PRAISEFOR

TheBlessedLifeFromthedepths,heightsandexpanseofthisgreatpastorcomesaworkthatwillhelpusalltorealizehowdeep,howhighandhowwideistheloveofGod.ReadTheBlessedLifeandyouwillknowitisgood;butdaretoapplythesewordsandyouwillexperienceholyground!MayGodmoveyoutobeginreadingand,moreimportant,applyingthesewordstoday.Mayyouentertheblessedlife!

WAYNECORDEIROAUTHOR,RISINGABOVEANDTHESEVENRULESOFSUCCESSSENIORPASTOR,NEWHOPE

CHRISTIANFELLOWSHIPHONOLULU,HAWAII

RobertMorrishasdoneamasterfuljobinrevealingGod’swillforeverypersonandfamilytoexperiencetrueabundance.IhaveseenRobertliveeverythinghehaswritteninTheBlessedLife.HehasinspiredmetoliveonahigherleveloffaithandtobelieveGodforgreaterblessingsthanIhaveeverknownbefore.IhighlyrecommendTheBlessedLifeforeverypersonwhodesiresGod’sbestfor

hisorherlife.

JIMMYEVANSSENIORELDER,TRINITYFELLOWSHIPCHURCHAMARILLO,TEXAS

InhisawesomebookTheBlessedLife,RobertMorrishaseffectivelycommunicatedthespiritofgiving.Youwillcometounderstandthatgenerosityisaboutrelationships,notaboutmaterialthings.Roberthasbroughtbalancetoanareathathasbeendominatedbyextremismonbothsidesoftheissue.I

heartilyrecommendthisbook.

WILLIEGEORGESENIORPASTOR,CHURCHONTHEMOVETULSA,OKLAHOMA

Mostofushaveacoremessagethatcreepsintoeverysermonorconversation—anintegralpartofourlife’smessage.RobertMorris’scoremessageisgiving.

You’llgetmorethanalessonhere.

DUDLEYHALLPRESIDENT,SUCCESSFULCHRISTIANLIVINGMINISTRIES(SCLM)

RobertMorrishasbeengivenarisingvoicetotheChurchbytheHolySpirit’sblessingonhisdedicatedpastoralministry.Histeachingongivingputsthefocusclearlywhereitbelongs—onGod,HispromiseandHispurposeincallingustolearnandgrowinthegivinggraces.IencourageyoutoreadTheBlessedLifeto

gleantheprinciplesandputthemintoaction.

DR.DUTCHSHEETSAUTHOR,INTERCESSORYPRAYERFOUNDER,DUTCHSHEETSMINISTRIESHAMILTON,

ALABAMA

RobertMorrisunlockstruthsthatwillhelpbelieversbreakoutofpovertyandlack.Histestimonyinspiresfaithandbringshope.Youwillfindanswersthat

willpropelyouintoanewplaceoffinancialfreedomandjoy.IhighlyrecommendTheBlessedLifetoanyonewhodesirestobeblessedandwantsto

beusedbytheLordasablessingtoothers.

BARBARAWENTROBLEAUTHOR,PROPHETICINTERCESSIONANDPRAYINGWITHAUTHORITYFOUNDER,

INTERNATIONALBREAKTHROUGHMINISTRIES

RobertMorrislivesoutwhatheteaches!OnceinagreatwhileabookcomesoutthathasthetouchofGoduponittosuchanextentthatthereaderisforever

changed.TheBlessedLifeisoneofthosebooks.

CLARKWHITTENSENIORPASTOR,GRACECHURCHORLANDO,FLORIDA

PublishedbyRegalFromGospelLightVentura,California,U.S.A.www.regalbooks.comPrintedintheU.S.A.

OriginallypublishedbyGatewayChurchin2002.

AllScripturequotations,unlessotherwiseindicated,aretakenfromtheNewKingJamesVersion.Copyright©1979,1980,1982byThomasNelson,Inc.Usedbypermission.Allrightsreserved.

OtherversionsusedareKJV—KingJamesVersion.AuthorizedKingJamesVersion.

NIV—ScripturetakenfromtheHolyBible,NewInternationalVersion®.Copyright©1973,1978,1984byInternationalBibleSociety.UsedbypermissionofZondervanPublishingHouse.Allrightsreserved.

NLT—Scripturequotationsmarked(NLT)aretakenfromtheHolyBible,NewLivingTranslation,copyright©1996.UsedbypermissionofTyndaleHousePublishers,Inc.,Wheaton,Illinois60189.Allrights

reserved.

AppendixwasadaptedfromTheBlessedLife:ACompanionStudyGuidetotheBookandTeachingSeries,alsobyRobertMorris(Southlake,Texas:GatewayChurch,2003).

GatewayChurcheditionpublishedin2002.RegalBookseditionpublishedinSeptember2004.

©2002GatewayChurchAllrightsreserved.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataMorris,Robert(RobertPreston),1961–Theblessedlife/RobertMorris.

p.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferences.

ISBN0-8307-3635-2(hardcover),ISBN0-8307-3673-5(tradepaper)1.Christiangiving.I.Title.BV772.M6342004248’.6—dc22

2004012726RightsforpublishingthisbookoutsidetheU.S.A.orinnon-EnglishlanguagesareadministeredbyGospel

LightWorldwide,aninternationalnot-for-profitministry.Foradditionalinformation,pleasevisitwww.glww.org,emailinfo@glww.org,orwritetoGospelLightWorldwide,1957EastmanAvenue,

Ventura,CA93003,U.S.A.

ToordercopiesofthisbookandotherRegalproductsinbulkquantities,pleasecontactusat1-800-446-7735.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1.TheUnexpectedAdventure

2.GodMustBeFirst

3.Life,NotLaw

4.ThePrincipleofMultiplication

5.BreakingtheSpiritofMammon

6.ItTakesaHeartTransplant

7.DotheRightThing

8.TheGiftofGiving

9.GodRewardsGoodStewardship

10.Need,GreedorSeed

11.GodRewardsGenerosity

12.GuaranteedFinancialResults

Afterword:God’sRoadMapforaBlessedLife

Appendix:StudyGuide

Endnotes

Foreword

ItwaslikeabreathoffreshairtoBettyandmewhenweheardRobertMorris,pastor ofGatewayChurch in theDallas/FortWorth area, teach so effectively,biblically and accurately on the subject of giving. I believeRobert has hit thetargetdeadcenterandliterallycapturedtheheartofGod.

Frankly,IhavebeensodisappointedandshockedbythemanipulativetacticsofsomeministriesthatIhavebeenveryreluctanttoshareindepthmyowndeepconvictionsconcerninggivingandreceiving.

Please understand that the law of the harvest is irrefutable and that weunquestionablyreapwhatwesow.However,Idon’tbelieveinleadingpeopletofocusontheirowngainwithoutunderstandingthesheerjoyoflivingtogiveandloving to share. Jesusclearly said, “It ismoreblessed togive than to receive”(Acts20:35), so itpuzzlesmewhen Ihearministersandevangelistsplace themajorfocusonhowwecanget,get,get.Thiskindofteachingleadspeopletobelieve that bygivingor sowing seed, they are going to reap amoney tree intheirbackyard.It’slikeplayingspiritualbingoorlottery.

BettyandIhavespentourentire40yearsofmarriageenjoyingthethrillofgiving,andIcansaywithnoexaggerationthatwehavenevergivenonetimetoanyperson,ministryoraspecificneedthinkingwewillsurelygetareturn.Evenif there was no return, the sheer joy of giving and seeing its positive effectshouldmakeuswanttogive.

Is thereanyquestion that thosewhogive for the right reasonandwith therightheartdooftengainorreceiveareturn?Noquestionaboutit.Theproblemisthefocusoftheheart.Weputourtreasurewhereourheartis(seeMatt.6:20-21).

Godisinterestedincreatingtheheartofafarmer.Afarmerpreparesthesoil,plows, plants, carefully oversees and seeks to protectwhat he has planted buttrustsGodfortheincreaseindueseason.Ifhedoesn’tseeitcomeatanexpectedtime,heknowsindueseasonitwillcome.Ifhe’shailedout,rainedout,stormedoutordroughtedout,hestillfarmsbecausehehastheheartofafarmer.Manypeople talk about the promise of “a hundredfold” return (Matt. 13:8,23). Thetruthis,noteveryfarmerreceivesthatkindofreturn.

Weoftengothroughtrials,testsandtribulationsthatarealmostunbearablewhilewecontinuetobefaithful totheLord.However,wemustrecognizethateverythingwehavebelongstoGod,andwearemerelythestewards.It’sprettyeasytoplacewhatbelongstosomebodyelseintheproperareas.If,however,wehavetheattitudeoftherichfoolandtrytoguardit,hoardit,protectit,keepitandthinkonlyofourselves,wehaven’tforonemomentidentifiedwiththeheartofGod.

Ifyouwanttobesetfreeintheareaofgivingandlearnwhatitreallymeanstodiscoverthetruthof“Give,anditwillbegiventoyou:goodmeasure,presseddown, shaken together, and runningover” (Luke6:38), then readwhatRobertsharesthroughoutthesepages.Remember,thefocuswillbeonGodandothersandverylittleonself.

Doesitmeanthatwedon’tcareifwedon’thaveareturn?Doesitmeanthatwedon’teverhopetoreceive?Assurelyasafarmerhopesfortheharvestandisconfidentitwillcomeindueseason,itdoesmatter.Butthefocuscan’tbethere.We’vegottolosesightofselfandunderstandthevalueofgivingandsharinginordertolivelikeariver.

Asoneverysuccessfulbusinessmansaidtoasmallgroupatlunchoneday,“IfeelI’mlikeariver.NomatterhowmuchIgive,Ineverhaveless;nomatterhowmuchIreceive,Ineverhaveanymore.”Whathereceives,hereleasesintothepurposesofGod.Thatdoesnotmeanthatthisindividualcouldnothavehadanicercar,amoreexpensivesuitorabiggerhouse.…Itsimplymeansheisnotcontrolled bywhatGodhas entrusted to him andwhat he has received.He iscontinually releasing what God gives him, and he has become a conduit andexpressionofGod’slove.

