She was recorded a well to do woman, a great woman. She has that which it take to live comfortably but beneath her comfort was a discomfort.
One day a great man of God arrived into her hometown and this woman did something very rare to do. What did she do?
She urged the man of God to come into her house to eat at her table. Like who does that! Inviting a stranger to dine at your table on regular basis? Eventually, the man of God did ate at her place. This become something that is frequented as the man of God stopped by to eat at her place whenever he visited the town.
She wasn't compelled to feed the man of God, it was of freewill.
Freely she gave the man of God food to eat without counting the cost.
Freely she put food on the table of the man of God as her capacity could carry.
As if that wasn't enough, she thought it needful to discuss with her husband the need to provide a means of sheltering the man of God and she did provide for the man of God.
In the equation of her giving, she didn't displace shelter for Food neither did she displaced Food for shelter as she strike a balance between the two.
She wasn't just rich unto herself but freely gives that which she has.
She set a bed, table, a chair and a lamp for the man of God.
In her giving process, she understands that the man of God would need a reading table so she set for him a table.
She also understand that a table would be needless without a chair so she set a chair to complement the reading table.
Also, She understanding that a source of light is needful to illuminate the dwelling place of the man of God. Hence, the need to set for the man of God a lamp.
Then the most important part of it is to set a tool where the man of God can place his head when he need to rest.
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A TAKE FROM THE STORY.
1. TRUE GIVING COMES FROM THE HEART AND THE WILL OF THE GIVER: Whenever the act of giving is seen as a do or die affair, there will be traces of error in the aftermath of the giving.
There is nothing powerful as the will which the Lord has given to each individual. One thing is to have, another is to be willing to give and that is where "self will" comes into existence in the giving process.
The woman wasn't compelled to give the man of God neither was she forced but out of her own personal will which is birth from the abundance of her heart she did gave.
If all what I have been giving is not from my heart, then my giving is vain.
If all your services, time and things you rendered to God are just borne out of complaints, the need to be recognised or the likes, then your giving become needless.
When we give to a man, he looks at the gift but when we give to God, he looks at the heart that is the great difference. So your giving, my giving should be an act of willingness.
When a man gives just to fulfill righteousness, then he is on the pathway to destruction.
Annanias and Sapphira gave to feel among, to belong and to be recognised and men did recognised them as faulty givers.
Why are you giving?
The why of your giving will determine the outcome of it process.
Check out!
2. A TRUE GIVER GOES EXTRA.
When you see a man who truly has passion for God and compassion for humanity, you will know. Even if men don't recognised such men, God do.
A giving that is birth from a willing heart always receive an extra touch.
To excel in this Inestimable act of giving, you must understand that giving is a continuous process. You give until something happens.
At the dawn of each new day, God has deposited in every soul something very tangible to give and refusal to give out those things render the content of the cup of the giver stagnant instead of running over.
The woman ensures that she go extra mile to give. After providing food for the man of God she thought it all Joy to provide for him shelter. Note, all these were borne out of her own personal thoughts, ideas and plans.
A man that understand the mastery of giving will not just give but will go extra.
In your walk with God, how much have you been able to give?
In your relationship, how much have you been able to give?
In that family, how much have you been able to give?
That time, words of encouragement, prayer, visitation, support in terms of marital, spiritual, financial, moral and emotional wise will go a long way.
Remember, God is not after the quantity of that which you give but the quality of that which you are giving from a willing heart.
3. GIVING SHOULD BE DONE IN RESPECT TO THAT WHICH GOD HAS LAID: The Bible recorded that God gave his only begotten son out to love to the world. God's kind of giving was never borne out of frustration but love, it was never done for the sake of reception.
The woman giving was never borne out of frustration. It was a desire to see the man of God comfortable.
Whenever you give,is it because that person you are giving to would be able to reciprocate back?
Jesus Christ gave a word in Luke 14:12 "Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee."
We shouldn't give because we would receive back. Our giving should be an expression of love which the Lord has reveal to the world by giving his only begotten son for the redemption of "ALL".
Your giving should not be Blood wise, Colleagues wise or Familiarity wise. So to say if such an English exist.
4. THE WHAT OF YOUR GIVING.
The woman didn't just give to the man of God but she proved the mastery of giving by providing the basic necessities of the Prophet at that particular time.
You have been giving, we know but is it that which you ought to give?
Giving become wrong when the "What" of it is wrong.
If you are meant to give praise to God and you are giving prayer it might not work out. Understanding the "What" of giving. That as you want to give or before you give that thing out, you ask yourself "Is this what I am meant to give?".
The quantity doesn't matter. What matters is the ability of that which you are bringing at that particular time meets the need of the receiver.
That as you rise up daily, you ask God to help you discern the "What" of giving.
If I go to a naming ceremony, it would look very akward if what I am presenting to the mother is a wedding gown. Of course what I presented wasn't bad on it own but it is coming at the wrong time.
The Mastery of the "What" and "When" of giving.
What have you been giving and When have you been giving them out?
5. YOU GOT SOMETHING TO GIVE.
The problem with most of us is that we get ourselves so much worried about how satisfying we might be to men or to those who we are meant to give to.
We count so many things in our lives little thereby making them remain passive from year to year.
The principle of increase demands that the content in the container is used before a refreshing can come in.
Believe me or not we all have something to offer.
Regardless of how wretched you think you are due to absence of finance, you are not useless. There is something within you which Creation has been earnestly awaiting you to manifest.
The woman didn't just give because she have it. She was prompted to give because she understand and know that it is blessed to give.
God immensely bless you as you follow those principles IJN.
Thanks for taking the ride.
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©️ Faith Agi
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