How is it that giving money to those who need it makes me the happiest?

Where to run when there's a storm by my son Jeremy McNaughton

In 2009 the internet took my job away at the local newspaper where I worked.  God used this time to show me that my god was money, not Him.  I trusted money.  I could tell my money what I wanted it to do for me.  But I was not aware that money was my master.  I made my decisions based on money, not God's will.  I determined my limits by how much money I had, not by what God promised to supply.  But when neither my wife or I had a job, we were forced to depend on God.

And eventually, I felt free.

I trusted the One who provided for me because He loves me.  Money never made me feel loved.  When I trusted God to provide for my needs I felt like I had enough and if I didn't have enough I asked Him for what I needed and He always provided.  With money as my god I always wanted more and never felt I had enough.

What got us through the time without jobs, what gave us confidence that we could depend on God to supply our needs, was we were obeying God and depending on His promises.  

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothing and shelter) will be added unto you. - Jesus, Matthew 6:33

Jesus is the King of the kingdom.  We get our righteousness from Him as our Savior.  If we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior He says in the Bible that He will provide for our needs.  We believed that and Jesus back up His promise and kept us supplied with the money we needed.  We gave God back 10% of everything we earned at that time and we continued to support the people and programs we donated to before.

But beware!  If you give to get you will never be satisfied, it's just another form of greed.  But if you give money because you love the other person, you will be filled with joy and God will refill your empty hand so that you can give again.  That is fun!

And consider the additional blessings of considering the poor.

Blessed is he who considers the poor;

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,

The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

And he will be blessed on the earth;

You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;

You will sustain him on his sickbed.  Psalms 41:1 - 3 (NKJV)

Will God really do all this?  Why don't you try Him and find out?