MayGodblessyouasyoureadthisbook.

JamesRobison

FounderandPresident

LIFEOutreachInternationalFortWorth,Texas

Acknowledgments

IwanttoacknowledgeandthanktheOnewhotouchedtheheartofarebelliousyoungmaninRoom12ofJakesMotelandsavedhim—theLordJesusChrist.

I want to thankmy best friend, Debbie—my preciouswife—the onewhoalways stands byme and supportsme and is the greatest example ofChrist Ihaveeverknown.Icouldn’tbeordoanythingwithoutyou.

Thank you tomywonderful children, Josh, James and Elaine. I love youwithallmyheart,nomatterwhat,andforeverandalways.Iamsoproudofeachofyou,watchingyougrowinyourfaithandlovefortheLord.

Thankyoutomyparents,JearlandRosalieMorris.IamwhoIambecauseofthelifeyou’velivedbeforeme.Thewordsinthisbookmirrortheprinciplesyouhavelivedandtaughtme.

Thankyou, James andBettyRobison, for loving,helping and encouragingDebbieandmeformorethan20years.ThankyouforexhortingmetowritethisbookinordertoreachasmanypeopleasIcan.Thanksforyourgodlyexamplesand servants’ hearts. Thanks for feeding the hungry of ourworld—physicallyandspiritually.

Thankyou, Jimmy andKarenEvans, for pouring intoDebbie andme andintoGatewayChurch.Youhaveacceleratedourgrowthand impact,andIwillneverbeabletosaythankyouenoughfortheinvestmentyouhavemadeinourlives.Thanksforbeingmymentorsandmyfriends.

Thank you, Olen and Syble Griffing, for investing your lives in us andteaching us so many of the principles that we live. We will forever beextravagantworshipersofJesusbecauseofyourexample.

Thankyou,SteveandMelodyDulin,foryourlove,supportandfriendship.YouarethegreatestgiversIknow,andyouwillshareinthefruitofthisbook.

Thankyou,GeorgeandJanGrubbs,foryourclosefriendshipandcontinuousencouragement.Yourrewardandtreasureisgreatinheaven.

Thankyou,RickandCammiPatterson. Ihavenever seen twopeoplewhoobeyGodmorequicklyordesiretopleaseHimmoreintensely.

Thankyou,JeffandJennyDrott.DebbieandIwouldnotbeabletodowhatwedowithoutyou.YouareinvaluabletoGatewayChurchandtous.

Thank you, Kevin and Lynda Grove. Your example and friendship meanmoretousthanwecouldpossiblytellyou.

Thankyou,DavidandTracyHolland,forhearingmyheartandhelpingmetoexpressit,asIcouldn’thavewithoutyou.

Thankyou,Brady andPamBoyd,Thomas andMaryBethMiller, PrestonandHollyMorrison,MarcusandLexaBrecheen,ToddandBlyndaLane,KenandMaryJackson,PaulandLedaRupert,DonandJudyWoodliff,BrandonandKarlaLeathers,MabrieJackson,FrankandTerriLugenheim,HarveyandPattyCox, Stephen and Karen Andrada, Braxton and Lisa Corley, and Jason Tam.Youarethefineststaffapastorcouldhave.

Thankyou,GatewayChurch.NeverhaveIseenagroupofpeoplehungrierfortheLordandmorewillingtoreceivetheWordandwalkinitthanyou.YoureceivedthesetruthsandallowedGodtodoawonderfulworkinyourheartsthatwas amazing towatch.You are an example to believers all over theworld. IthankGodeverydayforyouandthatHechosemetobeyourpastor.

BecauseofallofyouthatIhaveacknowledged,truly,Iamlivingtheblessedlife!

Introduction

I can saywith absolute confidence that Satan does not want you to read thisbook.

Without a doubt, the enemy of your soul would do anything to keep youfromdiscoveringGod’sprinciplesgoverning financial stewardship,givingandblessing.Why?Becauseonceyoudo,itwilltransformyourlifeforthebetter.Itwillbringyouguaranteedfinancialresults.Butitwillalsodomorethanthat:ItwillimpactthekingdomofGod.

Yousee,ifeverybelieverunderstoodandappliedthesimpleprinciplesIamabout to present, it would literally bring revival to the world. Every neededchurchfacilitycouldbebuilt.Everymissionarywithadivinecallandawillingheart could be sent and abundantly supplied. The gospel could saturate everycultureontheplanet.

Yes,asGod’speopleprospered,moneywouldcomeintotheKingdom;butmuchmoreimportant,ourheartswouldbechanged!

That’swhyIamsopleased(andthedevilisn’t!)thatyouhavepickedupthisbook.Throughtheseextraordinarytruths,Godwilldoanamazingworkinyourheart.Hewillchangeyouforever.And,Ipromise,youwilllikeit.

Nooneisanatural-borngiver.Weareallborntakers.Weenter thisworldwith a fallen sin nature, and at the heart of that nature is a tendency towardselfishness.

Incontrast,Godisagiver.ThemostwidelyknownverseintheBibletellsus:

ForGod so loved theworld thatHegaveHisonlybegottenSon (John3:16).

God is generous beyond our ability to imagine.But itwas selfishness andpridethatcausedSatantobecastoutofheaven.

Manypeople inour culturehave that exactlybackwards.They seeGodasstingyandthedevilastheonewholikestopassoutfavors.So,ifyouareeverprone to getting confused about this issue, remember it this way: God and

generousbothbeginwiththeletterG.SatanandselfishbothbeginwithS.Thatshouldhelpyoukeepitstraight!

To be serious for amoment, I am very excited for you.You are about tobeginajourneyofdiscovery.Icantellyoufrompersonalexperience,thereisnogreater adventure on Earth than simply living the life of generosity andabundancethatisavailabletoallofGod’speople—butthatsofeweverdaretolive.Itisajourneyofreward.Itistheblessedlife.

Readon,andlettheadventurebegin!

CHAPTER1

TheUnexpectedAdventure

The odometer on our “highly experienced” stationwagon showed upwards of130,000milesasIrolleduptothepumpatalittlegasstationinOklahoma.

Itwas1984,andIwasayoungevangelist.Inthosedays,mywife,Debbie,and I would gladly drive to just about any place that would offer me anopportunitytopreach.

Wewereonajourneythatdayintwosensesoftheword.Yes,wewereonourwaytoministerthegospel.Butthislittlefillingstationwasalsoastoponavoyageofdiscovery—onewehadembarkeduponaboutamonthearlier.ItwasajourneyintothepowerandjoyofSpirit-ledgiving.

As I walked into the station to pay for my gasoline, the lady behind thecountersaid,“It’stakencareof.”

“Excuseme?”Iasked,alittleconfused.“It’stakencareof,”sherepeated.“Youdon’toweanythingforthegas.”NowIwasgenuinelyconfused.“Whyisthat?”Verymatter-of-factly,shesaid,“Whenyoupulledup,Godtoldmethatyou

wereanevangelistandthatIwastopayforyourgas.Soit’stakencareof.”Gratefulandstillalittlestartled,Ithankedherwarmlyandwentonmyway.ThatstopwasasmallbutsignificantmilestoneonthisjourneyImentioned.

The idea that the Spirit ofGodwould speak to someone and instruct them togivewasn’tanewconceptforme.Infact,thisincidentwasaperfectexampleoftheverythingGodhadbeguntomakeacenterpieceofmyministryandmywalkasaChristian.

TheNextLevel

As a traveling evangelist, all of my income came from the love offerings IreceivedfromthechurchesinwhichIpreached.Inthoseyears,myincomefromofferingsmightbe$800oneweekand$200 thenext.Debbieand I justneverknew.Butearlyinourmarriage,wehadlearnedtotrustGodwhereourfinanceswereconcerned.

Wewerediligenttithers.Godhadspokenclearlytousabouttheprincipleofthe tithe several years earlier.And ever sincewe began honoring theLord bygivingthefirsttenthofeverythingthatcamein,ourneedshavealwaysbeenmet—sometimesmiraculously.What we didn’t knowwas that Godwas about totakeustothenextlevel.

AsImentioned,aboutamonthbeforethesurpriseblessingatthegasstation,Goddid something remarkable togetmyattentionwhere thematter of givingwasconcerned.

Iwasscheduledtopreachatachurchforonlyonenight,andasitturnedout,itwastheonlymeetingIwasscheduledtopreachatallmonth.Fromafinancialstandpoint,thatmeanthavingonlyoneopportunitytoreceiveanofferinginsteadoftheusualfour,fiveorsix.AlthoughDebbieandIhadgrowninourabilitytotrust and rest in God, this represented a major budgeting challenge in themaking.

Atthecloseoftheservice,thechurchreceivedaloveofferingonmybehalf.Shortlythereafter,thepastorapproachedmewithanenvelope.

Hesaid,“Robert,I’mpleasedandamazedtotellyouthatthisisthelargestloveofferingthislittlechurchhasevergiven.Godusedyoutoblessustonight,andI’msohappytobeabletogivethistoyou.”

WhenIopenedtheenvelope,Ifoundacheckforroughlythesameamountasour entiremonthlybudget. Inonemeeting,Godhadmiraculouslyprovidedwhatitnormallytookseveralmeetingstoproduce.Itwasquitealessonforus.Butthelessonwasn’toveryet.

AsIstoodthereholding thatcheck,baskingin thewarmglowofgratitudeand wonder, something happened to me that forever changed the course andqualityofmylife.

Earlier in that evening’s service, amissionary had given a brief testimonyand update for the congregation. Now, as I looked across the nearly emptysanctuary, I caught sightofhim.As Idid, theunmistakablevoiceof theLord

spokeinmyheart,Iwantyoutogivehimyouroffering—allofit.Inaninstant,Iwentfromeuphoriatosomethingapproximatingpanic.Lord,

thatcan’tbeYourvoice!Imean…afterall…I…You…Youjustdidamiracleheretomeetourneeds!

Onceagain, the instructioncame through,gentlybutclearly. Iwantyou togivehimyouroffering.

