A few months ago, I was scrolling Instagram when one of my favorite bloggers posted her story about donating to a family that needed financial help in adopting a child from overseas. I don’t usually give to random organizations or GoFundMe pages, but I was inspired by this blogger that had the heart to see God change lives. She encouraged her followers that even one dollar makes a difference and could help the family in need. She explained that God blesses when we openly give. And she was right. 

Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

The Bible is very clear that you can never out-give God.

We should not give out of expectancy of what the Lord will give back to us, but we can give without fear, knowing that the Lord will ultimately provide. 

As a loving Father, He allows us to partner with Him in His Kingdom. This is what I want in my life. To have an obedient heart in what He calls me to and to see God move in amazing ways. And the more I give, the more evidence I have of His provision. Time and time again I have witnessed God bless others and myself in ways I could have never imagined, and it was all through simple obedience. 

How My Life Verse Led Me to Give 

My whole life, I have struggled with the idea that the best is yet to come. During a stretch of stressful months in college, John 10:10 caught my attention. Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come so that you may have life and life abundantly.” Abundance. Not just the daily grind. But the daily grind filled with joy, hope, and the One who created my soul.

This verse promises me that I will have my sweet Jesus every day of my life and that alone is more than enough. 

In college, one day my best friend and I were hanging out and I told her to write a verse on my wrist. She has a unique way of hearing the Lord’s voice and I was curious to see what she would write. Sure enough, there it was in black ink: John 10:10. My verse. A verse I had not told anyone I had been meditating on during my quiet time. A verse that I had focused on in prayer to have a grateful heart to realize that the Lord gives us life abundantly. With this confirmation from the Lord and after coming back to this verse time and time again in the peaks and in the pits, I knew that it would become my life verse. 

Not only would the verse play a significant role in my life, but so would the number 10. 

Saying “Yes” to Giving 

Because of John 10:10, 10 became my number with the Lord. When praying about the amount of money I was going to donate to the family trying to bring home their sweet daughter from overseas, I decided on ten dollars, since ten is my number with the Lord. It was a small amount, but I felt the Lord urging me to partner with Him in expanding His Kingdom.

Even a simple ten dollar bill can make a difference. 

The next day, after I donated the $10, I got a call from my apartment complex saying they had something for me to pick up in the front office. When I got to the office they handed me an envelope and said, “We just wanted to say thank you for being a healthcare worker during a global pandemic.” Touched, I opened the envelope to see a $100 Visa gift card. My heart swelled. Instantly I thought back to the day before when I had said “yes” to the Lord in giving to that family. I thought of how I gave ten dollars and there I stood holding ten times what I gave. The money I received didn’t matter to me at all, but the fact that God would bless me by giving only ten dollars left me in awe and gratitude. 

God is a show-off, we just have to be willing to allow Him to show off in our life.

I love seeing God move, and one of the ways I love seeing Him move tangibly is through money. To me, money is just money. It is a way for simple obedience to take place in my relationship with God.

Money comes and goes, but having a front-row seat to watch God work is what sets my soul on fire. 

When I was in college, my pastor painted a picture that you don’t go to a restaurant, eat a meal, and then leave without paying for your meal. So why would you go to church, get spiritually fed, and not give? This struck me to the core. Giving money is so easy to do and it belongs to God first and foremost. If the Lord helps sustain us through the Church, it only makes sense to give back as a reflection of how we have just been spiritually fed. 

“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.’” -Malachi 3:10-11 NLT

God tells us to trust in Him with our finances. He says to bring whatever we have first to Him and He will honor it. After all, it is His money anyway. And when we do trust in Him with our money He promises to bless us in abundance. Abundance. He tells us we won’t even have room for all of the blessings He will give us. And this is true, everything I have is from the Lord because He chose to bless me.  

How Live Salted Became My Church During COVID

In a time where I could not physically attend church, Live Salted became my virtual church. Because of Live Salted, I was able to still have community, learn about Jesus, and grow in my relationship with Him. I am so thankful for the way Live Salted has played a big part in my life not only these past few months but periodically throughout my college years from small online Bible study groups to live in-person conferences.

Giving back to a ministry that has helped me grow and meet other believers was a no-brainer.

After God so clearly showed me the immense value of giving to His Kingdom and the impact He could make with my donations, I felt called to donate consistently to Live Salted. Knowing that the Lord has used Live Salted in my life, motivated me to donate so that Live Salted can continue to do the same in other women’s lives. 

How The Ability to Give Is a Blessing 

I have always been eager to give financially to the Lord since He is the One that has provided me with a career and the ability to give financially. Realizing the impact that my small donations could make during a time where finances are tight for many people inspired me to give back even more.

He is always going to provide for me, and I have seen Him use my giving to show His faithfulness.

Jesus desires to be part of your whole life, not just the areas you need help in or are the messiest. He won’t force himself upon us, but He gives us a choice to partner with Him in His Kingdom. And when we choose to, He promises to bless us. 

Why not include the Lord in this area of our finances, when we’ve been asked to include Him in every aspect of life? 

I want to include him in my finances. I want to give back out of love and a thankful heart. God has blessed me abundantly, more than I could ever imagine and I am so thankful that He is active and moving in my life, so I want to honor Him with everything I have.

We have the ability to not just have a front-row seat in seeing the Lord move but also a seat at the table to participate in the feast!

We just have to be obedient and choose Him.