The Bible teaches how important it is for God's people to give.  It's not only a privilege, it is a responsibility.  But the benefits are far greater than most of us can imagine.  If you are someone who thinks that our government is bloated and wasteful, you'll enjoy this lesson.  Today we'll look at some ways that we can help the USA to become financially fit and trim!

My wife loves the Lord.  God has given her many witty solutions to enhance our family's well-being and everyday routines.  Back in the 1990's, she was cleaning out our closets, preparing to have a garage sale.  My wife learned about garage sales from my mother, who was a garage sale expert!  Mother knew how to buy, sell and dicker with the best!  But on this particular day, as my wife was getting ready to put price tags on all of the garage sale items, she felt that the Lord wanted her not to put a price on anything.  Instead, she felt that we were to give everything away for free!

We had so much fun with our first "garage giveaway," that we continue to have them.  They have become a tradition with our family.  At least once or twice a year, we put an ad in the paper.  The ad says "garage sale", but when the doors go up, we make an announcement something like this:  "How many of you have been here before?  For those of you who are here for the first time, we do things a little differently from most garage sales.  God has blessed us, so we want to be a blessing to you.  You won't see price tags on anything, because everything is free!  If you see something that you need, or if you know someone who needs it, you are welcome to take it."

We have had people actually break down and cry with joy at these events.  When we started having them, we had only a few, well-used items, but God has increased our ability to give, and we now can often give away new things.  We also give out Bibles, DVD's, and various tracts and booklets on spiritual topics.  We can tell you from experience that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. 

Luke 6:38 tells us that when we give, it will be given back to us "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over."  We don't give to get a blessing, but God has blessed our giving "exceedingly abundantly" beyond what we could ever have imagined (Ephesians 3:20).  In fact, we enjoyed giving so much that we formed our own non-profit organization, 7 Cord Ministries.

Thank God, our government still recognizes the value that faith-filled people and ministries bring to our society.  I encourage you to ask God for opportunities to give during your daily routines.  You'll be glad you did.  If just the Christians in America did this, can you imagine how many ineffective federal programs and inefficient taxes could be eliminated?  Think about it!