Likeakidwhodoesn’twanttohearwhathisbrotherissaying,Iwantedtostickmyfingers inmyearsandsing loudly,“La,La,La,La,La…!What? Ican’thearyou!”

Givehimthewholeoffering.TrustMe.I couldn’t shake it off. I tried to rationalize. I tried bargaining. I tried

begging.Theimpressiononlygrewstronger.Ultimately, Iwaved thewhite flagandsaid, “Okay,Father, I trustYou.” I

endorsedthebackofthecheck,foldeditinhalfandtookaquickglancearoundtheroomtomakesurenoonewaswatching.

Walking up to themissionary, I said something like, “I really appreciatedyourtestimonytonight.Please,don’ttellanyoneaboutthis,butIwouldlikeyoutohavethisoffering.Thecheckismadeouttome,butIhavesigneditovertoyou.”Ihandedhimthecheckandwalkedaway.

Anhourlater,Ifoundmyselfseatedwithabout20membersofthechurchatapizzaplace.Across frommesatawell-dressedmanIbarelyknew. (Wehadmetbrieflyononeotheroccasion.)

Afterawhile,heleanedacrossthetabletowardme,lookedmestraightintheeyeandaskedmeashockinglypersonalquestion,“Howmuchwasyourofferingtonight?”

Naturally, his question flustered me. I had never had anyone ask me thatbefore, especially a near stranger!His boldness so caughtme off guard that Ididn’tknowwhatelse todobutanswerhim.So, I toldhim theamountof theoffering.Irememberhopingthatwastheendofit.Itwasn’t.

Inthesameauthoritativemanner,heaskedmeanotherquestion,“Whereisthecheck?”Whatnerve!Irememberthinking.Whatisheupto?

Ofcourse,Inolongerhadthecheck,butIwasn’tabouttotellhimthat.So,Iamnotproudtotellyou,thispreacherliedthroughhisteeth.

“Uh…mywifehasit,”Isaidnervously.Shewassittingattheotherendofthelongtable—anice,safedistanceaway.Nowcanwechangethesubject?!

“Gogetit.Iwanttoseeit.”Themanwasrelentless!Notknowingwhatelsetodo,Imadeapretenseofgettinguptogoaskherforthecheck.Bendingdown

closetoherear,Iasked,“How’syourpizza?”“Good,”shereplied,givingmeaperplexed look. “Great.Glad tohear it. Just checking,” Imutteredandheadedbackdownthetabletomyseat.

Myearsheardanotherliefloatingpastmylips.“Sheleftitoutinthecar,”Isaid,tryingtomakethecarsoundasifitwasvery,veryfaraway.(Atthispoint,notonlywas I trying tohide the fact that Ihadgivenmywhole loveofferingaway,butIwasalsocoveringthefactthatthisevangelist,whohadjustspenttheeveningproclaimingthatJesusistheway,thetruthandthelife,hadjustlied!)

As tiny beads of perspiration began to pop out onmy face, the gentlemanleanedacrossthetableandgotuncomfortablyclose.“Thecheck’snotinthecar,Robert,”hestatedinalowvoice.

“Howdoyouknowthat?”Iresponded,tryingtosoundalittleoffended.“BecauseGodtoldme—andHetoldmesomethingelse.”Atthatpoint,themanspokewordsthathaverolledlikethunderthroughmy

lifeeversince.“Godisabout to teachyouaboutgivingso thatyoucan teach theBodyof

Christ.”With that, he slid a folded piece of paper across the table. It was acheck.Theamount—to thepenny—was10 times theamountof theone Ihadgivenawayonlyanhourorsoearlier.

Tentimes—tothepenny.Thatwasthenightthisjourneystarted.

WondersofProvision

“GodwantstoteachyouaboutgivingsothatyoucanteachtheBodyofChrist.”Thosewords stayed at the forefront of ourminds in the amazingmonths thatfollowed. Debbie and I werewide open to anythingGodwanted to teach us.And,asaresult,wesawGodworkwondersofprovisionoverandover.

Sometimes He would prompt us to trust Him and give. Other times, Hewouldusesomeoneelsetoblessusunexpectedly.

Forexample,notlongafterthatlife-changingnight,DebbieandIwereatanin-homeBiblestudywherewespokewithacouplewhowasabouttoleaveonamissionary trip. They had asked us to pray for them before they left. Theyparticularly requested prayer for their finances. “We don’t quite have all themoney this trip will require,” they told us. They did notmention the amountneededbut,asweprayed,Ihadastrongimpressionthattheamountwas$800.

Atthatpointinourlives,$800soundedlikeaverylargesumofmoney.Butwehadit,becauseoftheamazingtenfoldblessingwehadreceivedatthepizzaplace.

Thatnight,wewereabletowalkouttoourcarafterthemeetingandwriteacheck. We caught them before they drove away and handed it to them. Ofcourse,itwasthepreciseamounttheyneededtobeabletotakethatmissiontrip.

Frankly, itwas themost exciting thing I had ever done.Wewere quicklybeginningtodiscoverhowthrillingitistobeabletogivewhenGodtellsyoutodoso.

Withinthenextfewweeks,wehadtheencounteratthegasstationIrelatedatthebeginningofthischapter.

Shortlyafter that,wewentout toeatwithamanwhohadjustpurchasedanewvan.Weallrodeinittotherestaurantandweretalkingabouthownicethevanwasandhowexcitedforhimwewere.Whenwereturnedtohishome,hesaid,“Helpmegetmystuffoutofmyvan,”soIbegantogatheruphiscassettetapesandotheritemshepointedout.Afterseveraltrips,Iasked,“Doyouevenwantthatumbrellaoutofthere?And,bytheway,whyareyoumovingallthisstuffinside?”

His response was, “Because I’m giving you the van. But I need myumbrella!”“Excuseme?” Iasked.He repeated,“I’mgivingyou thisvan.Godtoldusto.”

Naturally,wewereawestruck,gratefulandthrilled.Thebrand-newvanhad

avalueofmorethan$25,000!Ofcourse,thatblessingraisedanotherquestion.Nowthatwehavethisvan,

what dowe dowith the stationwagon? Itwasn’tmuch to look at, but itwasgood,reliabletransportation.

Aftersomeprayer,wefelttheLordinstructingustogivethestationwagontoafamilythatweknewdidn’thaveavehicle.

Almostimmediately,someonewedidn’tevenknowgaveusanothervehicle!“Godtoldusto”wasthefamiliarexplanation.

Aftermore prayer, we gave that vehicle away as well. Soon, another onearrivedtoreplaceit.Andthenanotherone.Andanotherone.Eachtimeavehiclelanded in our driveway, we would give it away. And each time, another onewouldshowuptotakeitsplace.

In the middle of this amazing sequence, God did something that, at first,puzzledus.Inthecaseofoneofthecarsweweregiven,ourprayerfordirectionbroughtthisinstructionfromtheLord:Don’tgivethisvehicleaway.Sellit.

At first, we weren’t sure we had heard God accurately. Seekingconfirmation,wesaid,“Lord,areYousureYouwantustosellthisvehicle?Wecertainlyhaveenjoyedgivingthemaway.”

Theclearreplycameback,No,Iwantyoutosellthevehicle.Iwantyoutosellitfor$12,000.

At church that weekend, a man walked up to me and said, “Hey Robert,wouldyouliketosellthatvan?”Somewhatstartled,Isaid,“Yes,asamatteroffact, I believe I’m supposed to sell it.” Theman then said, “I think the Lordwantsmetogiveyou$12,000forit.Isthatacceptable?”Ofcourse,Isoldhimthevehicle.

TheverynextweekwewerescheduledtogoonamissiontriptoCostaRica,soweputthe$12,000inthebank,awaitinginstructionsfromtheLordonwhattodowithit.

A fewdays later,we foundourselves inCostaRica riding inadilapidatedold van owned by the missionary we were there to assist. I was genuinelyconcernedaboutwhetherweweregoingtomakeittoourdestination.

Atonepoint,Iaskedthemissionary,“Whydon’tyoubuyanewvan?IthinkthisoneisabouttodieandgotobewiththeLord!”

“Asamatteroffact,Iamabouttogetanewvan!”themissionarysaidveryexcitedly.“Lastweek,Iwasdrivingbyacarlot,andtheLordtoldmetostop.ThenHepointedoutavantomeandsaid,‘Iwanttogiveyouthatvan,soIwantyoutoprayoverit’;soIdid!Idon’tknowhowtheLordisgoingtogivemethat

van,”hecontinued,“butIknowHewill!”SensingthehandofGod,Iaskedhim,“Howmuchdotheywantforit?”I’m

sureyouhavealreadyguessedtheanswer:$12,000.Withgreatjoy,mywifeandIwereabletowritethecheckfor$12,000assoonaswegothome.

OutgiveGod?

Throughout this remarkable season of giving, we experienced tremendousblessing.Our incomehad skyrocketed. It seemed themorewegave, themoreGodgavetous.Itwasasifweweretrulylivingouttheoldsaying:Youcan’toutgiveGod.

Overthecourseofthose18months, itwasourprivilegetogiveawayninevehicles.What’smore,wewereabletoincreaseourgivingto70percentofourgross income.Wefoundourselves livingmorecomfortablyon30percent thanwepreviouslyhadon90percent.

YOUCAN’TOUTGIVEGOD.

WesimplyencounteredGod’sblessingseverywhereweturned.Andaroundeachcorner,welearnednewlessonsinthepowerofSpirit-ledgiving.Justwhenwethoughtwewereasradicalaboutgivingaswecouldpossiblybe,Godwouldstretchusalittlebitmore.

Forexample,towardtheendofthat18-monthperiod,theLordspoketousaboutgivingbothofourvehiclesaway.Hesaid,“Iwantyoutogivethembothaway.I’llshowyouthecoupletowhomyouaretogivethem;andanotherthing,Ialsowantyoutogiveyourhouseaway;andIalsowantyoutotakeeverybitofmoneythatyouhaveinthebankandgiveitaway,too.”

