Obtaining financial blessings through offerings.
The bible operates on two different laws when it comes to finances. Although they are two totally different concepts and each has totally different rewards, the churches of today tend to dump them together into one category – money.
The first biblical concept involving money is the concept of tithing. For more information and teaching on tithing please follow this link.
This teaching is on the second concept that involves money, and that is the freewill offering. The offering is what you choose to give over and above the commandment of the tithe.
When we look at the bible God clearly shows that while we can expect to receive his blessings through obedience in the tithe, we really start to receive financially when we start giving in offerings.
The offering is a secret deed that you do before God and not before men. As soon as you give and start to tell others about it, it becomes of no effect. Jesus reveals to us in Matthew 6 from verse 1 to verse 4 that as soon as we boast about our giving, you will have no reward from God, but if we do not even let our left hand know what the right hand is doing, then we will receive our reward from God openly.
The offering brings financial reward. If you give financially, you will receive financially. Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you: good measure,pressed down, shaken together, and running over…” . This is in relation to the freewill offering and not the tithe. When you sow seeds, that which you plant is that which will grow, and seed planted in fertile ground will give good return of up to one hundred fold. A pumpkin seed that is planted can never grow into watermelons, and the same goes with giving. When you give money you will receive money back.
The parable of the sower and the seed shows us that we should give wisely. For this reason, if you have not yet received wisdom in giving, rather give your offering to the church, so that it may be sown into fertile ground. If you have received wisdom from the Lord and He is showing you where to give your offering, then do so. Please remember that there are many trusting in God to receive in order to overcome their difficulties. God uses people like you and me to solve these problems. Please read this story of the little Boy praying. Many missions and evangelical outreaches, even this one, rely totally upon the donations received from faithful givers, in order to continue with their work.
I have encountered many Christians who are of the opinion that the tithe is their offering. No it is not! The tithe is totally different to the offering. God commands us to tithe in Malachi 3:8. However God does not command us to give. The offering is done totally out of your own free will and God does not penalise you if you do not give. However he also can not reward you either.
I will give when I have got some extra money lying about. God does not really look at how much you give, but more at what it cost you to give. A multi-millionaire who gives away thousands will be blessed by God, but mostly the millionaire is giving out of abundance. However a person who gives their last or has to sacrifice something in order to give, will be so much more blessed by God.
If you want God to raise you up financially, start to give. God will see your faithfullness in giving, and then will be able to entrust you with more to give. The more you give the more you receive. Eventually God will raise you from an area of sacrificial giving into an area of giving out of excess.
Give and be Blessed through the power of God.
