Give and Get - Martin Wiles

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21 NLT

She and her sister rotted in a Nazi prison concentration camp, but they gave nevertheless.

Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were Hollanders caught in the German invasion of their country. Believing they held Jewish sympathies, the Nazis arrested her family and carted them off to prison. Eventually, all except Corrie and her sickly sister found freedom.

As Corrie and Betsie gravitated from one prison camp to another, Betsie’s health deteriorated. Vitamin drops were the only thing keeping her strength up so she could do the painstaking work the Nazis required. But when others needed the vitamins, she shared. Corrie worried the vitamin drops would give out and her sister would get worse, but God gave to Betsie and she gave in return.

Soon, more than twenty-five shared the small bottle of vitamins—but the drops never ran out. Day after day, the drops unexplainably multiplied. One day, a young Dutch woman assigned to work at the hospital delivered a treasured package: more vitamins. Corrie planned to finish the bottle first, but when she tried to deliver the drops the bottle didn’t deliver. 

Betsie ten Boom’s treasure came from giving. According to Jesus, her heart occupied the same place.

God wants His followers to give even when it appears impossible to do so—as it did with Betsie. He doesn’t expect us to give so much that we put ourselves or our family in poverty—or that we neglect our financial responsibilities—but He does want us to give proportionately and with faith. Betsie had faith God would care for her if the vitamins ran out.

We give because God has given to us—the greatest gift of all. Under no obligation, He gave His only Son to pay our sin debt. The sacrifice was the vitamin we needed to sustain our spiritual lives. Our giving to others demonstrates our appreciation for His gift.

Giving shows love. Betsie loved those she didn’t know. She loved to the point she was willing to sacrifice her own health. As she gave sacrificially, her giving drew others to Christ—which was one of her goals. Even in a nefarious prison camp surrounded by evil guards, her giving attracted others to the One who gave His all.

Give with the right motives and for the right reasons. You’ll never regret it.

Tweetable: Is your hand opened or closed?

Prayer: Father, as You have given Your all for us, may we give our best for You. 

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