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The More You Give, the More You'll Have

The More You Give, the More You’ll Have

Dear Friends of New Covenant,

Last week I told you about a little poem that said,
There was a man – the world did think him mad,
The more he gave away, the more he had.

The more you give, the more you’ll have. This week I want to take you to one of the biblical roots of this truth. It’s found in my favorite Old Testament book (or at least one of my top two favorites, because it’s hard for me to choose between Isaiah and the Psalms!).

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;

you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the LORD will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (Isaiah 58:6-11 ESV)


God’s people are to be distinguished by how we give ourselves away to those who could never repay us. But notice, in this passage God promises that the more we give away of ourselves, the more we will gain of Himself. If we pour ourselves out for the hungry, and labor to loose the bonds of injustice, God promises that He will act powerfully to pour out spiritual blessings in our lives.

God makes astonishing promises of mercy toward His merciful people. He will:

  • Turn our darkness into light
  • Heal us and strengthen us
  • Manifest His presence in our lives with omnipotent protection and care
  • Guide us continually
  • Satisfy our souls in scorched places

What beautiful promises to stimulate the pouring-out of our lives for others! If we are weak (and we are!), focusing on our own weaknesses will only make us weaker; but helping others in their weakness will make us stronger.

If we feel dry and empty, like we cannot go another step, God says when we pour ourselves out to bless others, he will replenish our streams with satisfaction to our own souls and an abundant supply of satisfaction for others. We will be like a watered garden, a spring whose waters never fail. "It is a paradoxical principle in Scripture,” says John Piper— “As you pour yourself out, you become full. As you give away, you get more."

When I read Isaiah 58, I get a clearer vision of what revival looks like. And what I see is a people who are passionate about pouring themselves out for others, that they might experience the transforming power of God’s grace and mercy in their lives.

America’s great preacher-theologian, Jonathan Edwards, was a man who longed to see Christ’s church revived. Commenting on this passage, he said: "If God's people in this land, were once brought to abound in such deeds of love, as much as in praying, hearing, singing, and religious meetings and conversation, it would be a most blessed omen: there is nothing would have a greater tendency to bring the God of love down from heaven to the earth: so amiable would be the sight, in the eyes of our loving and exalted Redeemer, that it would soon ... fetch him down from his throne in heaven, to set up his tabernacle with men on earth, and dwell with them."

That sounds wondrously attractive to me! May the vision of Isaiah 58 captivate our imagination and motivate our active compassion toward those who are poor and needy, both physically and spiritually.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
An Isaiah 58 Ministry: Wayside Cross & New Life Corrections
Back in February I had the opportunity to tour the facility of Wayside Cross Ministries in Aurora. The director, James Lukose, gave me a compelling overview of the six facets of the ministry, all of which share a common mission: “To honor God by loving and serving the afflicted and powerless through sharing the Gospel of forgiveness and hope in Jesus Christ by empowering them to be disciples of Christ.” This ministry is being served by many volunteers throughout the evangelical community, several of whom come from our own church—and there are lots of exciting opportunities remaining for more volunteers. If you’d like to find out more about Wayside Cross Ministries, you may view their website at www.waysidecross.org.

Our fellow NCBC member Tom Beatty serves as a chaplain and director of Wayside’s New Life Corrections Ministry. Since his arrival a few years back, the ministry has taken on new strength and continues to grow. I am excited about the work God is doing through Tom Beatty and I want to encourage you to get involved by praying for him and, as the Lord puts it on your heart, by giving.

This Easter, Wayside is taking a special offering for New Life Corrections Ministry that will enable the Malachi Dads program to advance in prisons throughout the Chicagoland region. In Malachi Dads, men whose lives have been broken through sin are being restored to God and to their families through the gospel—God is turning the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers (Malachi 4:6).

If you would like to find out how you can contribute to this year’s Easter Offering, a letter from Wayside will be at the Welcome Center. Alternatively, you may email Tom Beatty directly at tbeatty@waysidecross.org and he will be glad to add you to his ministry’s mailing list.

Gratefully,

Pastor David Sunday