How would you like to find an investment that will consistently outperform every other investment you make? There is such an investment, but it’s not anything you’d expect.

In fact, it’s not real estate. It’s not the stock market. It’s not options. It’s not treasuries. And it’s not commodities.

The investment is giving to your church and other charities. If you don’t believe this investment will always outperform every other investment you make, let me share a story from Dr. Joe Morecraft, a pastor friend of mine.

Joe was on the board of directors for a fairly large company. At the annual board meeting, one of the board members, an elderly man who had amassed a sizable fortune, made a stunning announcement. He told the board that he had far more money than he could ever use and no heirs to give it to, so he was going to give away his entire fortune over the next year.

The rest of the board was stunned!

Well, one year later, the board came together again. But this time, there was a noticeable buzz in the air. Everyone wanted to know if the man was able to give away all those millions of dollars.

When the man entered, the room fell silent. Then came the announcement. A very red-faced board member had to tell all those influential people that he had failed in his task. But what he said was even more stunning than his original announcement.

He told the board that through the course of the last year, he gave away millions upon millions of dollars. He established a pace that, he thought, would enable him to quickly get rid of everything he owned.

Then something happened that he didn’t expect. He started making more money than he had ever made previously in his life. All of his investments were moving up faster than they ever had. The man had to tell the board that he was, in fact, far wealthier after that one year than he was when he made the original announcement. But what he said next was one of those lessons we all need to learn.

The last thing he said was, “What I learned this year is that I can’t out-give God.” As hard as he tried, he couldn’t get rid of his money faster than God was blessing him.

So if you’re looking for a way to get the best return on your money, give it away. The return won’t always be monetary. And there are times when you won’t see the rewards this side of heaven. But the reward will always be far greater than the investment.