Your Gift Is Forever
“As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever! “ 2 Corinthians 9:9 Amplified Bible
This is encouraging and really good news. We often think that when we give to others and the work of the Lord, that the gift is received, consumed and then gone. In fact, when we give a gift we are excited for the opportunity to give and make a difference, but then we soon forget about the gift and we go on with our lives. It is easy to think that the gift was used and even though it may well have been received joyously and with thanksgiving, it is now gone. This verse lets us know that your gift is not gone, it is forever.
The person with the giving heart brings justice along with goodness. That is letting you know that the power of your gift is more than just in what was done with the finances you sowed, more than just meeting those momentary needs. Your gift given with this benevolent heart will go on forever. Give and you are a tool used by God to bring about justice in situations and to the lives of others. Imagine that. How can that be? It doesn’t matter how the Lord just wants you to know that there is power behind your gift beyond the needs you that perceive were met. Additionally, your gifts given with this heart endure forever.
You might think that is mere hyperbole, but stop and consider that men might exaggerate but God is not man and if He says it in His Word to you it is 100 percent accurate. So, you may be thinking “How can my gift endure forever?”
Well, consider the example of the widow from Mark 12, who gave her two little mites to the Lord. Jesus was watching and commended her heart to the disciples for she gave with a right heart although she never knew that her gift was observed that day by the Lord of all. Her actions and her giving were documented in two different gospels. Now today, 2,000 years later, we are still encouraged and inspired by this widow’s gift and giving heart. Her gift truly has endured forever and is still reaping benefits to this day in the lives of millions.
You have no idea what Jesus does with the gifts you give to serve Him. You might have long forgotten the gifts you have given, but Jesus never forgets and He uses them powerfully and spiritually in ways we would never imagine. He takes your gifts and makes them endure forever. This is the unseen power of your gifts and giving.
J Todd Hostetler