Tag Archives: tithe

July 19, 2023 · 4:11 AM

The Gateway To Abundance

I believe giving is the gateway to abundance because it is an act of worship, obedience and faith. Whether it is giving your time, resources or money, it comes from something you hold dear and of value. I remember early on in my marriage when we looked at the bills and our income. It was very tight. We had both been raised to give our tithe first before anything else. There was a moment of temptation to not pay the tithe so we could have some money until the next payday. However, we know that if you’re not willing to give when you have a little, you won’t give when you have a lot. It’s a matter of where we put our trust. We’ve made it a practice to give out of what we can no matter how lean.

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah had prayed that there would be no rain in Israel until they returned to God. The drought had dried up the brook he was getting water from. In verse 9, God told him, “Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you” (GNT). I don’t know when God spoke to the widow or how long it took Elijah to get to her village. What I know is that when he arrived, he asked her for some bread. She told him she was picking up sticks to make a fire to bake bread with her last bit of flour. After that, she knew she would starve to death. However, she gave that bread to him because of what was in her heart and what God had asked her to do. Because she gave, she had an abundance of bread for her flour never ran out until it rained and she could harvest again.

In Luke 6:38 Jesus promised, “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” We like to quote the first part of that, but it’s the last sentence that gets me every time. The same measure we use to give is what God uses to bless us with. When people ask me about how they should give, I always ask, “How do you want God to bless you?” We want God’s abundance and overflow, but it comes from our giving. It’s not about the amount. It’s the heart of the giver and the sacrifice that’s made. There’s a lot we can learn from this widow who had no income. God used her to bless the prophet and to show us the gateway to abundance.

Photo credit Unsplash

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March 22, 2023 · 6:30 AM

A Potential Harvest

Several years ago, I bought several bags of seeds so I could teach my son the importance of sowing and reaping. Our garden is small and I could only plant a portion of the seeds. From the ones we planted, we got cucumbers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and a watermelon. From the ones we didn’t plant, we didn’t get anything. In fact, they’re still in their bag and haven’t produced anything. The potential is there to grow, but until they’re taken out of the bag, planted, and watered, they will only be seeds with great potential.

You and I are like those bags of seeds. As long as the seeds are in us, they only have the potential to do great things. Jesus called you and I to be sowers. We are to broadcast the seeds that are in us. They will never grow unless we disperse them and water them. We weren’t meant to just have potential. We were created to meet it and even exceed it. God can’t bless a seed that hasn’t been sown, and He can’t force us to plant. If we are willing to, He’s promised to bless it.

In Haggai 2:18-19, God said, “I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you” (NLT). God wants you to know that before you ever sow one seed, He has already blessed it. Before there is a harvest, God guarantees a blessing if we will simply do the work of a sower. He has placed potential in each one of us, but we have to be willing to let go.

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October 21, 2020 · 5:58 AM

Stored Up Blessings

I have the privilege of talking with pastors from different denominations and church sizes. One of the consistent things that come up in my conversations with them is how to grow their church in a healthy way. In order to grow in a healthy way, we do a health check of their current congregation. We look at the spiritual disciplines of the people who attend. Are they self sufficient Christians or are they solely dependent on the church? Are people being taught how to grow in Christ and given the tools they need to accomplish that? Giving of tithes comes up too, and I’m always shocked at how few Christians give their tithe (10% of their income). It’s a spiritual discipline that speaks to where our heart truly is.

There’s very few things in life as important to us as money. I often explain to sales reps that money represents freedom. It’s the freedom for people to live where they want, go where they want, do what they want and buy what they want. When you, as a sales rep, ask for someone’s money, you’re asking them to give up some of their freedom in exchange for what you have to offer. That same freedom mentality goes with people into the church and they’re not willing to give up what they think is freedom. What we forget is that freedom and income come from God. It’s a way of appreciating God for the blessings and freedom He has given us. If our mentality is that it’s ours, then we have a harder time giving it to Him. When we don’t give it to Him, Malachi quotes God as saying we are robbing Him and ourselves.

Giving our tithe results in more freedom for us. In Malachi 3:10 God says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” (NLT) Giving of our tithe opens the windows of heaven over our lives and provides more blessings and freedom than we can contain. It also recognizes that God is our source and that everything we have is His. By not giving it, we are telling Him what we have is ours and we only need Him for moral guidance. Jesus said you can’t serve God and money. The best way to find out who you’re serving is if you’re tithing or not. Don’t rob God or yourself by not giving it. Tithing is as much an act of faith as anything else and shows God where our heart is. When we give it, we open ourselves to the blessings God has in store for us.