Needlesstosay,wewrestledwiththisone.Whenweprayed,wesaid,“Lord,You’re asking us to give everything away that we own.AreYou sure this iswhatYou’resaying?”AndtheLordkeptsaying,“I’msure,I’msure.”

Sowedid.AstheLordshowedustherecipients,wegavethevehiclesaway.Wegaveawayallthemoneyinourbankaccounts.Andwelookedandlisteneddiligently for instructions about giving away the house. In our hearts,we hadalreadygiventhehouseaway.Wehadfullyreleasedit.Wejustneededtoknowtowhatfamilyweweretohandthetitleandthekeys.

Therewewere—without transportationandwithout adollarwithwhich to

buyany.AsIsatinmyhouse(whichInolongerconsideredtobemine),Ihavetoadmit,Iwashavingsomecarnalthoughts.

I remember thinking tomyself,Aha! I’vegotHim.This time I’veoutgiventheLord!

IrecallhavingaveryfrankandhonestdiscussionwithGod,saying,“Lord,Youknow,I thinkI’veoutgivenYouthis time.Yes,everytimewegaveacaraway,Yougaveusanothercar.Well,thistime,I’vegivenbothmyvehiclesandallmymoneyaway!Thistime,IthinkI’vegotYou,Lord.I’veoutgivenYou.”

EvenasIsaidthat,IsensedinmyhearttheLordsaying,Oh,really!Atthatmoment, thetelephonerang.Ontheotherendofthelinewasamanwhosaid,“Robert, God has spoken to me about helping you with your transportation.”(Youneed toknowthat,besides the recipients,nooneonEarthknewofwhatDebbie and I had given. This man did not know we had given our vehiclesaway.)

Myimmediatethoughtwas,Well,that’sablessing.Thismanisgoingtogiveusacar.Myassumptionwasthatthepatternwehadseenrepeatitselfsomanytimeswasabout toplayoutoncemore. Imustalsoadmit that I thought,Well,Lord,evenifhegivesusacar,thefactremainsthatwegaveawaytwocars,allofourmoneyand,ineffect,ourhouse.SoIthinkI’vestillgotYou.

So I asked themanon thephone, “Whatdid theLord tellyou todo?”Heanswered,“TheLordtoldmetobuyyouanairplane.”Iwasspeechless.

Hecontinued,“Asamatteroffact,Iboughttheplanetoday;andI’veparkeditattheairport;andI’mgoingtopayforthehangar;andI’mgoingtopayforthefuel;andI’mgoingtopayfortheinsuranceandmaintenanceontheairplane;and I’vehiredapilot. I’mgoing topayhis salary, soanytimeyouwant togosomewhere, just call him and he’ll fly you there. I’ll take care of all theexpenses!”

BEING“BLESSED”MEANSHAVINGSUPERNATURALPOWERWORKINGFORYOU.

AsIstoodtherestammeringandstunned,Iheardthestill,smallvoiceoftheLordwhisperinmyspirit,“Gotcha.”

Myfriend,youcan’toutgiveGod.God offers the only true guaranteed financial results available on Earth.

There are principles, however, that we have to follow in order to experience

God’shighestrewards.Theyarethekeystolivingtheblessedlife.

BlessedorCursed?

Beforewe continue, I should probably define terms.What do Imean by “theblessedlife?”Whatdoesalifefilledwithblessinglooklike?

Being “blessed” means having supernatural power working for you. Bycontrast,being“cursed”meanshavingsupernaturalpowerworkingagainstyou.

The days of the blessed person are filled with divine “coincidences” andheavenlymeaning.Ablessedmanmayormaynot bewealthyby theworld’sstandards,butheenjoysaqualityoflifethatmostbillionaireswouldenvy.

AtfourseparatepointsinthebookofDeuteronomy,GodtellsthosewhowillobeyHimthatHewillblesseverythingtowhichtheyputtheirhands(see14:29;15:10;23:20;28:8,12).That’swhattheblessedlifeislike.Everythingyoutouchdoeswell.

Blessing permeates every aspect of a person’s life—health, relationships,work,family,emotionsandthoughts.

Soundgood?Then readon.You’re about todiscoverhow to live a lifeofblessing.

CHAPTER2

GodMustBeFirst

We’veheardtheoldsayingmanytimes:Firstthingsfirst.There is a heap of biblical truth in that little cliché. Sowhat are the “first

things”wherelivingtheblessedlifeisconcerned?Well,considerthis:Therearemore than 500 verses in the Bible concerning prayer and nearly 500 versesconcerning faith, but more than 2,000 verses on the subject of money andpossessions.

Jesustalkedaboutmoneyin16ofHis38parables.Clearly,fromtheBible’sstandpoint,weneedtounderstandmoneyandhowtohandleit.Why?BecausemoneyisactuallyatestfromGod.

Howyouhandlemoneyrevealsvolumesaboutyourpriorities,loyaltiesandaffections.Infact,itdirectlydictatesmanyoftheblessingsyouwill(orwon’t)experienceinlife.

Thevery firstprincipleyoumustgrasp, ifyouare tounderstandgiving, istheprincipleof firstfruits. Itcanalsobecalled theprincipleof thefirstbornorthetithe.

Frankly,fartoomanyChristiansareconfusedabouttithingandtheprincipleoffirstfruits.(Pleasedon’ttunemeout,turnmeofforskipthesepages,thinking,I’ve heard all that tithing stuff before. There is life-giving, liberating truth inwhatIamabouttopresenttoyou.Don’tmissit!)

SacrificedorRedeemed

WefindanimportantfinancialprecedentestablishedinthethirteenthchapterofExodus.Inthispassage,Godsays:

ConsecratetoMeallthefirstborn,whateveropensthewombamongthechildrenofIsrael,bothofmanandbeast;itisMine(Exod.13:2).

Here,God plainly declares that the firstborn “isMine.” It belongs toHim. Infact,you’llfindGoddeclaringthatthefirstbornisHis16timesinScripture!Forexample,Exodus13:12-13says:

ThatyoushallsetaparttotheLORDallthatopenthewomb,thatis,everyfirstbornthatcomesfromananimalwhichyouhave;themalesshallbethe LORD’S. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeemwith alamb;andifyouwillnotredeemit,thenyoushallbreakitsneck.Andallthefirstbornofmanamongyoursonsyoushallredeem.

Itisvitalthatyouunderstandsomethingabouttheprincipleofthefirstborn.According to Old Testament law, the firstborn was to be either sacrificed orredeemed.Therewasnothirdoption.Everytimeoneofyourlivestockanimalsdelivered its firstborn,youwere tosacrifice it,or if itwasdesignatedunclean,you had to redeem it with a clean, spotless lamb. To summarize, the cleanfirstbornhadtobesacrificedandtheuncleanfirstbornhadtoberedeemed.

With that inmind, thinkabout theaccount in theNewTestament inwhichJohntheBaptistmeetsJesusonthebanksoftheJordanRiver.

JohnwasbaptizingonedayandlookeduptoseeJesuswalkingtowardhim.Atthatpoint,Johncriedout,“Behold!TheLambofGodwhotakesawaythesinoftheworld!”(John1:29).

With that inspired declaration, John perfectly defined the role Jesus hadcome to fulfill. Jesus was God’s firstborn. Jesus was clean—perfect andunblemishedineveryway.Ontheotherhand,everyoneofuswasbornunclean.Wewereallbornsinnerswithafullyactivesinnature.

Nowthinkback to theprincipleof thefirstborn inExodus.Remember, theLawstatedthatifthefirstbornanimalwasclean,itwastobesacrificed.Butifthefirstbornwasunclean,itwastoberedeemedwithacleananimal.

Doyouseethesymbolicparallel?JesusChristwasGod’sfirstbornSon,and

Hewasbornclean.Hewasbornapure,spotlesslamb.Buteveryoneofuswasbornunclean;therefore,Jesuswassacrificedtoredeemus.

WhenHeredeemedusbyHissacrifice,HeboughtusbackforGod.Hewasliterallyafirstfruitsoffering.Inaveryrealsense,JesuswasGod’stithe.

GodgaveHistithe(Jesus)infaithbeforeweeverbelieved.NoticethatGodgaveHim to us before we believed. Romans 5:8 says: God demonstrates Hisownlovetowardus,inthatwhilewewerestillsinners,Christdiedforus.

We have to give our firstfruits offering—our tithes—in much the same way.BeforeweseetheblessingofGod,wegiveitinfaith.

God gave Jesus in faith “that He might be the firstborn among manybrethren”(Rom.8:29).Inthissense,JesusisGod’stithe.GodgaveJesusfirst,infaith,evenwhenweweresinners—evenasweweremockingHimandspittinginHisfacewhileHewasdying.

JESUSWASGOD’STITHE.

Goddidn’twaittoseeifwewouldfirstchangeorrepentormakeourselvesworthy.Godknewtheprincipleoffirstthingsfirst.

HaveyoueverwonderedhowGodcouldjustifytakingthelivesofEgypt’sfirstborn in the final plague described in Exodus? It is because the firstbornbelongstoGod.GodhadalegalrighttotakeeveryfirstbornbecauseeveryoneoftheminEgyptandinIsraelbelongedtoHim!

ButthefirstborninIsraeldidn’tdiethatnight,didthey?Whynot?Becausealambwassacrificedtoredeemthem.Aspotless,perfectLambtooktheirplace!

You’llrecallthatGodinstructedMosestoapplythebloodofthesacrificedlambtothedoorpostsofeachhome.Theyweretoapplythebloodtothemantle(the topof thedoor frame)andon theposts (thesidesof thedoor frame) (seeExod.12:7).

Imagine yourself standing outside one of those doors, dipping a hyssopbranchinthatlamb’sblood.Seeyourselfapplyingtheblood,firstontheleftsideof thedoorframe, thengoingacrossandapplyingiton therightsideandthenreachingupandapplying thebloodin themiddleof themantle,on the top,sothebloodwoulddripdown.

Didyounoticethat,infollowingthosesteps,youcreatedtheformofacrossinblood?The Israeliteswere savedby thebloodof the lamb in the formof a

cross!Andthat’spreciselyhowwe’resaved.Godredeemedusinthesameway—bygivingHisfirstbornSonasasacrifice.

