Tag Archives: generosity

GENEROSITY – THE MEASURE OF ETERNAL REWARDS

May 27, 2022Christian Lifeconfession, generosity, obedienceLuella Campbell

GENEROSITY – THE MEASURE OF ETERNAL REWARDS

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. (2 Cor. 9: 13-14)

It’s not only important that we give. It’s also about why we give.

God condemns giving to be honoured for our sake but giving to honour God brings glory to Him and gives others encouragement to follow suit.

Our generosity should be based squarely on who God is. We give because He has freely given to us.

Freely you have received; freely give. (Matt. 10: 8b)

When we give out of the motivation of mercy, God promises to meet all our needs and the light of our good works will reflect on Him.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise you Father in heaven. (Matt. 5: 14)

Jesus took the issue of generosity to an even deeper level than giving simply because we are obliged to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Everything we do for others reflects how much we value God’s mercy towards us. Generosity is not about giving to others because we are being benevolent towards them, or even because of their need. Generosity is our duty because God is generous towards us. Withholding our money and possessions when we can meet the needs of others, from God’s perspective, is the same as stealing.

Jesus told a parable to illustrate what our duty is all about.

Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or looking after the sheep. Would you say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would you rather not say ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would you thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ (Luke 17: 7-10)

Why is it that we want accolades from people and rewards from God when we do what is expected of us? We treat God as though He owes us something because we have obeyed Him! Generosity is not about earning Brownie points. It’s about showing how deeply we value God’s mercy to us that He has rescued us from our self-destructive greed and changed our hearts towards Him and towards the people around us. We show it by the way we treat people who have wronged us or who are less fortunate than we are.

Jesus taught something about stewardship which we either tend not to notice or to ignore because it seems to out of keeping with who He is.

Jesus told the story about a manager who was about to be fired for mismanaging his master’s finances (Luke 16: 1-9). The man quickly bought favour from the master’s debtors by reducing their debts. When the master found out what he had done, instead of condemning him, he commended him for his shrewdness. Jesus ended His story with a very puzzling comment. What do you make of this Scripture?

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16: 9)

First, we need to be careful about spiritualising this parable. The story is about a dishonest man who was generous with his master’s money to win friends so that, when he no longer had a job, they would be generous to him. Jesus did not commend his dishonesty but the principle – generosity gains you favour with people.

His next few comments open the meaning even more.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with little will also be dishonest with much. So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:10-12)

The point of the parable is that the manager was the steward of his master’s property. He had a greater obligation to be trustworthy with what was not his than with what was his own, because he was accountable to his master for what he did with it.

In the same way, we are stewards of what God has given to us and we are accountable to Him for the way we use it. He has instructed us how to apportion it so that we care for those in our circle of responsibility before we take care of our own needs. When we are faithful to carry out our Master’s instructions and use what He has given us in obedience to Him, only then can He give us greater responsibility in the life to come.

Does it shock or surprise you to realise that the level of authority you will have in God’s eternal kingdom will depend on the way you handle your money and possessions in this life? This is how seriously Jesus took the issue of money and why He had so much to say about it.

This leads me to the final point about the way a disciple uses his resources. There are serious consequences for greed, selfishness and disregard for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the alien.

(To be continued…)

14 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF GENEROSITY

October 26, 2020Christian Lifeattitude, generosity, gratitudeLuella Campbell

14 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF GENEROSITY

We’ve already done a whole study on the kingdom power of righteousness, zeroing in on the protection Jesus’s righteousness gives us against the devil’s wiles.

Now we will go into more detail about our response to our standing in righteousness – generosity.

The Old Testament has much to say about generosity; in fact, “generosity” and “righteousness” are used interchangeably in many passages. For example:

“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”Psalms 37:25-26 NIV

The Hebrew word for righteousness is “tsadaq”; if you add an “ah” to the end of “tsadaq”, you get “tsadaqah” which means “righteousness revealed” and is often translated as “generosity”. Through our generosity, we show the righteousness that is in us.

Generosity begins with an attitude… gratitude towards God for His immense generosity towards us.

“Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:13-15 NIV

Any generosity we show to others is or should be rooted in God’s generosity towards us. We sometimes give out of guilt or compulsion but our true motive should be a response to what God has done for us.

I found this verse in the Old Testament which shows us how much God values our expressions of gratitude.

“Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honours me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Psalms 50:23 NLT

God’s generosity towards us is centred in the person of His Son and comes to us through His attitude of mercy and grace. His generosity is much more than just money and material things. His generosity lies behind everything He has done and still does for us and is rooted in His love. In fact, God takes care of all our needs because He is our Father.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:7-8 NLT

God’s generosity towards us covers all His dealings with us and goes right back to His original intention to have a family of sons and daughters who live together with Him in love and harmony.

Since His human family became dysfunctional through sin, God’s mercy and grace through the sacrifice of His Son have enhanced the revelation of the greatness of His generosity towards us.

Money and greed hold unrighteous people in the world system in absolute slavery. In fact, Paul hit the nail on the head when he wrote..

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil….” 1 Timothy 6:10 NLT

How true this is and how well we know it from the plight our own country is in right now! Even the most humanitarian of professions, medicine, is, in the end, driven by money.

Jesus used a Hebrew grammatical construction (called a chiasm) to explain the root cause of our attitude towards money.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Matthew 6:24 NLT

This chiasmic construction focuses on the central statement, not that no one can serve two masters but that “you will hate the one and love the other” and that “you will be devoted to one and despise the other.” In other words, you will serve the one you love, be it God or money.

Since we have been made a new creation through the power of the gospel, we have a new love and a new motive for being generous.

However, money, or more accurately, mammon – the god (demonic power) of money, is so powerful that it can easily drag believers back under its sway if we don’t cling to the right attitude towards God and His mercy towards us.

“And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 NLT

Although our generosity towards others must be much wider than just about money, since Jesus spoke more about money than any other subject, money plays a big part in the way we express our generosity towards others.

Firstly, let me explain that stealing in Hebrew thought was much more than taking what didn’t belong to you. It included withholding from others what you could give to help them.

In the end, it all comes down to the value we put on God’s mercy shown towards us in the gift of His Son.

This thought leads us to another… have we lost our first love?

The love of money is very subtle. It creeps in gradually when our attention is drawn to it either through poverty or wealth. If we don’t have enough, we crave more to survive. If we have enough, we want more to buy more things. Whatever our circumstances, money will rule us if it is the object of our attention.

How can we avoid being trapped by the love of money so that we do not become hoarders rather than givers?

Of course, the first and best way to break the power of stinginess is to be a giver. The more we share our resources, the more we reap the benefits of generosity.

However, to be a generous giver, we need a motivation to give more powerful than the love of money.

If money has taken over your thinking, it’s time to repent and return to your first love. What do I mean by “your first love”?

Perhaps you have been taught that first love is the wild, extravagant love you had for Jesus when you first believed. You just couldn’t get enough of Him. However, as time went on, your enthusiasm cooled and now you feel guilty because you just haven’t been able to recover that feeling.

The Bible gives us a different perspective on “first love”. If our love for Jesus is rooted in and has to find its motivation in ourselves, it is bound to fail. We are naturally fickle and fallible.

However, there is a source of love that will never fail.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:10, 19 NIV

Our love for God and others must be rooted in God’s love for us which He showed us by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sin.

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLT

The solution is simple. We become like the thing we give attention to. The more we think about money, the more we will crave it. The more we focus on God’s love in Jesus, the more we will love Him and learn to be givers like He is.

Once we have money in its correct perspective – our servant, not our master – we will discover that generosity with our resources is a powerful kingdom tool for living under God’s rule in an ungodly world system.

How do we multiply our resources to meet our own needs and the needs of others?

The world’s economic system functions on buying and selling, profit and loss, and the accumulation of wealth through the addition of interest. Money has to work to make more money. So, the world’s focus is on making money and the motive is greed.

The kingdom’s economic system is different and very simple.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 NLT

In the course of His many instructions about money, Jesus told us how to manage our money in such a way that we will always have enough and to spare.

