Dear Friend,

I remember a time when my grandkids were younger. They loved to go into my closet, find my high heels, put them on their feet, and start walking around our home in them. Sometimes they would take one of Rick’s coats and put it on even though it was too big. Whether walking around in my heels or wearing Rick’s coat, they pretended that they were grandma or grandpa. Our grandkids were imitating Rick and me.

Ephesians 5:1 tells us to “be imitators of God as dear children.” People often say that imitation is the greatest compliment. When we imitate our Heavenly Father because we want to be like Him, we are giving Him the highest praise! That is exactly what He commands us to do in His Word. Today, I want to talk to you about imitating God as a giver.

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When we get worried about what could happen to us or we get too focused on the things of this world, we quickly become nervous about giving to others. But God sets an example for us that is contrary to normal human worries and stinginess. The Bible reveals that God never was and never will be stingy. He is always a giver of the highest degree, and by studying His example, we can learn how we should give as His children.

God Gives…

God Gives Generously:

John chapter six records the story of a time when a huge crowd had gathered to listen to Jesus teach. Jesus questioned Philip, one of the disciples, about feeding the people who had gathered. On this occasion, Jesus multiplied two fish and five loaves of bread; or as my husband teaches, five little crackers and two small minnows that a young boy had brought with him to put on those crackers. After Jesus prayed over that small amount of food, it multiplied exponentially. Some scholars estimate that Jesus not only fed 5,000 men, but with the women and children who were present, He probably fed between 30,000 to 40,000 people that day with just two little minnows and five small crackers! Forty thousand people!

Our God is such a giving God that He multiplied and continued to multiply those few fish and crackers to feed the multitudes. Matthew 14:20 says, “So they all ate and were filled.” The Greek word for “filled” means satisfied. Those people ate until they were full and afterwards there was still food left over! When we give something to God, He doesn’t just add to what we give Him, He multiplies it! God is such a far-above giver!

God Gives Universally:

In that same passage in John, after everyone was satisfied, Jesus told His disciples to gather up the fragments so that nothing would be lost. When they finished gathering the fragments, 12 baskets were filled with the leftovers. Who do you think those 12 baskets were for? They were for those 12 disciples! God had multiplied for the crowd, and now He was supplying for each and every one of the disciples!

One day I was meditating on that, and I realized one of those disciples was Judas Iscariot! God gave Judas the same amount of food in his basket as He gave John, Peter, James, and Andrew. God is such a giver — He even gave to His betrayer! This is such a perfect example of Jesus’ words found in Matthew 5:43-48. It says:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

God is showing us in His Word that we are not only to bless and love our friends and those who love us, but we are also to love our enemies and those who despitefully use us, in a way similar to when Jesus gave a basket full of crackers and minnows to His betrayer. We are to be imitators of Him in how we love others.

Jesus treated Judas no differently than He did the other disciples. That is truly amazing, and that is our God! I am so grateful that God is that kind of giver, because there was a time in our lives when you and I didn’t know Jesus. Even today, you may be struggling and not doing everything perfectly as a Christian, but that will never stop God from giving to and loving you.

God Gives Extravagantly:

Not only does God give generously, He also gives abundantly to everyone, even His enemies. Even more incredible, God gives us the highest quality gifts.

Romans 8:32 says:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

God always gives us His very best, but sometimes when we give, we don’t do the same. Unfortunately, I have done this personally, and maybe you have too. Have you ever given something away that you no longer use or have a need for? God is not that kind of giver. He is an extravagant giver who says, “I’m giving My very best, and My very best is Jesus.” God is not stingy. He is not trying to hold anything back from you; God is trying to get everything to you, even His very best.

God Gives Freely:

Best of all, our God is not unwilling or hesitant in His giving. He doesn’t give just because we beg Him.

Look at James 1:5:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

The Greek word for, “ask of God,” means to get very close to God. Sometimes we think drawing near to God means we need to do everything perfectly, but in our sinful flesh, that is impossible for us. No. When we take our imperfect selves and say, “God, I’m coming to you. I’m drawing near to you, Father, as close as I can. I’m determined to think about You first, Lord, as much as I am able. I’m going to talk to you as often as possible” — when we have this heart attitude, God responds. God is such a giver. Even if we have not been seeking Him, and encounter a situation where we desperately need God and His wisdom. He doesn’t say, “Oh, you haven’t talked to Me in five years. I’m not going to do anything for you.” No. That is not our God. He is not the God with a clenched fist, but the God with an open hand. God is the best giver and He is a habitual giver. As we seek Him for wisdom, as James 1:5 states, He promises to give it to us liberally! God is obliged to give us wisdom as we seek Him.

