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Isaiah 53:5

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed.”

When I think about giving, I realize that it’s impossible to do unless you are giving to someone or something even if it is yourself.   Therefore, giving implies that someone will receive.  Even if you really don’t want to give or assume that the person will not receive there is still the expectation of someone receiving.  And when you really want someone to receive something that you give, you will go to whatever lengths to see to it that they get it. 

This is exactly what God did for us.  He sent His only Son into this world to take our sins upon Himself, receive the wrath and punishment of sin and die on the cross so that we could receive His life.  God crushed His only begotten Son to give to us His life.  That’s how much He wanted us to receive; and His giving was born out of His love.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  God gave to us with the expectation that we would receive.

However, the devil wants you to believe that God really doesn’t want you to receive.  He wants you to believe that God has a tight hand, and that He’s not as free giving as He says He is.  Or that God only gives based on our efforts and merits.  If you’re good you might get it and if you’re bad you can forget it.  He wants to block you from receiving what God has freely given.  Because if you think that God doesn’t want to give or that you have to work to get it you might not receive it.  Romans 8:32 says, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  God crushed His own Son to give to us His life.  That’s how much he wanted us to receive. 

So why do you take so little when He has given so much?  Receive ALL because He expects you too.