We must first settle the issue of ownership. Who owns the money we earn? God does! We, and everything we have, belong to Him.

“… You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price….” 1 Cor. 6:19-20 NLT

Since we are stewards, not owners of what we have, God has the right to tell us how to use our money and possessions.

God has promised to take care of our material needs on one condition:

“So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

“Live righteously…” What does that mean? We have already learned that, to live righteously means to be generous in all our dealings with people. This includes our attitudes and behaviour as well as our resources.

How do we do that? By God’s grace!!

He tells us to put our money into the “bank of heaven” by giving to those in need.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

By sharing with others, we invest in a heavenly asset-management programme which has returns far beyond the meagre percentages worldly systems offer. God underwrites His promises which are infinite and limitless with the ownership of the universe.

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.” Psalms 50:12 NLT

He does not work by percentages or profit but by His own nature. God is a giver beyond anything we can imagine.

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:32 NLT

In order to access His available resources, we need to change our focus. We are most often times need-conscious. We are concerned and pray about needs. Jesus said, “Don’t do that.” “So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ Matthew 6:31 NLT

Instead, focus on His kingdom. Take care of His business, and He will take care of yours. When we have a need, our concern should not be, “What can I do to make more money?” but “What can I do to show God’s love to someone else?”

This is a faith transaction that produces a miracle. God supplies our need by creating a current. When we give, we make space for more to flow back to us. This is how it works.

“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others…. “

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10-12 NLT

What is God’s purpose in this divine economic system?

1. He is changing you and recreating in you the image of Jesus, His Son, as a member of His family.

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT

2.He is meeting the needs of others through you.

“Right now, have plenty and can help those who are in need….”

3. He is meeting your needs through others.

“… Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.” 2 Corinthians 8:14 NLT

4. He is being thanked, praised and glorified.

“As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT

Paul shows us, from his own experience, how this principle works in practice.

“As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then travelled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.

I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Philippians 4:15-20 NLT

There are some rich pickings in Paul’s response to the generosity of the Philippian church.

Paul does not specifically thank them for being generous. Was he being ungrateful? No, he was commenting on their generosity because they were the only ones among the churches that showed their obedience to their faith in Jesus. He was expressing his gratitude that they were demonstrating the fruit of the gospel in their gifts to him.

He was more focused on the enrichment they would experience than his own financial gain.

“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT

Paul’s attitude exposes the remnants of selfishness that are still in us. We tend to get more excited about our own enrichment rather than the blessing on the giver.

Paul elevated the grace of giving to an act of worship.

“… They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God…”

Paul shows us how generosity creates the current that takes care of our needs.

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

We must be careful not to take this promise out of context. Paul confirms what Jesus taught, that God’s generosity towards us, in this matter of our needs, is His response to our generosity towards others in need.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”Matthew 6:33 NLT

Paul concludes with the motivation for everything we do in life, including the way we view and treat others.

“Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.”

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 NLT

Once again, we come back to God’s original purpose – to have a family of sons and daughters who live together in love and harmony in the family of God. Through our attitudes and actions of generosity prompted by love, we are being renewed and restored to the image of Jesus.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – LET’S PUT AN END TO WAR

October 21, 2019Bible Studyenemies, generosity, help, kindLuella Campbell

LET’S PUT AN END TO WAR

“‘I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never – I promise – regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives towards us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

“‘Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticise their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.'” Luke 6:37-38.

The world of nature has many lessons for us, if we are willing to learn them. Take the lesson of sowing and reaping, for example.

The same law that works in our gardens works in our lives. The kind of seed we put in the ground will determine the kind of fruit we reap, and not only in kind but in measure. We cannot plant one grain of wheat and expect to reap oats or a bumper crop from one seed.

It’s the same in life. We cannot sow stinginess and expect to reap generosity, or meanness and expect to reap kindness. Bottom line; we reap what we sow. But it’s about much more than reaping what we sow. It’s about what happens inside of us when we live generously and graciously. The guilt, shame and unhappiness that we feel when we are stingy and unkind gives way to peace and joy which are enough rewards without the rest of the harvest that will come to us.