Theprincipleofthefirstfruitsisvery,verypowerful.Ihavehearditsaidthatanyfirstthinggivenisneverlost,andanyfirstthingnotgivenisalwayslost.Inotherwords,whatwegivetoGod,wedon’tlosebecauseGodredeemsitforus.ButwhatwewithholdfromGod,wewilllose.JesusechoedthisprinciplewhenHesaid:

Forwhoeverwantstosavehislifewillloseit,butwhoeverloseshislifeformewillfindit(Matt.16:25,NIV).

ThefirstbelongstoGod.WefindthisprincipleallthroughGod’sWord.WecangiveGodthefirstofourtime.WecangiveHimthefirstofourfinances.That’swhat tithing really is—givingour first toGod. It’s saying,“God, I’mgoing togivetoYoufirstandtrustYoutoredeemtherest.”

Putanotherway,whenafirstbornlambisborninaflock,itisnotpossibletoknowhowmanymorelambsthatewemightproduce.Nevertheless,Goddidn’tsay,“LetyoureweproduceninelambsfirstandthengiveMethenextone.”No,Godsays,“GiveMethefirstone.”

It always requires faith to give the first. That’s why so few Christiansexperience the blessings of tithing. It means giving to God before you see ifyou’re going to have enough. By tithing, it is as if we are saying to God, “IrecognizeYoufirst.IamputtingYoufirstinmylife,andItrustYoutotakecareoftherestofthethingsinmylife.”

That’swhy tithing is so important. It is the primarywaywe acknowledgethatGodisfirst.

The first portion is the redemptive portion. In otherwords, when the firstportionisgiventoGod,therestisredeemed.Inthesameway,comingtochurchatthefirstoftheweekisawayofgivingtheLordthefirstofyourtime.

Sadly, some people view Monday as the beginning of their week. Theythink,Ihavetogetthisweekstartedright.Ihavetoputsomedealstogetherandget some money in the bank. Thus, they give the first part of their week tomoney.

Other people think their week begins on Friday. They say, “Man, thisweekendI’mreallygoingtopartyandhaveagoodtime.”Thesepeoplegivethefirstfruitsoftheirtimetorecreation.

AsGod’s people,weneed to give the first part of ourweek to Jesus.The

reason the New Testament church met on Sunday was because they werecelebratingtheresurrectionoftheLordJesusChrist.TheygavethefirstoftheirtimetoGodinworship.

TheFirstoftheFirst

NotonlydoesthefirstbornbelongtoGodbutfirstfruitsbelongtoHimaswell.InExodus23,weread:

Thefirstof thefirstfruitsofyourlandyoushallbringintothehouseoftheLORDyourGod(v.19).

Thisversegoesevenfurtherandsaysit’sthefirstofyourfirstfruitsthatGodwants.Thatmeans the lastofyourfirstfruits isn’tacceptable. It’snot the tenthportionofyourfirstfruits;it’sthefirstportionofyourfirstfruits.Readthatverseagain:

Thefirstof thefirstfruitsofyourlandyoushallbringintothehouseoftheLORDyourGod.

Notice that theScripturedesignates “thehouseof theLORD” as theproperplace to give firstfruits. It doesn’t say to give them to a television ministry,althoughIbelievestronglyinsupportingworthymediaministries.Itdoesn’tsayto give the first of your firstfruits to a missionary, even though supportingmissionarywork isnearanddear toGod’sheart (andmine!). Itdoesn’tsay togive the firstofyour firstfruitswhereveryouwant. It says tobring them“intothehouseoftheLORDyourGod.”

We must always give to the Lord’s house first. This is an aspect of theprincipleoffirstfruitsthatweneedtounderstand.That’swhyProverbs3says:

HonortheLORDwithyourpossessions,andwiththefirstfruitsofallyourincrease; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats willoverflowwithnewwine(vv.9-10).

As thispassagesuggests, tithing to theLord’shouse involveshonoring theLordwithourpossessionsandwiththefirstfruitsofallofourincrease.

Now, in Old Testament times, most people were farmers. They raisedanimalsandgrewcropsfortheirliving.“Increase”cameascropswereharvestedandlivestockreproduced.Today,youmightbeabankeroralawyerorateacheroraconstructionworker.Yourincreasecomesinthatway.

Nomatterhow it comes, theWordmakes it clear thatweare tohonor the

Lordwiththefirstfruitsofallofourincrease.Whenwedo,accordingtotheseverses, our “barnswill be filledwith plenty, and [our] vatswill overflow” (v.10).

Doyouremember theaccountof thefallofJerichoin thebookofJoshua?You’llrecallthattheLordgavestrictinstructionsthattheIsraeliteswerenottokeepanyofthespoilsfromJericho.AllofitbelongedtoHim,theLorddeclared.

WhydidtheLordsaythatallofthesilverandgoldfromJerichohadtobegiven to the Lord’s house? Because it was the first city conquered in thePromisedLand.Itwasthefirstfruits.

God was saying, “Bring all the silver and the gold from Jericho intoMyhouseandthenyoucanhavealloftherest.”Hedidn’tsay,“Conquer10citiesandgiveMeallthespoilsfromthetenthone.”Heessentiallysaid,“GiveMethefirstandyoucanhavetherest.”Thattookfaith,ofcourse—andsodoestithing.

You’ll also remember that one person among the Israelites disregardedGod’s clear instructions.The Israeliteswere told that the silver andgoldwereconsecratedtotheLord(seeJosh.6:19),butamannamedAchantooksomeforhimselfandbecame“accursed”(Josh.6:18).

Think about that. When the spoils were given to God, they were“consecrated” or set apart for God’s house; but after a man took some forhimself,itwasactuallycursingIsrael’seffortstotakethePromisedLand.

Consecratedorcursed—that’sexactlywhatthetitheisallthroughtheBible.ThetitheisconsecratedtotheLordandfortheLord’shouse.Butifwetakeitforourselves,itbecomesacursebecauseit’sstolen.

InMalachi3,Godmakesitclearthatifwekeepthetithetoourselves,wearerobbingGod.WhatasoberingthingitistoconsiderthatonecanstealfromGodand,therefore,beunderacurse.

Will aman robGod?Yetyouhave robbedMe!Butyousay,“InwhatwayhavewerobbedYou?”Intithesandofferings.Youarecursedwithacurse,foryouhaverobbedMe,eventhiswholenation(Mal.3:8-9).

It is amazing to me how many people try to overlook this Scripture orexplainitaway.Somesay,“Well,that’sintheOldTestament.”ButintheverysamechapterofMalachi,Godsays,“ForIamtheLORD,Idonotchange”(v.6).

WOULDYOUBELIEVEANYONEWHOASSERTEDTHATBECAUSEADULTERYWASFORBIDDENUNDER

THELAW,ITISNOWACCEPTABLEUNDERGRACE?

WehavealreadyseenthattheLordclearlysaysthatthefirstbornbelongstoHim(seeExod.13:2)andthefirstfruitsareHis(seeExod.23:19).WealsojustheardHimsaythatthetithebelongstoHim(seeMal.3:8-9).

Hereismyquestiontothosewhocontendthattheprincipleofthetitheisnolongeractive:IfGoddeclares,“Idonotchange”(Mal.3:6),thenwhendidthosethingssupposedlychange?WhendidGodchange?

Thetithe,thefirstbornandthefirstfruitsallbelongtotheLord.Thisisn’talaw!It’sanunchangingprincipleestablishedbyanunchangingGod.

Manypeoplesay,“Well,tithingwasundertheLaw,soIdon’thavetodoit.We’re under grace now.” They need to know that there aremany things thatwereundertheLawthatcontinuetobeprincipleswithGod.

WouldyoubelieveanyonewhoassertedthatbecauseadulterywasforbiddenundertheLaw,itisnowacceptableundergrace?WouldyouacceptanargumentthatstatedthatbecausestealingwasforbiddenundertheOldTestamentlaw,itisnowacceptableunderNewCovenantgrace?Ofcoursenot.

There are eternal principles throughout the Word of God, and tithing isclearlyoneofthem.ItisaprinciplethatrunsfromGenesistoRevelation.

The tithe belongs to God. The firstborn belongs to God. And firstfruitsbelongtoGod.

Throughoutmy lifeasanevangelistandpastor, Ihavebeenamazedat theconsistency of the testimonies I hear about tithing. In more than 20 years ofministry,everytitherIhavespokenwithhasgivenmeasimilartestimony;everynontitherhas alsogivenmea similar testimony,butone that is different fromthosewhotithe.(Andkeepinmindthebiblicalexhortationtoleteverythingbeestablishedbythemouthoftwoorthreewitnesses[see2Cor.13:1].)

Withoutexception,titherssay,“I’mblessed”or“Godhasblessedme.”Theyall give the testimony thatGod isblessing them. In contrast, everynontither Ihaveeverspokenwithgivesthistestimony:“Ican’taffordtotithe.”

Now Iwant you to think about these two statements and the two types ofpeopletheycomefrom:Alltithersgivethetestimonythattheyareblessed,andallnontithersgivethetestimonythattheycan’taffordtotithe.

I think Forrest Gump could discern the pattern on this one. He wouldprobablysay,“I’mnotasmartman,butI’mgoingtotithe.Andthat’sallIhavetosayaboutthat.”

RespectforAbel

The principles of tithing, the firstborn and firstfruits are biblical and eternal.Aligningyourlifeandactionswiththemcan’thelpbutbringGod’sblessing.

WefindagreatexampleofthisinGenesis4:

AndintheprocessoftimeitcametopassthatCainbroughtanofferingofthefruitofthegroundtotheLORD.Abelalsobroughtofthefirstbornof his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and hisoffering,butHedidnotrespectCainandhisoffering.AndCainwasveryangry,andhiscountenancefell(vv.3-5).

Manypeoplehavewonderedforyears,WhydidGodrespectAbel’sofferingbutnotCainandhisoffering?TheWordmakesitapointtotellusveryclearlythattheofferingAbelbroughtwasthefirstbornofhisflock.Butitdoesn’tsaythatCainbroughtofthefirstfruitsofhiscrops.