The Reward of Greed

God gave His own Son for us. This is a powerful example for us to follow, but sometimes, in our sinful natures it is difficult. We are so fortunate to have a God who readily forgives us whenever we mess up, but as Paul tells us, we cannot use that as an excuse to continue sinning.

The Bible reveals some examples of people who did not follow God’s generous example, who were unrepentantly stingy and greedy. In the Old Testament, we read about Laban. Laban was the father-in-law of Jacob, who lied to Jacob and cheated him over and over again. Laban tried his best to cheat Jacob out of the things God had given him, but what did it bring to that selfish Laban? Everything he tried to cling to — his daughters, his livestock, the work that Jacob was doing for him — Laban absolutely lost.

What about Nabal? Nabal was the husband of a beautiful woman named Abigail. David and his men had been respectful to Nabal while they were near his land, and it was an especially plentiful time for Nabal. But when David came looking for provision for them, Nabal refused and insulted them. Nabal was stingy. David became so angry at Nabal that he wanted to completely destroy Nabal and his men. But Abigail, in all her wisdom, humility, and kindness, went to David and begged for mercy. She fed all his men and was blessed because of her generosity. What happened to Nabal, the stingy one? Everything he wanted to cling to, he lost. He even lost his life.

What about Judas? Judas was stingy. When he got angry about money (John 12: 4-5), Judas wasn’t thinking about feeding the poor. The Bible says he was thinking about the treasury and what he could have done with it for himself. What happened to stingy Judas? He betrayed the Son of God, and he died. He lost his life. That is what stinginess gets you.

Imitating Him

Friend, we must realize that God is not a hoarder. Hoarding is all about self. God is a provider. Even at this very moment, God is in Heaven preparing to give us a gift.

Jesus said in John 14:2-3:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus has already given us salvation, and now He is preparing the gift we will receive when we join Him in Heaven!

We need to ask ourselves, “Do I imitate God as a giver or do I only give to those who give to me? Do I just give to those who do good to me? Do I only give something away that I don’t need or do I give my very best?”

Luke 6:38 says:

“Give, and it will be given you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

God knows we cannot outgive Him because He will always give back abundantly more than we will ever be able to give Him, and we cannot give God what we do not have — God would never expect that of us — but we can give Him what we do have. So, what can you give? Can you give more of your time to people who need you? What about your money, your forgiveness? What about your patience? Could you give more of that? What about your mercy? What about your love? What about trusting somebody? Could you give someone trust who might not deserve your trust but wants another chance? What possession can you give that you don’t need and somebody else does? Maybe it’s your enemy who needs it. Are you willing to give it to them?

God has revealed Himself as the tremendous giver He is. He loved us when we were spiritually dead, and He made us alive in Him. His gifts are enormous, and they are coming towards us right now. So, I want you to ask yourself, How can I act like God and give something today?

Before I close my letter, I want to encourage you that we are here for you. Prayer is so important to our Christian walk, and our team takes every one of your prayer requests seriously. Whether you need strength to follow God’s example or provision for a difficult time in life, you can connect with our prayer team today by calling 1.844.473.6637 or sending an email to prayer@deniserenner.org. We are believing for you to see the fullness of God’s blessings in your life soon!

I also want to invite you to my weekly program, TIME with Denise Renner. Every Monday at 7 AM CT and Wednesday at 12 PM CT, I have the privilege of sharing what God has put on my heart for you. I hope you will join me if you haven’t yet! You can watch TIME with Denise Renner on my Facebook page, YouTube channel, or by visiting Renner.org.

I pray that this teaching will encourage you or someone you know to give like God today. We have such a generous Father in Heaven, and when we follow His example, He gives back to us so much more than we could ever imagine. Remember His love for you and determine to put on His giving mindset as you carry His image out into your life this week.

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner