How You Give Matters
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Mark 2:41 NKJV
One of the greatest struggles most of us face in our daily faith walk is in the area of giving. It is hard to trust Him for our finances because that goes against the logic of mind and all the things the world tells you. When our economic situation becomes tenuous and fear erupts on how we will meet the needs before us, the temptation is stop giving to the Lord or to pay everything else first and then give tithes and offerings based on what remains. Have you ever been there? Are you there right now? It is a trap door that leads to greater depth of financial woe and bondage.
Did you ever stop to ask yourself why the Lord asks us to give to Him of our finances? God wants us to give not because He needs our money! He wants us to give because He knows that if we can get to the place of trusting Him in the area of finances, he can then trust us with more. And if we can come to trust Him in finances, we can then trust Him for the greater things promised to us.
We all know well the verse in Malachi where we are promised that if we give and trust Him in this that He will throw open the windows of blessing upon us to the point of overflowing through us. That is where we want to be, right? Let’s read that promise directly from Him.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10
This is His promise to us and He is faithful. If you have felt that finances have always been an area of struggle for you, than ask yourself, “Have I truly trusted Him with my money and given to Him as He instructed?” We may say that we have given to Him, but answer this; have we given him at least 10 percent? Have we given to Him first before paying off all of our other commitments? Have we given to Him with joy and not begrudgingly? These things all matter. These all represent the way He expects us to give and it does matter.
If we go back to the verse at the top of the page, we see Jesus was watching how people gave to the kingdom. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, so He is still watching us and how we give. He wants us to give with the right attitude and heart because that is how He knows we are ready to be entrusted with more. How you give does matter. Give with joy and trust, give the first portion to Him and not the last, and give more than is expected. He Jesus wants so much to be able to trust you with more, show Him you do trust Him in the area of finances and watch Him pour so much into you that there won’t be room for you to contain it all!
J Todd Hostetler