That’s the way God created us to be from the beginning; in His image and one with Him in the way He thinks and acts. That’s the way Jesus lived as a man among us. Tit-for-tat living brings no joy or fulfilment; it only perpetuates and escalates evil. Does revenge ever stop with the first wrong? Never!

Judging, criticising, retaliating, all betray a deep-seated attitude that Jesus hates – the “I’m better than you” disposition, looking down on other people, either trying to show them up through judging or criticising, or trying to get even with them by retaliation and revenge.

The problem with these attitudes is that they reveal more about us than about the person we are gunning for. Not only do they expose our own hearts, but they also reap far more trouble than we expected. We only need to watch children in the playground. One child offends another; the other retaliates and before long there is war. Other children are drawn in and injuries happen, black eyes, scratches, skinned knees and possibly even worse. Where do the violence and killing that happen in schools today originate?

Jesus said that, by cutting off evil at its source, you can stop the flow. Change the seed you sow and see what happens. But He didn’t only tell us what to do; He did it Himself. He showed us what happens when we absorb evil instead of perpetuating it, loving instead of hating, having a generous attitude instead of being harsh and judgmental, making allowances for people instead of being rigid and unforgiving.

It came to an end in Him; He took it to death and then came back; He proved He could overcome and then gave us the power to conquer our own unkind dispositions so that we can live like Him.

Religion offers nothing but the vain hope that people can do enough to satisfy the deity. No god has ever done anything for mankind but perpetuate wickedness. There is only one God, the Creator of the universe and perfect representative of the Father, Jesus who did it all for us. He took our place, paid our debt and then gave us the righteousness He earned through His obedience in the face of suffering.

Have you received Him?

THE BOOK OF ACTS – WORDS TO LIVE BY

July 16, 2019Bible Studygenerosity, Paul, righteousnessLuella Campbell

WORDS TO LIVE BY

“‘I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’

“Then Paul went down on his knees, all of them kneeling with him, and prayed. And then a river of tears! Much clinging to Paul, not wanting to let him go! They knew they would never see him again — he had told them quite plainly. Then, bravely, they walked him down to the ship.” Acts 20:33-38 (The Message).

We are privileged to eavesdrop on a poignant moment in Paul’s life — saying goodbye to very dear friends and colleagues, knowing that they would not meet again on this side of eternity. What does one say, at a time like this? What would one’s parting words be that would ring in their ears long after he was gone?

Although his words may seem of no consequence, he actually encapsulated, in the Master’s own words, the heart of the Father — generosity. “Generous” is an adjective but we can attach it to everything that God is: generous in love; generous in mercy; generous in grace; generous in compassion; generous in kindness; generous in forgiveness; generous in provision; generous in protection; generous in favour; and on and on!

We only need to look around us to see God’s generosity everywhere. Why did He put hundreds of seeds inside a pumpkin when just a few would do to propagate the species?

But He is not only generous in doing. He is also generous in being. He doesn’t judge or beat us when we fall. He tenderly picks us up, dusts us off, wipes away our tears and whispers, ‘It’s okay. I have already forgiven you. Now keep going. I’m with you and you’ll make it home to me.’

“Generosity” is an interesting word in Hebrew. The root word “tsidaq” is translated “righteousness” in English which is an abstract concept and difficult to define. The Hebrew language leans towards action rather than abstract — understanding life from the point of view of the senses. To understand righteousness, i.e., doing the right thing, they added the letter “h” which, in Paleo Hebrew (the original picture Hebrew), was a picture of an open window and came to mean “revelation”. “Tsidaq” became “tsidaqah” — “righteousness revealed”, translated “generosity.”

Hundreds of times in the Old Testament, righteousness and generosity are coupled together in the same verse or adjacent verses. Consider just one example: “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.” Psalm 37:21(NIV).

The essence of our old human nature is selfishness. Adam lost his God-awareness when he chose his own way, and became pathologically self-aware and self-absorbed. Is it any wonder, then, that the world is obsessed with money, driven by money and greedy for money?

