God is the Great Giver. He gives for all our physical, spiritual, emotional and financial needs. His most precious gift was His son Jesus. God gives in different ways to meet our different needs.
After the flood, God made a covenant with us. This covenant includes the law of sowing and reaping. Jesus reinforced this principle in the parables of seeding and harvest. What God has to say to us about giving follows the same pattern.
One way of giving is tithes. A Tithe is one tenth of our income. This gives recognition to God as the provider and shows our thanks. (Leviticus 27:30,32 NASB) Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S, it is holy to the LORD. For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. (Malachi 3:10-12 NASB) ”Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. ”All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts. This passage gives a beautiful example of how sowing brings a bountiful harvest.
A less familiar way of giving is the first fruit offering. The first fruit offering is a requirement of God given specifically for the support of the Lord’s servants. (Proverbs 3:9,10 NASB) Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. (Deuteronomy 18:3-5 NASB) “Now this shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep, of which they shall give the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach. You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first shearing of your sheep. For the LORD your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to stand and serve in the name of the LORD forever. (1 Corinthians 9:11 NASB) If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
The purposes for giving are varied. A free-will offering is voluntarily given for a specific purpose or need. (Leviticus 22:21 NASB) When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a free-will offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.
Relief for the poor is a common form of giving. Alms are money or food given to poor people. (Proverbs 19:17 NASB) One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. (James 1:27 NASB) Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Giving done as an act of faith can be called prophetic giving. When believing for something in particular, giving specifically because of that belief, activates the principal of sowing and reaping. (Luke 6:38 NASB) ……Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return
(2 Corinthians 9:6-11 TPT) Here is my point. A stingy sower will reap a meager harvest, but the one who sows from a generous spirit will reap an abundant harvest. Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving – all because God loves hilarious generosity! Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything – every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do. Just as the Scriptures say about the one who trusts in him:
Because he has sown extravagantly
And given to the poor,
His kindness and generous deeds
Will never be forgotten.
This generous God who supplies abundant seed for the farmer, which becomes bread for our meals, is even more extravagant toward you. First He supplies every need, plus more. Then He multiplies the seed as you sow it, so that the harvest of your generosity will grow. You will be abundantly enriched in every way as you give generously on every occasion, for when we take your gifts to those in need, it causes many to give thanks to God.
The AGDM Team