Noticethat thepassagequotedabovesays,“andintheprocessof time.”Inotherwords,Caingrewhiscropsandthen,“intheprocessoftime,”gotaroundtobringinganoffering to theLord.The implication is thathedidn’tbringhisfirstfruitstotheLord.CouldthatbewhyGoddidnotrespectCain’soffering?Ibelieveso.

Abel,on theotherhand,brought thefirstbornofhis flock to theLord,andGodacceptedhisoffering.

Thereisalessoninthisforus.Godislookingatourheartswhenwegive.Andwhenwegiveof the first ofour firstfruitsorour tithe,God receives andrespects that offering. The tithe is your firstfruit. The tithemust be first! TheBibleisclearonthismatter:

Andallthetitheoftheland,whetheroftheseedofthelandorofthefruitofthetree,istheLORD’s.ItisholytotheLORD(Lev.27:30).

JustasthefirstbornandthefirstfruitsbelongtoGod,sodoesthetithebelongtoHim.Butliketheothertwo,itmustbefirst.Ashedeclared,“allthetitheoftheland…istheLORD’s”(Lev.27:30).

IonceheardMikeHayes,pastorofCovenantChurch inCarrollton,Texas,useanexcellentillustrationofthistruth.

Now, if I had 10 one-dollar bills to give away and asked two specific

questionsaboutthem,IsuspectmostChristianswouldgetthefirstonerightbutwouldscratchtheirheadsatthesecondone.

Imagine,I’vegivenyou10one-dollarbillsandhavelaidthemoutonatablein front of you. Now, my first question is, “How much is the tithe on thismoney?”I thinkeveryonewouldget thatoneright.The titheon tendollars is,obviously,onedollar.Buthere’s themoredifficultquestion.Whichone is thetithe?“Obviously,thefirstone,”youmightsay.Butwhichoneisthefirstone?Isittheoneonyourleftorisittheoneonyourright?

Let’ssayyougetpaidonThursdayandimmediatelypayallyourbills,thenbuygroceriesandthenwriteyourtithecheckbeforegoingtochurch.Haveyoutithedthefirstofyourincrease?No.Isitpossibletogiveafull10percentandstillnotbetithinginaccordancewithGod’sprinciple?Absolutely.

Forunderstanding, let’sgobackto theone-dollarbills.Whichdollar is thetithe?Letmetellyouhowtodecidethat.Thetitheisthefirstonespentorgiven.Thefirstmoneythatyouspendrepresentsyourfirstfruits.Inotherwords,whenyougetpaid,thefirstcheckyouwriteshouldbethetithecheck.

Isitreallyanactoffaithtogive10percentafterallyourotherbillsarepaid?WhatdoesitsayaboutourprioritieswhenwewillinglypayeverybodyelsefirstandthenseeifthereisenoughlefttogiveGodHisportion?

The first portion we spend should be the tithe. That is the firstfruit. Andaccording to Exodus 13, that first portion is the redemptive portion. The firstportionhasthepowertoredeemtherest.ThisistheessenceofPaul’smessageinRomans11:16:

Forifthefirstfruitisholy,thelumpisalsoholy;andiftherootisholy,soarethebranches.

Therearesomanyblessingsthatgoalongwithtithing,butitistheprincipleofputtingGodfirstandtheprincipleoffaiththatinitiatestheblessings.Itisthetrigger.

Thefirstportionistheportionthatredeemstherest.Thefirstportioncarriestheblessing.That’swhyyoudon’twanttogivethefirstportiontothemortgagecompany. Unfortunately, it seems that many Christians fear the IRS and themortgagecompanymorethantheyfearGod.

Anotherwaytosaythatis,werespectthemmorethanwerespecttheLord.Thetithersays,“Yes,Ihaveastackofbillshere,butI’mgoingtogivetoGodfirstandtrustHimtoblesstherestofthe‘lump.’”

There was much more at stake than money when Abraham offered hisfirstbornson,Isaac.You’llnoticethatAbrahamdidn’twaittoseeifhehad10sonsbeforehegavehisfirstone.NordidGodgotoAbrahamwhenheonlyhadIsaacandsay,“Afteryouhavehadfourorfivemoresons,I’mgoingtocometoyouandaskyouforoneofthem.”

No,Godaskedforthefirstwhenonewasallhehad!Abrahamhadonlythepromiseofhavingmoresons.IttookfaithforAbrahamtoofferIsaac.Andfaithispreciselywhattithingrequires.ItisgivingGodthefirst,infaith.

WhenGodaskedforthefirstbornlamb,youhadtogiveitinfaith,withonlythe promise and hope that the ewe would produce more. Many people saythey’reputtingGodfirst,buttruetithingiswheretherubbermeetstheroad.Itiswherewewalkwhatwetalk.

IfyoutellmethatGodisfirstinyourlife,thenletmeseeyourcheckbook.Thenwe’llreallyseewho’sfirstinyourlife.Willitsaythemortgagecompanyisfirstinyourlife?Doesitsaythecarcompanytakesahigherplaceonyourlistofpriorities?Or is it theclear testimonyofyourspendingpatterns thatGod isfirst?

When Satan comes against you with fear and says, “You’re going to gobroke, yourmarriage is going to fail, you’re going to get a disease,” you canfirmlyreply,“No,I’matither,andbecauseItithe,theBiblesaysthatGodwillrebukethedevourerformysake.Yes,formysake!Godisfirstinmylife,andGodisgoingtoredeemandprotecteverythingelseinmylife!”

Wouldyourathertrytomakeitthroughlifewith100percentofyourincome—butallof itcursed?Orwouldyourather try tomake it through lifewith90percentofyourincomeandallofitblessed,redeemedandprotectedbyGod?

ItisapparentlyaquestionmanyChristiansneedtoaskthemselves.RecentlyIheardapastorsharesomealarmingstatistics:

In 1998, theBody ofChrist around theworld earned the equivalent of anestimated $15.2 trillion. The total amount given to allministry-related causes,includingchurches,missions,etc.,was$270billion.Ifyoudothemath,youwilldiscoverthatisonly1.8percent.

My first thoughtwhen I heard these statisticswas that the percentagewassurely skewed lower by all the poor countries included. Then I heard thenumbersfortheUnitedStatesalone.

TheBodyofChristintheUnitedStatesearnedanestimated$5.2trillionin1998, and the total amount given in the United States was $92 billion. Theamountgivenis1.7percentoftheamountearned.

Thinkaboutit.God’speopleintheUnitedStates,asblessedwithabundanceasweare,gaveonly1.7percentofourincomestothecauseofChrist.Yetthefigure for thewholeworldwas 1.8 percent.We are giving less than the poorcountriesoftheworld!1

GODDOESN’TNEEDYOUTOGIVE—YOUNEEDTOBEBLESSED.

Pleasekeepinmind,I’mnotproclaimingthetruthabouttithingbecauseGodneedsmoney;I’mdeliveringthesetruthsforyoursake.Goddoesn’tneedyoutogive—youneedtobeblessed.

My heart is broken for the Body of Christ because of our lack ofunderstandingoftheseprinciplesandourfailuretowalkinGod’sblessings.Myheart breaks becausemuch of theBody ofChrist is living under a curse as adirect result of stealing from God. I counsel people all the time who arestruggling, having conflict in theirmarriages and strife in their homes for thisveryreason.Theydon’tunderstandthatthefirstborn,thefirstfruitsandthetithebelongtoGod.

In1Corinthians16,weread:

Nowconcerningthecollectionforthesaints,asIhavegivenorderstothechurchesofGalatia,soyoumustdoalso:Onthefirstdayoftheweekleteachoneofyoulaysomethingaside,storingupashemayprosper,thattherebenocollectionswhenIcome(vv.1-2).

Paulistellingusweshouldgiveeveryweek,onthefirstdayoftheweek,asweprosper. (The New Living Translation says, “In relation to what you haveearned.”)Inotherwords,weshouldgivetoGodindirectproportiontothesizeofourpaychecks.

Notice that Paul began by saying for no collections to be taken when hecomes(seev.2).Inotherwords:nospecialofferings.Ilongtoseethedaywhenwedon’thavetohavecandysalesinthefoyersofourchurchesorSaturdaycarwashes,becauseeverymemberofthechurchistithing.

Ofcourse, the reasonchurcheshave somany specialofferings is thatonly1.7percentofourincomeisbeinggiventoGod.

Imagine what God’s people could accomplish on the earth if His people

faithfully gave Him the first 10 percent so that the remaining 90 percent isredeemed and blessed! Imagine the plans and purposes of God that could beadvancedinthisworldiftheChurchwouldwakeuptotheblessingsthatcomeasaresultofhavingthefaithtogivethefirstfruits!

Oh,ifonlyGod’speoplewouldputHimfirstintheirlives!

PassDownthePrinciple

Iwanttoendthischapterwhereitbegan—inExodus13.Westartedwithalookat verses 12 and 13.Now let’s examine the next two verses of that importantpassage:

Soitshallbe,whenyoursonasksyouintimetocome,saying,“Whatisthis?”thatyoushallsaytohim,“BystrengthofhandtheLORDbroughtusoutofEgypt,outofthehouseofbondage.Anditcametopass,whenPharaohwas stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all thefirstborninthelandofEgypt,boththefirstbornofmanandthefirstbornofbeast.ThereforeIsacrificetotheLORDallmalesthatopenthewomb,butallthefirstbornofmysonsIredeem”(vv.14-15).

HereGodis instructingtheIsraelitesonhowtopassdowntheprincipleof thefirstborn to futuregenerations.He issaying,“Whenyourchildasks, ‘Whyarewe sacrificing this firstborn lamb,Daddy?’you are to sit himorher downonyourkneeandsay,‘LetmetellyouaboutwhenwewereinEgypt.Letmeshowyouthescarsonmyback.Letmedescribetoyouwhatit’sliketobeaslave.Wewere in bondage.Wewere slaves, but God delivered uswith amighty hand.BecauseHesetusfree,thisisthesacredcovenantthatwehavemadewithGod—tokeepHimfirstinourlives.That’swhywegladlygiveHimthefirstofallourincrease.’”

