GIVE: first

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.”

Provers 11:24

If there is one principle God has been impressing on my heart lately it is this: God’s kingdom is an upside-down kingdom.  The first are last. The meek inherit most. The humble are exalted. The greatest shall be the servant of all.

When we give away we become rich. When we hold on tight we lose it all.

I know there’s a lot of controversy surrounding tithing. Because the 10% (tithe) isn’t clearly commanded in the New Testament, we are careful not to teach as a hard and fast rule that all believers must tithe. And I agree with that. BUT, perhaps in all our careful dancing around this issue we have actually kept many earnest believers from experiencing the blessing of faith-filled first-fruits giving.

What do I mean? I mean this:

For as long as I can remember my parents taught us to give first. We tithed off everything. Perhaps we “shouldn’t” have had a hard and fast tithe rule but can I just say that it was a blessing to be instructed from a young age and to have that habit instilled in us early on. My dad shares stories from his own early adulthood, learning to follow God’s upside down kingdom ways by giving first and even doing financially-backward things in order to be generous to God.

And it’s worked. Wow has it worked.

Now, I want to be careful here because I’m not saying “you give to God and then He makes you rich.” He might not. BUT, we also sometimes become so leery of the health-and-wealth garbage that we’re afraid to believe clear scriptures such as the one at the top of this post. Its meaning is clear: When you give freely you grow richer. There’s no other way to say it. Proverbs 3:9-10 is even clearer:

“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10

I’m no scholar but this reads clearly to me: Give to God your first and best and you will have all that you need. 

Didn’t Jesus say the same thing when talking about material needs?

“Do not be anxious saying, “What shall we eat? or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” … your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:31-33

He’s not just talking spiritual stuff! Not just spiritual needs. All of these passages are talking about real stuff. Giving material stuff and receiving material stuff.  Yes, God might not make us millionaires (because He loves us too much to ruin us!), but when we give Him freely the first and best of what we have, He WILL supply all we need. 

Test Him! Try Him! He says to try it out:

“Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Malachi 3:10

Is money tight right now? Test him! Get with your spouse and read these passages together and get on your face and pray and GIVE. Give 10% off the top of your next paycheck FIRST and test Him in this, if He will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for a blessing until there is no more need.

When we’re most tempted to stress is when we most need to trust Him, test Him, and give.  {Trusting Him with you! Thanks for reading.}