I am sure that you have heard and probably uttered the old adage, “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”. At the heart of this axiom is the belief that if you do something for someone they will do something for you in return. On the surface this standard of back scratching is innocuous, but when Christians determine what they do for some people by what those people can do for them they expose their true nature of selfishness and manipulation.
There are times as believers when the Holy Spirit will lead you to give to someone who does not have the resources to give back. And then there are times when the Holy Spirit will lead you to give to someone who will give back to you more than you could ever imagine. The key is to be Holy Spirit-led at all times.
I learned this truth when I accepted an engagement to speak at a women’s breakfast. The hostess of this women’s empowerment gathering told me upfront that she did not have much if any money to give me. I assured her that it did not matter because I believed in what she was doing and felt led by Holy Spirit to share a word with the women who would gather that morning.
The breakfast meeting was indeed a God-ordained moment as the Lord manifested Himself in a mighty way. I was blessed at the end of the meeting when I was presented with a beautiful basket of lotions, perfumes and bath toiletries. As I was about to leave a young lady who attended the meeting handed me an envelope. She stated that she was so blessed by the message and felt led by the Holy Spirit to bless me. After I thanked her, I got in my car and opened the envelope, not expecting much. As I looked at the check written out to me, I began to count the zeros. Her gift to me surpassed any honorarium I had ever received.
There are people that I have blessed that have never blessed me. There are ministries that I have been a blessing to who have never been a blessing to my ministry. But check this out… There are people and ministries that have blessed me because the Holy Spirit led them to bless me not because they were reciprocating a back scratch or expecting a return on their investment.
Now, I am not naïve. I know that people (church folk even) can and will take advantage of your generosity. But that is where the Holy Spirit comes in. He will tell you whether to accept a handshake or hand them an invoice. God blesses my obedience not my back scratching. When I give without thought of getting anything in return or boast about how generous I am; I am setting myself up for miracles beyond my imagination. Scratching for a blessing instead of just being a blessing will ultimately leave you with an itch that you can never scratch.
Monica C. Holland
Author, Editor & Talk Show Host
Woman of Destiny Magazine Online
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© Copyright 2013 by Monica C. Holland. Please Do Not Post This Article On Any Other Website Without Linking It Back To This Page. Do Not Reproduce This Article Without The Written Permission of the Author. Get your copy of my book, “No Ironing on Sundays: Restoring Reverence for God”. "In all your getting, get understanding..." Proverbs 4:7
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