IcantellyouthatIhavehadtheNewCovenantversionofthishappenwithmyownfamily.

Atsometimeoranotherinthelivesofeachofmychildren,theyhavecometomewhenIwaswritingoutthetithecheckandaskedmeiftheycouldbetheone to give the check in the offering that day. Invariably,when Iwould givethem the tithe check, theywould look at the amount and say something like,“Wow!That’sahugeamountofmoney,Dad.Whydowegivethismuchtothechurch?”

And toeachchild I’vebeenable tosay,“Yousee,Daddywasn’talwaysaChristian.Ididn’tcometoknowChristuntilIwas19yearsold,andbeforeImetHim,mylifewasatotalwreck.Letmedescribetoyouwhatitwaslikebeinginbondage—aslavetosin—butGoddeliveredmewithamightyhand.That’swhyIgladlygiveGodthefirstofeverythingHeblessesuswith—notoutofdutyor

compulsion.No,IgladlygivemytithetoGodbecauseIwanttoletHimknowthatHeisfirstinmylife.AndbecausewegiveourfirsttotheLord,Heblessesus,protectsusandprovidesforus.”

Wemustliveoutthesetruths,andwemustpassthemdowntoourchildren.A life of blessingbeginswith a clear understanding and acceptanceof the

principleofthefirstborn,firstfruitsandthetithe.Withoutthatunderstanding,itis impossible tomove on to the greater adventuresGod has in store for thosewhowillputHimfirst.

CHAPTER3

Life,NotLaw

Tithingislife,notlaw.I feel theneed tomake that statement right up front becauseof the strong

doseof truth I presented in theprevious chapter.Over theyears, I’vehad toomanywell-meaningbutmisguidedChristiansreacttothemessageabouttithingbytellingmetheydon’ttithebecause“tithingispartof‘theLaw.’”

Withallmyheart,Iwantyoutounderstandsomething:Tithingisnotlawtome—itislife!

Letme say that again. I don’t tithe because tithingwas a part of theOldTestamentlaw;Itithebecauseit’slifetomeandtomyfamily.Moreover,aswebegan to see in the previous chapter, it is a principle that runs throughout theWordofGod.Infact,wesawthatitpredatesthelawofMosesbythousandsofyears.

The principle of the tithe (or firstfruits or firstborn) was in operation asAbrahamwas asked to offer Isaac andwhen he gave a tenth of the spoils toMelchizedek—arepresentationofJesusChrist(seeGen.14:18-20;Heb.5—7).

This principle goes all the way back to the opening chapters of Genesis,whereweseeAbel’sofferingacceptedandCain’s rejected. Ina sense, itevengoes back further than that! We can see the principle of the tithe in God’sinstructionstoAdamandEveaboutthetreesintheGardenofEden.

ThentheLORDGodtookthemanandputhiminthegardenofEdentotendandkeep it.And theLORDGodcommanded theman, saying,“Ofevery tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of theknowledgeofgoodandevilyoushallnoteat,forinthedaythatyoueatofityoushallsurelydie”(Gen.2:15-17).

Notice that ingivingAdamandEve stewardshipof theGarden,Godgavethem every tree from which they could eat freely except for one. ExercisingfaithfulstewardshipoftheGardenmeantleavingthatonetreealone.Theywerenot to take that fruit for themselves and consume it. Being faithful stewardsmeantlifetoAdamandEve.Bychoosingtoeatofthefruitofthetree,theywereactinglikeownersratherthanstewards.

Isn’tthatpreciselyhowtheprincipleofthetitheoperatesforus?Godgivesus stewardship responsibilityoverour lives.Though itallbelongs toHim,Herichlygivesusallthingstoenjoy(see1Tim.6:17).ButHehasaskedusnottotouchthefirstfruits.“Thetitheandthefirstfruitsaremine,”saystheLord.

Wedemonstratefaithfulstewardship—weshowGodthatwerealizethatwearestewards,notowners—whenwegiveHimthetithe.

Aseachofthepreviousexamplesshows,thetithecompletelytranscendstheOld Testament law. But that shouldn’t surprise us, because so domany othereternalprinciples.

ImaginewhatyouwouldthinkifoneSundaymorningyouvisitedthechurchIpastor,andasIwaspreaching,Isuddenlypulledoutagunandshotsomeoneinthecongregation.What if,whenasked,“Whydidyoudo that?TheBiblesaysyou’renotsupposedtomurder,”myresponsewas,“Well,‘Thoushaltnotkill’waspartoftheLaw.I’mnotundertheLaw.I’mundergrace.”

IFSOMETHINGWASRIGHTUNDERTHELAW,ISITNOWWRONGUNDERGRACE?

Whatwouldyouthinkaboutthat?Youwouldprobablypointouttomethat

respectinghumanlifeandnotmurderingareprinciples thatrunall throughtheBible.

I am using a rather absurd illustration to make an important point. JustbecausesomethingwasmentionedinthelawofMosesdoesn’tmeanthatwecanthrowitoutnow.

Letmeaddressthisissueinanotherway.IfsomethingwaswrongundertheLaw,canitberightundergrace?Inotherwords,sincemurderwaswrongundertheLaw,isitnowrightundergrace?Ofcoursenot.

Nowletmeturnthequestionaround.IfsomethingwasrightundertheLaw,isitnowwrongundergrace?Specifically,tithingwasclearlytherightthingtodoundertheLaw.TheOldTestamentmakesthatclear.Butisitnowthewrongthingtodoundergrace?Certainlynot.

Wecan’taffordtothrowoutanyvitalprinciplesintheWordofGod—andtithingisaprinciplethatrunsallthroughScripture.

WhatmostChristiansfailtocomprehendisthattithingisatest.

PassingtheTest

InMatthew 6, we find the familiar words, “For where your treasure is, thereyourheartwillbealso”(v.21).

I want you to notice that it doesn’t say where your heart is, there yourtreasurewillbealso(eventhoughmanypeoplequoteandapplyitasifitdid).Itbasically says that your heart follows your treasure. That is why tithingrepresentsatestforeveryChristian.Keepreadingandyou’llseewhatImean.

Thewordtranslated“tithe” in theBible literallymeans“tenth”1or“a tenthpart.”2Anddoyouknowwhatthenumber10representsallthroughtheBible?Itrepresentstesting.

Letmegiveyouafewexamples.HowmanyplagueswerethereinEgypt?Inotherwords,howmanytimesdidGodtestPharaoh’sheart?Theansweris10.

Howmanycommandmentsarethere?Inotherwords,inhowmanywaysisourobediencetested?Theansweris10.

How many times did God test Israel while they were wandering in thewilderness?Andhowmany times didGod test Jacob’s heart (by allowing hiswagestobechanged)whenhewasworkingforLaban?OrhowmanydayswasDanieltestedinthefirstchapterofthebookofDaniel?Ineachcase,theansweris,ofcourse,10.

ThepatterncontinuesintheNewTestament.InMatthew25,10virginshadtheirpreparednesstested.TendaysoftestingarementionedinRevelation2:10.And, of course, Jesus had 10 disciples. (Actually, He had 12, but I was justtestingyou!)

What is trueisthatthenumber10isassociatedwithtestingthroughouttheBible. And the tithe represents the ultimate “heart test” for the believer. But,moresignificantly,tithingisalsotheonlyareainwhichtheChristianisinvitedtotestGod:

“Bringthewholetitheintothestorehouse,thattheremaybefoodinmyhouse.Testme in this,” says theLORDAlmighty,“andsee if Iwillnotthrowopentheflood-gatesofheavenandpouroutsomuchblessingthatyouwillnothaveroomenoughforit”(Mal.3:10,NIV,emphasisadded).

I remember having a conversation with God about this passage. I saidsomething like, “God,why didYou put those verses in theOld Testament? I

mean,theyonlymissedtheNewTestamentbyjustapageortwo.Whycouldn’tYouhavewaitedandputthoseversesintheNewTestament?Didn’tYouknowthat everybody would try to explain these away because they are in the OldTestament?”

THETITHEREPRESENTSTHEULTIMATE“HEARTTEST”FORTHEBELIEVER.

Tothatquestion,IfeltasiftheLordspoketomyheartandanswered,“IputthoseversesexactlywhereIwantedthem.Yousee,tithingisatestoftheheart.If Ihadput themin theNewTestament, itwouldn’tbeasmuchofa testas itmustbe.”Then,theLordsaid,“However,Ididputverse6inthereforyou.”

Atthatpoint,IrememberedwhattheLordsaysinMalachi3:6.AsIpointedoutinthepreviouschapter,inthisverseHesays,“ForIamtheLORD,Idonotchange.”

Tithingtrulyisatest.Thetruthofthispassageseemssosimpletome.IfItithe,I’mblessed;ifIdon’t,I’mcursed.Hmmm,that’satoughdecision.Letmethink about that. Tithe—I’m blessed. Don’t tithe—I’m cursed. Blessings? Orcurses?Forme,thatonereallyisn’tthathardtofigureout.

Still unsure about this tithingbusiness?Then takeGodupon theofferHemakesinMalachi3:10.TestHimonit!

“Bringthewholetitheintothestorehouse,thattheremaybefoodinmyhouse.Testme in this,” says theLORDAlmighty,“andsee if Iwillnotthrowopentheflood-gatesofheavenandpouroutsomuchblessingthatyouwillnothaveroomenoughforit”(Mal.3:10,NIV,emphasisadded).

Godisessentiallysaying,“Testmeinthis,Idareyou,Idouble-dogdareyou!”(ExcusemyEastTexasparaphrasing.)Butclearly,Godissaying,“TestMe.”

That’swhyIwanttoextendafriendlychallengetoyou.Dothetest!Beginto honor the Lord diligently with your firstfruits—the tithe—and see whathappens.

