Derek Prince - Your Giving Has A Lot To Do With Your Prosperity
This is a clip from the full sermon The Christian And His Money.
The third principle is very important. We've already said that the Holy Spirit is a generous spirit. And God is a generous God. And God's grace provides abundance. 2 Corinthians 9:8, come on Ruth. We did this last night, we'll do it again tonight. This is one of our key affirmations. Remember, Jesus is the high priest of your confession. So when you sincerely and believingly make the right confession, you release Jesus to fulfill it.
This is what Paul says about God's grace. We're going to put it in the first person, because we're making it applicable to ourselves. All right, are we ready? God is able to make all grace abound toward us, that we always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. You try and find any area of need in that. It starts off with a simple statement, God is able. Do you believe God is able? We cannot doubt that God is able. What does He make abound to us? All grace. And then we always have all sufficiency in all things. And abound, overflow.
But notice, it's not for selfish indulgence. It's for every good work. God doesn't keep us to the level of mere sufficiency. I'll tell you why. Because Jesus said - in Acts 20:35 Paul quoted him, he said: Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, it is more blessed to give than to receive. If God gave us only sufficiency, all we would be doing would be receiving. But God gives us more than sufficiency, He gives us abundance, the overflow, that we may have the greater blessing of giving. Remember, if you are only receiving, it's wonderful, but you're living on the lower level of blessing. The higher level of blessing is giving. And God's grace if we will accept it in faith, will make it possible for all of us, in some measure or other, to go beyond our own personal needs and to give to the needs of others. The next principle is stated here that giving is sowing.
Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 9:6. We've already pointed out the whole of this chapter deals with giving. But this I say He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So Paul is there comparing, giving to the Lord's work, to sowing seed. And taking this example from the natural realm, he says, the measure in which you sow will determine the measure in which you reap. If a farmer sows one bushel of wheat and he reaps, let's say, fifty fold, how many bushels will he get in? Fifty bushels, that's right. But if he sows ten bushels of wheat how many bushels will he get in? Five hundred, you understand? The measure in which a person sows determines the measure in which he reaps. Do you realize this? The measure in which you give determines the measure in which God will give back to you.
Jesus said in this same context: With what measure you measure, it will be measured back to you. In other words, your giving has a lot to do with your total prosperity. The example of sowing, I think, is very important. Because it indicates certain safeguards. For instance, a farmer does not walk down the main street of his town throwing seed into the gutters and expect to reap. I'm afraid a lot of Christians are like that. They're giving but they're throwing it into the gutter. I mean, I weep when I think the billions of American dollars that are given by American Christians and basically they end up in the gutter. Because they're not given wisely, prayerfully and on the right principles. Americans are very generous people. But they're very easily moved emotionally to do things on the spur of the moment. A farmer doesn't do that. If he wants a good harvest, he chooses the right soil, he prepares the soil, he chooses the right type of seed, he sows it and he watches over it.
I want to suggest to you that you need to view giving as sowing. And you need to invest in the places which will bring forth the greatest harvest. Don't scatter your money foolishly. Don't give simply out of habit or because other people do it that way. Be prayerful about your giving. Picture yourself as sowing seed. Sow where there will be fruit. If you're investing in a ministry, it's good to make some inquiries about that ministry. It's good to find out what really happens to the money. Let me say there are all sorts of very genuine material and physical needs. There are literally millions of starving people in the world today. I greatly admire those Christians who are concerned and give. But if you only give to physical needs, there is no eternal harvest. The eternal harvest only comes out of one thing. What's that? The Word of God.
So, I would say never as a committed Christian sow merely to material needs. There are many wonderful ministries that meet material needs and present the good news of the gospel. I heartily endorse them. But there are lots of good-natured generous people in the world who will support the hungry to some extent. But we who know the value of the word of God and have a vision of eternal issues let's be very careful that we sow to eternity.