THE YOUNG GIVER Wednesday 4 July 2012

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

Memorise: There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

Read: John 6:5-13

Our God can go to extremes in areas such as giving. When He really wants to give, He gives massively. Imagine using 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to feed 5,000 men, excluding children and women. Going by the fact that women were usually more among the followers of Jesus, that could have been about 12,000 people or more. Yet, there were leftovers. As awesome as this miracle was, it must not be forgotten that a young boy created the platform for God to perform this miracle of super abundance by first giving up his lunch. I once asked my children what happened to the 12 baskets of extras that came out of that miraculous provision and they replied that each of the apostles must have gone home with one basket. But they were wrong. All 12 baskets would have been given to that little boy because where the water comes from, is where it will return. Just imagine that boy getting home with 12 baskets of bread and fishes. His parents must have asked how he got them and he would have told them the story. I believe that family would have learnt a big lesson concerning giving.

Learn from this story. Do you think the boy was the only one with food in the midst of that crowd? No! What happened to others who had some food? Their food was hoarded and so remained that way. If that boy had kept back his meal just like others, the crowd could have starved because God needs man to give something for Him to multiply. If you bring empty hands He will multiply your emptiness and at the end of the day, you will be the greater loser. Some of those who hid their food would have been asked to help the boy carry his booty home. They would have been saying: “this provision could have been mine”! They would have regretted their action. Furthermore, there might have been some of them who would have wanted to offer theirs but either they were too slow or they were still thinking or praying about it when the boy beat them to it. Be quick to give to God. Always lead others in giving because there is a reward for it. Like that boy, children and teens should learn to give to God. They are not too young to give to God. Parents must give their children offering to give in church and teach them how to pay their tithes on the gifts they receive from others. The earlier, the better.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, help me to lead others when it comes to giving.

 

Bible in one year: Acts 21-24