The Secret Revealed...

So it’s true, the secret plan of God is Jesus Christ and He is available to all. The mystery of the gospel or the secret plan of God was revealed in the Bible long ago. However the secret to living still seems to be a bit of a mystery to many.

Well a secret no more, get ready for the SECRET Revealed! It’s time to move beyond just existing to living and The secret to LIVING is GIVING! Yes, I’ve discovered the secret to living a fulfilling life is indeed giving.

One surefire way to experience joy is by giving. Words cannot adequately describe how good it makes you feel. In fact, scientists have released a study that proves it really is better to give than to receive.

Scientists have proven that more dopamine, a chemical which is known to trigger feelings of pleasure and reward, is released when a person gives than when they receive something of value. According to ScienCentral, donating to charities lit up the brain's reward circuits even more than receiving cash.

So not only is the secret revealed, but there is proof to back it up. The simple act of giving brings joy. At the mention of the term giving, most people tend to think of giving money, but the Christian single woman should seek to give of her time, talent as well as her treasure.

Giving of Your Treasure
Let’s start with the most common type of giving, giving our treasure (or money). First and foremost, as Christians we should pay our tithes. The tithe is a tenth of your income. When it comes to the tithe, one of the first questions asked is ‘should I tithe off my gross or net income?’

Well, God blessed you with ALL of it. Your taxes, 401K and just about anything else taken out of your paycheck is calculated and taken based on your entire salary, so why would relegate God to anything less?

God blessed you with a 100% of your paycheck, yet He only asks you to give Him 10%. He allows you to live off of 90% of something that belongs entirely to Him. Many people seem to struggle with paying the tithe, but God says trust Him in this.

The tithe is not about money (God doesn’t need our money), it’s about trust. If you trust God, take Him at His Word and pay your tithe FIRST, not after all your bills are paid to see what you have left. That approach requires absolutely no faith at all. Pay God first and watch Him miraculously ensure all your needs are met. Will you trust Him?

“One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.” - Leviticus 27:30 NLT

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” - Malachi 3:10 NLT

The second question or statement mentioned regarding the tithe, is ‘the pastor is taking the money.’ Now if God has called the tithe Holy unto Him, don’t you think He will take care of anyone who is robbing Him? God will only hold you accountable for your actions, not the actions of others.

Besides, which side would you rather be on - the one that is robbing God or the one that is obeying God? To tithe or not to tithe…the ball is in your court.

Now that you understand that you should tithe, consider charitable giving as a next step. Charities around the world do a lot a great work to meet needs and they require funds to continue their efforts.

No money to give? There are many great gifts you can give that won’t cost you a thing. Also, consider tithing your time and your talent.

Giving of Your Time
It’s easy to give money. Simply write a check or donate some cash and you’re done. However, giving of your time requires more of an investment and it’s often more rewarding. Giving of your time blesses both you and the recipient.

Everyone is allotted the same amount of time in any given day. However, we each get to choose how we spend our time. To be most effective, we take our focus off of self and focus on others, and there is no better place to start than at home.

Ministry starts at home. And each day is a new opportunity to give and impact the lives of others.

Most people think acquiring more stuff will bring joy, but as the authors of The Generosity Factor accurately state, “when we align our actions with the heart of God, we discover a wealth that continues to flourish the more you give to others.”

There are so many practical ways you can give of your time such as volunteering, mentoring, ministry or even random acts of kindness. Each does at least two hearts good, yours and the recipient(s).

Giving of Your Talent
Again, anyone can write a check but God has given each of us spiritual gifts to serve others and build up the Body of Christ. Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift. A spiritual gift is defined as abilities given to believers by the Holy Spirit.

While spiritual gifts differ from a talent in that a talent is not given by the Holy Spirit based on faith in Jesus Christ, all should be used to glorify God. God has blessed each of us with natural ability and/or spiritual gifting, so we should share it with others just as He has shared it with us.

Much like your time, there are so many ways you can share your talent. And the great thing about giving of your talent is that it allows you to be uniquely you. There may be something you can give that no one else can share because God has gifted it to you.

Blessed to be a blessing is not just a cliché, it is the role of a Christian. Since God in His infinite wisdom chooses to use us in His service, He indeed sends blessings to, those He can get a blessing through.

Just as we are not saved just to keep it to ourselves, we are also not blessed just for ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing. Share the blessing of your gifts and talents with others.

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” – I Corinthians 12:4-7 NLT

We are most like Christ when we serve others. No amount of your time, talent or treasure is too small to give. Whatever you give to God, He multiplies to meet our needs.

So there you have it, the secret revealed…Living is Giving! Live life to its fullest…GIVE! The more you give, the more you live.