14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.
15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.
16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

Philippians 4:14-17

Sometime ago, I received a cash gift of 20,000 Naira from a friend in the United States with whom I had not been in touch for about 12 years, not even by email. He sent the money through a friend in Kano in northern Nigeria, who delivered it to me in Port Harcourt.

About the same time, I got to know of a family who needed financial assistance to pay their house rent. There and then, I decided to give them the money I had just received from my friend. After I had discussed with my wife, who agreed with my suggestion, I gave away that money as a seed towards something we believed God for. I could have held on to it for emotional reasons as it meant so much to me because of its source (an old dear friend), but emotions are irrelevant in obeying God. Not long after that, a couple in the church walked up to me and gave me a cheque of 200,000 Naira and a letter in which they said they were giving the money to me with regard to that very thing my wife and I had believed God for! This couple did not know anything about the seed we had sown or what we believed God for, but God knew, and that was all that mattered.

In the same way, I am always giving out televisions and VCR machines and I seem to be “pursued” by gifts of televisions and VCR machines. Recently, I gave out all my suits and my best shirts to a minister but my wardrobe is full again! Why? I trust in God and not in gold. Those who trust in gold cannot part with their money and they cannot catch revelation knowledge. Those who trust in God can. Their treasure is in heaven where they can draw on their bank account.

Confession:
I trust in God and not in gold, therefore I can part with my money. My treasure is in heaven from where I make withdrawals. I give consistently, and I receive consistently.