The Blessed LifeSample

THE POWER OF OFFERINGS

Yesterday, I introduced the principles of multiplication by telling a modern-day, humorous version of the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Today, I want to continue talking about these principles by explaining the difference between tithing and giving.

Let’s take a look at Matthew 25, in which Jesus tells a story of three stewards. One steward was entrusted with five talents. When accounting time came around, he returned those five talents to the Lord, plus five more. And in verse 21 the Lord said, "Well done, good and faithful servant." There was another steward who was entrusted with two talents, and, likewise, he returned to the Lord more than He had given him. But then there is the third steward—the one who was entrusted with one talent. In verse 25 he said to the Lord, "There you have what is yours." He only returned to the Lord what was already His. And the Lord called him a wicked and lazy servant.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that anyone who only tithes is wicked and lazy. I am saying, however, there is a principle of faithful stewardship that teaches us we should give more to God than just the tithe, because tithing is simply returning to Him what is already His.

Of course, if you’re not currently tithing, that is certainly the place to start. Tithing is where we remove the curse. It’s what brings the blessing on the balance of our finances. Tithing is what causes God to rebuke the devourer and open the windows of heaven. It’s the foundation on which our giving is built.

But if you look closely at today’s verse, God is talking about more than just the tithe. He mentions "tithes and offerings." In other words, it’s tithes and offerings that remove the curse. It’s tithes and offerings that bring the blessings. It’s tithes and offerings that rebuke the devourer. Because the firstfruits actually belong to the Lord, tithing isn’t really giving—it’s returning. To truly give, we have to go beyond our tithe. That’s when we see the principle of multiplication in action.

I’m convinced God wants to bless and multiply our finances—just as He blessed and multiplied the two fish and the five loaves we talked about yesterday. The truth is that God can cause our finances to go further than we ever could through our own cleverness or diligence. I know this is true, because I’ve seen it operate in my own life over and over.

God wants your finances to be blessed, and He wants your finances to be multiplied. But it’s vital to understand that you will never see the multiplication of your finances until you understand these two principles:

1. We give to the Lord first so that our finances are blessed.
2. We give over and above our tithes because only that which is shared can be multiplied.

These are the principles of multiplication. And they are as powerful today as they were on that Galilean hillside when Jesus fed the 5,000 with just two fish and five loaves of bread.

PRAYER
God, thank You for blessing me and entrusting me with Your money. Give me faith to be a generous giver and to give over and above the tithe. Cause what I give to multiply and expand Your kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen.

MEMORY VERSE
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." MATTHEW 6:19–21