As we step out of the season of Thanksgiving and into the season of giving, it is easy for our focus to shift toward what we hope to receive. However, the true essence of this season is not found in what comes to us, but in what flows from us.

Thanksgiving teaches us to recognize God’s goodness; giving teaches us to reflect it. When our hearts are full of gratitude, we become more aware of just how generously God has poured into our lives. But here’s another beautiful truth about it: As recipients of God’s giving, we become receptacles of giving.

God never pours into us so that the blessing stops with us. Every gift, His love, mercy, provision, comfort, and peace, is meant to flow through us to others.

There are four points that I want to share with you concerning the blessing of giving.

• [One] We Receive So We Can Release – God fills us not for us to store up blessings; but to share them. The bible says in Matthew 10:8 “Freely you have received; freely give”. We are not reservoirs that hold everything in; instead, we are channels that allow God’s goodness to flow outward.

• [Two] We are Blessed To Be A Blessing – There is an established pattern of the blessing that has been established since the days of Abraham. In Genesis 12:2 God says “I will bless you… and you will be a blessing.” What God places in our hands is never just for us. We are blessed so that others may be blessed through us. We are the conduit that God uses to get the blessing in the earth.

• [Three] Grace Makes Us Generous – Receiving God grace transforms our heart. It shifts us from consumers to contributors. 2 Corinthians 9:8 shows us that “God is able to make all grace abound to you… so that you may abound in every good work.” Receiving His grace empowers us to extend grace.

• [Four] God’s Gifts Are Not Meant To Be Contained – When we allow God to pour in, and then pour out, we experience a spiritual flow that keeps our hearts soft and full. Luke 6:38 declares “Give, and it will be given to you… pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” The more we pour out, the more God pours in. He pours in us not for our hoarding, but for our giving.

Listen, you are a receptacle of God’s giving. You are a vessel designed to carry His love, His generosity, and His presence into a world in need. This season ask God:

• What have You given me that I can now give to others?
• Where can I reflect Your goodness in someone’s life today?

Let your life be a cup that never stops overflowing. What you have to give is greater than anything that money can buy. Give love, time, encouragement, and compassion. Give generously as God has given to you.