all my needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus Phil. 4:19.

So should I be discouraged if God does not bless according to what and how I believe God should bless me? Sometimes what is in our hearts get revealed by the sentiments that we voice out. “di pa ako bine-bless ni Lord e. Darating din un!”

I should not and cannot. Doing so would relegate my God into something akin to a cash cow where after feeding the cow, I would demand milk every morning.

So should we continue giving? Of course! Why? Because this is the will of God in our lives.

Help us REFRESH others with the life-giving Word of God today!


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