In this economic recession, it’s easy to believe we can’t afford to be generous with others.Whether we’re giving of our time or money, it seems there is barely enough of either for us to get by, let alone give to others.Yet, a true test of our faith is if we’re willing to believe God when He says He’ll be generous with us when we are generous with others.Under the New Covenant, Jesus instructed His followers to give generously in proportion to how we would like God to be generous toward us (Luke 6:38). God also wants us to give out of a grateful response to what we’ve been given.We’ve been given salvation, so haven’t we been given everything? In that regard, Jesus didn’t teach us to give just a tenth, as the Old Testament law mandated. He taught us, in some ways, to give our all. Giving our all to Jesus—of our time, talents and treasure—is evidence of not just our obedience, but our love for Him.It really doesn’t matter how much you have—or don’t have—when it comes to giving to the Lord’s people so He can bless others through you. It’s more a matter of trust. How much do you trust God to bless when you seek to bless others in His name?For nearly 30 years, my husband and I lived on a small church pastor’s salary—including a few years in which my husband took a much-needed (but unpaid) sabbatical and supported our family on a couple of minimum-wage paying jobs. I can honestly tell you that God has always provided everything we have needed and so much of what we’ve wanted. Even during those sparse times, we were still able to be generous with others. Based on three decades of seeing God come through for my family financially and otherwise, here are just five ways God blesses when we give to others:Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/lmtrochezz