“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
As a young person I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with my grandparents on my mother’s side of our family. They greatly loved the Lord and never missed an opportunity to share or live out their faith. My Grandpa Phillips had a huge garden and he always had me out there digging, weeding and harvesting the vegetables. He loved teaching me what to do and how to have a great garden. Year after year he planted and harvested an abundance of food that he shared with family and friends. His generosity was clearly evident and it was fun to watch the joy he received from sharing.
Grandpa Phillips only had a fourth grade education so his reading was not the best, but everyday he would spend time with the Lord and read his Bible. He would share insights and principles that he had learned. He did so that I too could learn and catch what he shared. At the end of the week, he was also generous with me in a different way. He would give me three one dollar bills, three quarters, two dimes and a nickel. Then he would say, “When we go to church on Sunday you be sure to give Jesus $.40." My grandpa believed that everything he had was a gift from God. The earth was the Lord’s and how he saw that what he sowed to the Lord that God would bless. His attitude was give 10% to God, save 10% and live off the 80%. So every Sunday I learned to give that 10%. My grandpa taught it and I caught it. My grandpa was generous and I could see the joy he had in giving and sharing. I had an older man in my life who taught me the Godly principles of life.
He taught me to bring “My Tithe” to God’s House. So I chose to follow a great example of powerful joy and faith by living this out. This older, uneducated, but wiser man than I, was pretty smart. He had a fabulous way to live and I wanted that joy.
Through the years, his gentle and faithful reminder has been our family’s way of living. To this day we have practiced 10% to Jesus, 10% to savings and 80% for everything else.
Somehow that 80% goes way farther than someone’s 99%. I still don’t understand it but I will never live a different way. My grandpa taught me a great principle and it WORKS. Not because my grandpa said so but because GOD SAID SO.
If you haven’t ever heard of this principle - I am excited to share it. If you haven’t begun to live by this principle -I want to encourage you to start today. And if you already live by it - praise the Lord! My prayer is that we would rejoice in honoring God, bringing joy to your life and live generously from here until the Day you meet Jesus face to face. Remember, generosity is a learned behavior. You can’t catch what isn’t shared or taught, but when you catch it, well OH MY what joy!