One of the clearest evidences of the transformation that Jesus works in the life of a believer is his attitude to money and possessions. When Zaccheus had an encounter with Jesus, his first reaction was to restore what he had stolen and share his bounty with the poor. Jesus concluded, “‘Today salvation has come to this house…'” Luke 19:9a (NIV).

True happiness is the by-product of a generous heart, generous in attitude as well as in sharing the good things God has entrusted to us. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Did You Know (10)?

May 31, 2016Christian Lifeabundant revelation, generosity, God's economic system, open the floodgates of heavenLuella Campbell

DID YOU KNOW (10)

…That revelation follows generosity.

So far we have discovered from God’s instruction to His people under the old covenant, that householders have an obligation to care for certain groups of people over and above their own families. These groups were those who had no land of their own and, therefore, depended on the generosity of God’s people to provide for them.

The first two groups were those of the tribe of Levi whom God had chosen to be the priestly tribe. They would serve Him exclusively from the high priest to those who ministered in the temple daily. Without the support and generosity of the people, they would have nothing with which to take care of their families.

The third group for which the people were responsible was the family unit. God did not neglect them in His economic system. The farmer was to set aside one tenth, called the second or family tithe, of the remainder of his harvest for the family – the equivalent of a retirement policy or emergency fund. In Israelite life, they were to take this portion to the temple or, if they lived too far away, they could sell it and take the money to the temple where they could buy food and have a celebration as a family. In real terms, it was an extra portion of their provision to use for whatever purpose they needed it.

Translated into today’s terms, this portion of our income would form our retirement savings. Although it is not much in monthly terms, over the period of one’s working life, it would represent a more-than-adequate investment to take care of one’s old age. It would also be a nest-egg for any emergency not covered by one’s monthly income.

In God’s wisdom, He recognised the need to make provision for the time when one can no longer work. It is foolishness to suppose that, if we spend everything we earn now and make no provision for the future that “God will provide”. Yes, He does provide, but He does it in the form of a “tithe” to oneself to save for the future.

Lastly, there was the third tithe – provision for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the alien. Every third year, the householder was to give his family tithe to the poor. He was to take this portion to the temple where it was stored and from which the needy were fed. In this way, there should have been no one in Israel for whom no provision was made.

To recap, Israelite families who had the land given to their ancestors when they conquered the Promised Land under Joshua, were to make provision for four groups of people from their annual harvests; the first-fruits of their crops to the high priest which was calculated as one fortieth of their crop – called the terumah offering; one tenth of the balance to the storehouse for the priests and Levites – called the first tithe; one tenth of the balance again to be set aside for the family – called the second tithe; and finally, every third year the family tithe was given to the poor – called the third tithe. The balance of their harvests was theirs to enjoy.

Now we come to the exciting bit. Included in God’s indictment against Israel for failure to fulfil their responsibility was a promise.

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord. But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.” But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house… (Mal.3:7b-10a).

“…Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates (windows) of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land.” (Mal. 3:10b).

Can you see the promises wrapped up in being generous? God made three promises to His people if they would willingly share their bounty with those in need according to His instructions.

He will open the windows of heaven and pour out more blessing than we can contain. Unfortunately, once again we interpret this to mean an abundance of the increase of material things – whatever that increase means to us; more crops, more money, more wealth. However, reading it from a Hebraic perspective, what do windows do? Windows let in light and air – i.e., breath, spirit, or revelation.

When we obey God by providing for those who cannot care for themselves, He promises us more revelation of spiritual truth and understanding than we can ever handle.

He also promised His people that their crops would be protected from pests and crop failure. He would take care of their physical needs as well.

Thirdly, the nations around them would recognise that God was blessing them. They would be the objects of supernatural favour. This is, in the end, God’s purpose that His blessing on His people, both material and spiritual would shine the light back on Him and He would get the glory.

Generosity breaks the hold that money and possessions has on us. When our money no longer has power over us, we are free to receive and understand more of God and His ways than we ever dreamed possible,

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com

My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, is now available on www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com or from me at luella@efc.org.za at R130,00 including p and p.

Ebenezer Family Church

HE IS RISEN!