I have seen a few brothers and sisters who fell into dire need because they were unfaithful in the matter of giving. They were not actually lacking in income. The Bible shows us a fundamental principle—one must give to become rich and one becomes poor by accumulating riches. Whoever cares only for himself is destined to be in poverty. Whoever learns to give is destined to have riches. God’s Word says it, and it is true. If we want to escape poverty, we have to give again and again. The more we give, the more God will give to us. Since we are willing to share our surplus with others, others will also be happy to share their surplus with us in the future. If we give one-twentieth to others, others will also give one-twentieth to us. If we give one-thousandth to others, others will also give one-thousandth to us.
With what measure we measure to others, with the same measure others will measure to us. In what capacity we treat our brothers and sisters, with the same capacity God will treat us. If we are willing to sacrifice our livelihood, others will also sacrifice their livelihood for us. If we only give others that which is totally useless, things which we never use, others will certainly give us totally useless and unusable things. Many people have problems with their income because they have problems with their giving. If a person has no problem with his giving, it is hard to imagine that he will have problems with his income. God’s Word is quite clear. If we give to others, the Lord will give to us. If we do not give to others, the Lord will not give to us. Most people only exercise faith when they ask God for money; they do not exercise faith in giving money. It is no wonder that they have no faith to receive anything from God.
Brothers, as soon as we become Christians, we have to learn the basic lesson of financial stewardship. Christians have a unique way of managing their wealth: What we receive depends on what we give. In other words, the Christian way of financial stewardship is to receive according to what we give. Worldly people give according to what they have received, but we receive according to what we give. Our inflow depends on our outflow. Those who crave money and cling to it can never receive God’s money; they will never receive any supply from God.
We should all look to the Lord for our needs, but God will supply the needs of only one type of people—those who give. The words good measure, which the Lord uses in Luke 6:38, are wonderful words. When God gives to man, He is never stingy. He is ever generous and overflowing. Our God is always generous. Our God’s cup is always running over. God is never petty. When He gives, He says that it will be a good measure, pressed down, and shaken together. Consider the way in which we buy rice. Most rice merchants will not let us shake the measure. They do not allow the rice to settle before pouring it out. But the Lord said, “Pressed down, shaken together.” Not only so, it is “running over.” Our God is such a generous God. He gives by pressing down, shaking together, heaping up, and running over. However, He also says that with what measure we measure to others, it will be measured to us in return. If we are shrewd and exact in giving to others, God will only touch others to give to us in a shrewd and exact way.
We must give first to others, before others will give to us. Most people never learn to give. They always want God to answer their prayers. We have to give first before we can receive. If we have not received anything recently, it means that we have a problem in giving. I have been a Christian for more than twenty years, and I can surely bear witness to this principle. Whenever a person has a problem with his giving, he will experience a lack.