How Blessed is your Giving?
By: Hubert Crowell
Two people earn the same amount, both tithe and give, one appears to be blessed more than the
other. The amount of their offerings are the same also. The difference could be in the procedure
they follow.
God clearly teaches that He wants us to place Him first in our life. If we tithe in a casual manner,
paying the bills first, then paying our tithes when it is convenient, we may be missing out on a
blessing. "If the first portion of dough is consecrated, so is the whole lump. If the root is
consecrated, so are the branches." (Romans 11:16, The New English Bible) The First Portion is
the firstfruit, which is also our tithes. But if our tithes are paid after the bills, then the bills are the
firstfruit. When our tithes are first, then the rest of our income is consecrated and our giving will
be blessed.
Tithing is returning, giving is over and above the tithe. Malachi 3:6-12, clearly says that in Tithes
and Offerings to test Him. It must be both, not just one or the other. When done correctly, "Test
me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and
pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3:10, NIV)
Jesus wants to bless us, just like a father wants to bless his children and just like a father looks
for obedience, God looks to see if we obey His commands to keep Him first in all that we do.
Giving should make an impact, if we give a small amount it is like tipping the minium amount.
But when we tip over the expected amount the person receiving the tip will take notice and look
to serve us again. If we witness to someone then make a small gift or only give what is asked for,
then our witness is diluted. But if we give an unexpected amount our witness will take on a more
important role. When people came to Jesus He did not just offer encouragement, He performed
miracles!
Our motive in giving should not be to expect something in return, but why turn down blessings and multiplied returns when we could then give even more. I don't know about you but I am going to try tithing and giving like God instructed us to do. I feel more blessed already, just talking about it.
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