Family Talk Night Light for Parents

Fringe Benefits

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

We know of a man who is the chief executive officer for a municipal services firm. He and his wife give half of their income to God’s work each year. This man says, “My joy in giving comes from serving God in a way that I know He’s called me to and realizing that what I give is impacting people for Christ. It just feels wonderful and fulfilling.”

The more we give to God, the more we feel a sense of joy, and the more God delights in us. The Macedonian Christians understood this pleasure that comes from giving: “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:2). Though they were poor, the Macedonians “pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing” (v. 4) in order to know “overflowing joy.”

The best reason for giving to God, however, is not to bring pleasure to your life today, but to reserve joy for the eternal tomorrow. Jesus advises us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). He also instructs us to give to those less fortunate than ourselves, saying, “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14). We already know that heaven will be a place of rejoicing for every believer, yet those who give to God’s purposes are promised even more rewards.

To put it another way, giving to God is simply a good investment for your family. The fringe benefits alone will pay eternal dividends!

- Shirley M Dobson

• From Night Light For Parents, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
  Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Illustration from The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 2001).