Be Ready to Receive

Reverend Ike was very philanthropic, but he gave in secret. He once told me a story about a school in Brooklyn that was about to go under due to financial problems. Reverend Ike sent four different people down to the school, each of them prepared to give $200,000.

When each of them tried to make the donation, the school refused the money. Finally, Reverend Ike visited the school, himself, and asked why they weren’t allowing him to help save it. He said, “I tried on four separate occasions, and you kept kicking the money away.”

Reverend Ike would often teach that people who refused money were, on some level, not ready for it, and that it was wrong to force it upon them. So, he never went back to the school to try again to give them money. Their refusal was a clear message that they were not prepared to handle it.

People refused money because of pride. Most of the time, people refuse the help of others because they felt others pitied them. They reject the help that is in front of them, maybe because they don’t trust the people extending the help. They may think, “What’s in it for you?” Or, maybe they don’t want to owe anyone anything. Or, they didn’t want to feel like they “need”. It’s their own issue of self-pity. They refuse the help of others, when really they’re refusing God’s help.

When God sends money your way, do not reject it. You need to realize that God cannot be placed in a box. You must be expectant to receive from God. He can use so many different people to bless you. Maybe it’s not the person you like the blessing to come from, but God is teaching you something important. God is teaching you to be humble enough to receive His help.

Studying the Word of God is about equipping yourself to live out in practical ways the standard of the Bible. Archbishop Jordan’s book, THE SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE OF MONEY —  now available exclusively via the Book of the Month Club.

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