Photo by Jázon Kováts on Unsplash

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October 30, 2019 · 5:55 AM

Giving God What’s His

One of the things I like to do with my nieces and nephews is when they turn 16, I take them to dinner. We talk about using money versus making money. We then talk about what they love to do and how they can turn that into income. We also discuss college and the importance of education. The conversation then shifts to giving tithes and offerings. I explain how our offerings are holy to God, and that you and I have a greater need to give than God does to receive it. I believe that if God is the source of my income, my job is just a tool that He uses to provide for us. That also means that everything I own and all my income are His. My tithe and offerings are a holy thank you to Him in return for blessing me.

After that, I ask them if they know the Parable of The Talents. Either way, we turn to Matthew 25:14-30 and read it again. I ask them for their interpretation of it. Of course, like all of us, they focus on the servant who buried his talent and then gave back what was given to him. In the story this man gave back everything that was given to him, yet he got in trouble. What God gives us is able to be multiplied by us. That’s when I pull out a crisp $100 bill and set it on the table as we talk. I explain that this money is holy because it’s my offering to God. I then slide it across and tell them that I’m going to trust them with it to multiply it and we can give a joint offering. The catch is they don’t know when I’m going to return and they’re going to have to spend some of that money to make some.

All of us have a need to give our tithe (10% of our increased income) and offerings to. I believe God’s blessings are in direct proportion to our giving. Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things” (GNT). I used to think I couldn’t afford to tithe, but since then I’ve learned I can’t afford not to. We don’t give in order to get. We are to give as appreciation for God supplying our needs. He loves a cheerful giver who isn’t giving begrudgingly. When people ask how much should they give and off of what amount, I ask back, “How much do you want God to bless you?” Giving isn’t just about the amount, it’s about your heart. When we recognize that everything we have it God’s, it’s easy to give Him back what He asks for.

Photo by Pepi Stojanovski on Unsplash

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September 7, 2016 · 5:00 AM

A Potential Harvest


A year ago, I bought several bags of seeds so I could teach my son the importance of sowing and reaping. Our garden is small and I could only plant a portion of the seeds. From the ones we planted, we got cucumbers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and a watermelon. From the ones we didn’t plant, we didn’t get anything. In fact, they’re still in their bag and haven’t produced anything. The potential is there to grow, but until they’re taken out of the bag, planted, and watered, they will only be seeds with great potential.

You and I are like those bags of seeds. As long as the seeds are in us, they only have the potential to do great things. Jesus called you and I to be sowers. We are to broadcast the seeds that are in us. They will never grow unless we disperse them and water them. We weren’t meant to just have potential. We were created to meet it and even exceed it. God can’t bless a seed that hasn’t been sown, and He can’t force us to plant. If we are willing to, He’s promised to bless it.

In Haggai 2:18-19, God said, “I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you” (NLT). God wants you to know that before you ever sow one seed, He has already blessed it. Before there is a harvest, God guarantees a blessing if we will simply do the work of a sower. He has placed potential in each one of us, but we have to be willing to let go.

People often ask me how much they should give and what they should tithe on. I offer the same response in the form of a question every time: How much do you want God to bless you? If you only want a little blessing, then give only a little. If you want a big blessing, then give a lot. “Little” and “big” are relative to each person. The widow gave two mites, but Jesus said she gave more than anyone else. God blessed the seeds she planted and we recognize her gift over 2,000 years later.

What seeds are laying dormant with potential in you? Where do you need to plant them? How much do you want God to bless you?

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January 4, 2016 · 5:30 AM

Giving The Best

One of the oldest stories in the Bible is the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a rancher. They both grew up in fellowship with God. They knew who He was and talked with Him. To show their appreciation of His provision, they each offered God a gift. At harvest, Cain offered God some of his crops. They weren’t the best crops or he first part of the harvest. There was nothing outstanding about them. It was just some of what he grew, and the Bible says that God did not accept Cain or his gift.

Abel, on the other hand, offered God the pick of the litter. Genesis 4:4 says, “Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock” (NLT). He wanted to give God his very best and the first pick. He knew that all he had came from God nod he wanted to show how appreciative he was. God accepted this gift because it wasn’t his leftovers or just a few lambs from his flock. It was the best lambs and the best cuts of meat.

Each of us have a choice in what we offer God. Are we giving Him the best part of our day or the leftovers? Are we giving tithes and offerings as soon as we get paid or are we just dropping a twenty in the plate? Are we using the talents He’s given us to further His kingdom or to fill our pockets and fill our house? One of each of these choices pleases God and the other causes Him to not only reject what we give, but to reject us as well.

This time of year, so many people make resolutions that they probably won’t keep because they don’t want to sacrifice. If they were going to make those changes, they’d already be doing them instead of waiting until the first of the year. They don’t make them because their heart isn’t in it. The same thing is true with our gifts to God. If God doesn’t fully have our heart, we won’t give Him the best of what we have to offer. If we trust Him and His Word, and we truly believe that all we have comes from God, we will give Him our very best.

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