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Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

And thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
(Eccl. 11:1-6)
This passage of Scripture is so important to a full and clear understanding of godly giving that I would like for us to read it again, this time in The Living Bible translation:
Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.

Divide your gifts among many, for in the days ahead you yourself may need much help.

When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it lies.

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

God's ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind, and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little of a baby while it is yet in its mother's womb.

Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow - perhaps it all will.
(Eccl. 11:1-6)
Now in this passage we see a vital principle of godly giving; "Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later."

Now some people may say, "I just don't believe that." Well, whether this principle is believed or not does not change the truth of it. It just affects whether or not it works for you.


It is not necessary that we understand God's principles to benefit from them. We must simply learn them, believe them, and act upon them.

- Jerry Savelle
There is a little slogan going around these days which you may have seen on bumper stickers: "God said it, I believe it, that settles it!" The truth is, if God has said it, it is already settled, whether you or I or anybody else believes it or not. Our believing it is to our advantage.

God's Mysterious Ways
You might say to me, "I just don't understand how I can give away something and expect God to give it back to me."

I know you don't understand that. Neither do I. That's what this passage means when it says that God's ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind, and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother's womb. Of course, we don't understand how such things happen; we just know they do.

It is not necessary that we understand God's principles to benefit from them. We must simply learn them, believe them, and act upon them.

For example, we don't know how seeds bring forth plants or fruit. We just know they do, so we sow seeds into the ground, patiently tend and nurture them, and then reap an abundant harvest from them. That's what God expects us to do with the good seed of His Word.

I don't understand how the Lord can tell me to plant a seed-gift in the ministry of another man of God, and then provide me in return a generous gift from someone else who lives in California—someone I don't even know! I may be in Illinois, and the next thing you know, I meet someone from California who has been sent there by the Lord for the express purpose of sowing a seed-gift into my life and ministry.

I don't know how that sort of thing happens, I just know it does, time and time again.

I don't understand it, but that's not my responsibility. My responsibility is to plant the seed. It is God's responsibility to meet the need.

We Need To Become 'Need-Conscious'
If you and I become "need-conscious," we won't be "seed-conscious." If we get to thinking we have so many needs that we just can't afford to plant seeds, we will soon be right. If we don't sow in time of need, those needs are going to increase so much we really won't have anything to sow, and therefore nothing to harvest. Remember the principle: "Withholding more than is right tends to poverty."

It is our job to sow seeds, and God's job to meet needs. But notice that the Bible says only that our godly gifts will come back to us; it doesn't say how or when. I wish I could tell you how or when your gift will be returned to you in a multiplied form. I simply don't know.

If God gives me a word of wisdom for you, I will let you know, of course. But until such time, all I can do is pass on to you the spiritual principle: "Godly giving results in abundant receiving."

How much time will elapse between our sowing and reaping? Again, I just don't know. But I do know one thing: the period between sowing and reaping is the most important and exciting time in our lives; it becomes a great adventure in faith.

The secret is to sow faithfully, generously and regularly, so that we can expect a continual flow of godly gifts in return. How that happens may be a mystery to us, but our job isn't to try and figure that out; it is to simply trust God and put our faith in Him and in His Word.

Source: How God Supplies Your Every Need by Jerry Savelle
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Ministries International

Author Biography

Jerry Savelle
Web site: Jerry Savelle Ministries International
 
Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
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