Randy Alcorn - The Law of Rewards: Giving What You Cant Keep to Gain What You Cant Lose.

Whats the biggest misconception Christians have about giving? That when we give money away to a church or ministry, or to help the needy, its gone. While we hope others will benefit from it, were quite sure we wont. We think were divesting ourselves of money, disassociating from it. Once it leaves our hands, we imagine, it has no connection to us, no future implications relevant to our lives.

We couldnt be more wrong.

What we think we own will be rudely taken from ussome of it before we die, and anything thats left the moment we die. But now is our window of opportunity not to divest ourselves of money but to invest it in heaven. We dont have to have everything taken from us. We can give it before disaster or death strike. Nows our chance to give what we cant keep to gain what we cant lose.

We are Gods money managers. He wants us to invest his money in his kingdom. He tells us hes keeping track of every cup of cold water we give the needy in his name. He promises us he will reward us in heaven because we help the poor and needy who cannot pay us back for what we do for them.

We can buy up shares in Gods kingdom. We can invest in eternity.

When Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), he really meant it. It sounds counterintuitive, doesnt it? But when you give, you plug into Gods law of rewards. You experience dramatic and lasting returns for the investments youve made. When you give, you receive far more than when you keep.

When you give, therefore, it is not only for the glory of God and the good of othersthough those would certainly be good enough reasons. When you give, it is for your good too.

This morning a man called me because he wants to give away as much as he can to Gods kingdom. Hes normally not bubbly, but his voice rang with passion. He was far more excited than if he had been talking about buying a new car. Through giving, he was getting something far bettersomething that wouldnt rust or get totaled or lose its appeal. He talked to me about wanting to please God and receive eternal rewards. He believed that through his giving he was getting something far more valuable than anything he could acquire on earthsomething that will be waiting for him when he gets to heaven.

Some would think hes foolish to talk this way. But Im convinced hes absolutely right.

I spend a lot of time talking with givers. At one gathering, we went around the room and told our giving stories. I took notes. The most common words used to describe giving were joy, fun, exciting, and wonderful. There were lots of smiles and laughter, even tears of joy. One older couple shared how they travel around the world getting involved in the missions work they support. Meanwhile their house in California is getting run down. They said, Our children keep telling us, Fix up your house, or buy a new one. You can afford it! We tell them, Why would we do that? Thats not what excites us!