May 1

GIVING FAITHFULLY

Honour the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase. Proverbs 3:9

God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you ask him for help; learn to be content; and practise giving in faith. There is a universal law called the principle of sowing and reaping. If I sow criticism, I'm going to reap criticism. If I sow generosity, it's going to come back to me, and I'm going to reap generosity.

Every farmer knows this. A farmer has four sacks of seed in his barn and he looks at his empty field. He doesn't complain, “There's no crop! I wish there was a crop!" He just goes out and starts planting seed. When you have a need, what you plant is a seed. It seems illogical that when I have a need, I should give. That's why it requires faith. God says, “My ways are not your ways."

Why did God set it up that way? Because God is a giver. He is the most generous giver in the universe, and God wants you to learn to be like him. He wants to build character in you. The Bible says, “Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce." (Proverbs 3:9, NLT) This is the principle of tithing. It's the principle that says every time I make an income the first 10% goes back to God.

Tithing is an act of worship. When we bring our tithe to God we're saying, “All of it came from you anyway.” God says, “Put me first in your life and watch what I do." You may think you can't afford to tithe, but the reality is that you can't afford not to.

Prayer: Release the blessing of financial abundance for all the seed you have sown into the Kingdom of God.

Scriptural Reading: Proverbs 3:1-12