Giving Equals Receiving

Updated: Jan 29, 2019

This is the precedent set by our precious Lord and Savior. From the very depth of his heart, he gave us everything that could be given, in order that we in turn would give to others.

Malachi 3:8 (NLT) asks and answers a very fundamental question. It says, “Will a man rob God?” Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” No other area of our Christian lives can become so potentially consumed with contention and ambivalence than the subject of tithing. When it comes to the relationship between our pocketbooks and our faith, many of us take a hands-off approach to giving. This is and will always be to our spiritual detriment, and I’d like to show you the reason for this in the Word of God.

“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” 2Corinthians 9:6-7(The Message)

In John 10:10(NKJV), we have a verse that is extremely important to our walk with Christ. It says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” In this verse, Jesus Christ very clearly and concretely tells us why he came. In him there is fullness of life. Every intention and every plan that God has for us was fulfilled and completed through the life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ. And when he sat down at the right hand of God in heaven, he made a captive out of captivity, and gave gifts to us all.

This is the precedent set by our precious Lord and Savior. From the very depth of his heart, he gave us everything that could be given, in order that we in turn would give to others. From this we can surmise that the act of giving is the ultimate demonstration of the example of Christ. And it’s not just about giving money; we are to give of ourselves in every positive way imaginable for the good of others, but money is the area where we tend to excuse ourselves the most from our true obligation to the faith.

2Corinthians 9:6-7(The Message) says, “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” An experienced farmer knows that in order to harvest a good crop, he has to plant plenty of seeds. This is very basic knowledge. So he doesn’t sow sparingly, with a seed or two here and a seed or two there. He sows lots of seeds. In this way his faith is made to work for him, because he’s confident of the labor he has performed in planting plenty of seeds. His expectations are in full alignment and harmony with his beliefs, because he has backed his faith up with the right kind of action.

So often we have grand expectations for the blessings we desire from God. We may put in the prayer time and communicate often with Heavenly Father, but when it comes to action steps, we rest on our laurels. This is usually the place where many of us will start to complain about the wait. Sometimes years go by, and a person is no closer to the thing that they’ve sought than they were when they first prayed about it. God isn’t making them wait. He’s not withholding their blessing from them. He tells us in James 2:14-17 The Message (MSG):

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

A life in Christ is a life fully immersed in God-action! Jesus Christ has let us know in every way possible that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Every act that we commit out of a God-loving heart is an act that will keep on giving.

Our blessed Master said in Luke 6:38 (AMP), “Give, and gifts will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into the pouch formed by the bosom of your robe and used as a bag. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.”

Selfishness and a non-giving heart will cause a person to live in reverse. Instead of mounting up with loads of goodness to bestow on others, they are imploding. Physically, spiritually, and in every other way, they are shrinking and ceasing to thrive. Because they have blocked good things from going out of their hearts, they have also blocked good things from flowing into them.

Giving provides us a way to open up a channel for God's blessings to flow through us. This is what tithing does. Once we release the blessings—be it money, deeds, or prayers, He then continually feeds us with more. A mind and heart that is flooded with the light of Christ is good ground upon which to sow seeds. This is what God wants us to realize. Heavenly Father has entrusted the Christian with so much, and He counts on us to extend to others what He has so freely extended to us. This does NOT exclude our pocketbooks and wallets; far from it. God doesn’t require less from us, but more; because more has been bestowed upon us.

In Old Testament times, when Malachi was written, the Holy Spirit was not yet given. Surely if tithing was required then, it is even more so required now, particularly when finances are so needed to reach the masses. God does not need our money, but His people do. Surely we must recognize this. The Father needs nothing from us. He’s God all by Himself. When you consider this critical truth, you will have a greater awareness of tithing as an act of faith. It is something that all of us should do in demonstration of our gratitude for all that God has done for us.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Giving Equals Receiving

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