ObedienceandtheCurse

In response to this teaching, Ihaveheardsomepeople say,“Thiscurses thingdoesn’tapplytome.Asabeliever,Ican’texperienceanycursesbecauseJesusborethecurseoftheLawformeonthecross.”Thisdoesbringupanimportantissue.Let’sexamineit.

The Bible does clearly state that Jesus bore our sins, sicknesses, sorrows,painsandshameonthecross.ItisdifficulttoreadIsaiah53withoutbecomingoverwhelmedwithaweandgratitudeforwhatJesusdidforusonthecross.

In Galatians 3, we also find a wonderful passage about the work ofredemptionthatJesusperformedforus:

Christhasredeemedusfromthecurseofthelaw,havingbecomeacurseforus(foritiswritten,“Cursediseveryonewhohangsonatree”),thattheblessingofAbrahammightcomeupontheGentiles inChristJesus,thatwemightreceivethepromiseoftheSpiritthroughfaith(vv.13-14).

Without a doubt, Jesus bore all of these things—and more than we canimagine—onthecross.Now,letmeaskyoutoconsidersomething.Aswejustnoted,Jesusboreyoursinonthecross.FirstPeter2:24says,“WhoHimselfboreoursinsinHisownbodyonthetree,thatwe,havingdiedtosins,mightliveforrighteousness—bywhose stripesyouwerehealed.”Buthaveyou sinnedsinceyoubecameabeliever?

I’m sure the answer to that is yes. So think about that.Even though Jesusboreyoursinsonthecross,youhave,nevertheless,sinnedsinceyoubelieved.

Inasimilarvein,wehavealsonotedthatJesusboreoursicknessesaswell.That is wonderfully, gloriously true. Yet, have you ever been sick since youbecameaChristian?IknowIhave.

Even though Matthew 8:17 says, “That it might be fulfilled which wasspokenbyIsaiahtheprophetsaying,‘HeHimselftookourinfirmitiesandboreoursicknesses,’”westillbattlethecurseofsicknessfromtimetotime.

Wemust all appropriate, by faith,what Jesusdid foruson the cross.Andwhenwedon’t,wecontinuetoexperiencesomeoftheeffectsofthecurse.

As believers, if we disobey theWord ofGod,we can still experience theeffectsofthecurse.Thatappliestoourfinancesjustassurelyasitdoestoourphysical bodies. Canwe, if we are inwillful violation ofGod’s principles of

firstfruits,seeourfinancescomeunderacurse?Yes,wecan.ThegoodnewsisthatwehavethewonderfulpromiseofMalachi3,inwhich

Godpromisesto“rebukethedevourer”(v.11)onourbehalfifonlywewilldaretotrustHimandobey.

LawandGrace

AsIhavenotedpreviouslyinthischapter,acommonexcuseforfailingtotitheis,“I’mundergrace,nottheLaw.”

The grace of God really is amazing. Yet, far too few Christians trulyunderstandwhatgraceisorhowitoperates.Foronething,therighteousnessofgracealwaysexceedstherighteousnessoftheLaw.ThisistheessenceofwhatJesussaidinMatthew5:

Donot think that I came todestroy theLawor theProphets. I didnotcometodestroybuttofulfill.Forassuredly,Isaytoyou,tillheavenandearthpassaway,onejotoronetittlewillbynomeanspassfromthelawtill all is fulfilled.Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of thesecommandments,andteachesmenso,shallbecalledleastinthekingdomofheaven;butwhoeverdoesandteachesthem,heshallbecalledgreatinthekingdomofheaven.ForIsaytoyou,thatunlessyourrighteousnessexceeds the righteousness of the scribes andPharisees, youwill by nomeansenterthekingdomofheaven(vv.17-20,emphasisadded).

In this passage,we see an important truth—the righteousness of gracealwaysexceeds therighteousnessof theLaw.Notice thateach timeJesuspoints toanOldCovenantlaw,HethensetsahigherstandardunderNewCovenantgrace.

For example, theLaw said not to commitmurder (seeExod. 20:13;Deut.5:17),butJesussaidnoteventobeangrywithyourbrother(seeMatt.5:22).Ahigherstandard!TheLawsaidnot tocommitadultery(seeExod.20:14;Deut.5:18),butJesussaidnoteventolookatawomanlustfully(seeMatt5:28).Onceagain,ahigherstandard.

In other words, the righteousness that grace demands (and Jesus is grace)goesfurtherthanthatwhichtheLawdemands.

That’swhyIsmilewhensomeonesaystome,“Idon’ttithebecauseI’mnotunder the Law. I’m under grace.” I respond by saying, “Oh, so you giveaccording to grace?” “Yes, that’s right.” Then I say, “Great! Thatmeans yougive much more than 10 percent, because the righteousness of grace alwaysexceedstherighteousnessoftheLaw.It’sahigherstandard.”

ThepointisthattherearecertainprinciplesthatpermeatetheWordofGod,andtithingisoneofthem.

Yes,whenwegiveaccordingtograce,wewillgivemorethanthetithe,butwestartwithtithing.Thefirst10percentshouldbegivenasafirstfruitsofferingbecauseitisabedrockprincipleintheWordofGod.

IsuspectmanybelieversthinkthattheonlyScriptureontithingistheonewereadearlier inMalachi.Letmeshowyou just a fewof theotherplaces in theWordwheretheprincipleofthetitheisestablished.

Abraham,MelchizedekandYou

InGenesis14,wefindapassageIhavealreadymentioned:

ThenMelchizedekkingofSalembroughtoutbreadandwine;hewasthepriest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed beAbramofGodMostHigh,possessorofheavenandearth;andblessedbeGodMostHigh,whohasdeliveredyourenemies intoyourhand.”Andhegavehimatitheofall(vv.18-20).

Afull430yearsbeforetithingwasapartoftheMosaiclaw,AbrahamtithedtoMelchizedek.According to the book ofGalatians,Abraham is our spiritualfatherandMelchizedekisatypeofJesusChrist(someprominentBibleteachersthinkhemightevenhavebeenJesusChristHimself!).Melchizedek’stitleswere“kingof righteousness”and“kingofpeace”—and,of course, Jesus is the trueKingofrighteousnessandpeace.

We also know that Melchizedek is a type of Christ because the Bibleexplicitlysaysso.InHebrews5,theinspiredwritersaysofJesus:

Andhavingbeenperfected,HebecametheauthorofeternalsalvationtoallwhoobeyHim,calledbyGodasHighPriest“accordingtotheorderofMelchizedek”(vv.9-10,emphasisadded).

Likewise,theentireseventhchapterofHebrewsisdevotedtoshowinghowJesusisthefulfillmentofallthetypesandshadowsembodiedinMelchizedek.ItgivesparticularattentiontothefactthatAbrahamtithedtoMelchizedek.

ForthisMelchizedek,kingofSalem,priestoftheMostHighGod,whometAbrahamreturningfromtheslaughterofthekingsandblessedhim,to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated“kingofrighteousness,”andthenalsokingofSalem,meaning“kingof

peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, havingneitherbeginningofdaysnorendoflife,butmadeliketheSonofGod,remainsapriestcontinually(vv.1-3,emphasisadded).

SoAbraham, our spiritual father, tithed toMelchizedek,whowas either JesusChrist Himself or a symbolic representation of Christ. Moreover, all thisoccurred430yearsbeforetheLaw.

ThereisoneotherimportantthingmentionedlaterinthispassagethatIwantyoutosee.

Heremortal men receive tithes, but there he [Jesus] receives them, ofwhomitiswitnessedthathelives(Heb.7:8).

According to this remarkable verse, Jesus receives tithes in heaven.Whenyouwriteyourtithecheck,youmaythinkyou’regivingittoyourlocalchurch,butinaveryreal,spiritualsense,truetithershavetheirofferingsreceivedbytheLordJesusHimself.

Whataprivilege!Whataholy thing!Andwhata lossfor thosewhonevertakethestepoffaithandtithe.

AHeartThing

Let’slookatanotherpassageinwhichtheprincipleofthetitheisevident.InGenesis28,wefindthepatriarchJacobhavinghisfamousencounterwith

God in a dream, with a rock as his pillow. His life and heart having beenchanged,herisesandsays:

AndthisstonewhichIhavesetasapillarshallbeGod’shouse,andofall thatYougiveme Iwill surely give a tenth toYou (v. 22, emphasisadded).

Jacob’s vow to tithe came straight fromhis grateful heart.That’swhat Iwantyoutosee.Truetithingcomesfromtheheart—notfromalegalisticmind.Ialsowantyoutonotethatthispromisecame400yearsbeforetheLaw.

Like his grandfather Abraham, Jacob wanted to give God the first of hisfirstfruits—the first 10 percent. Having experienced the sweetness of God’spresence and the goodness ofHis favor, Jacobwanted to blessHim. Itwas aheartthing.

That’swhytithingislifetome,notlaw.Andwhenitbecomeslifetoyou,itwillbeoneofthegreatestjoysofyourlife.

We see another insight into the power of tithing in Leviticus 27.We findGod giving instructions to the Israelites about how to prosper in the land ofpromise:

Andallthetitheoftheland,whetheroftheseedofthelandorofthefruitofthetree,istheLORD’s.ItisholytotheLORD(v.30).

Godconsiders the titheholy.Theword“holy”means“separated”and“setapart.”3Inotherwords,thefirst10percentistobeseparatedandsetapartfortheLord.Itisnotformetodeterminewhattodowithit.ItisGod’stithe.

InDeuteronomy26,Godsays:

Anditshallbe,whenyoucomeintothelandwhichtheLORDyourGodisgivingyouasan inheritance, andyoupossess it anddwell in it, thatyoushall takesomeof thefirstofall theproduceof theground,whichyoushallbringfromyourlandthattheLORDyourGodisgivingyou,andputitinabasketandgototheplacewheretheLORDyourGodchooses

tomakeHisnameabide(vv.1-2).

Alittlefurtherdowninthischapter,Godsays:

ThenyoushallsaybeforetheLORDyourGod:“Ihaveremovedtheholytithefrommyhouse,andalsohavegiventhemtotheLevite,thestranger,the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandmentswhich You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Yourcommandments, nor have I forgotten them. I have not eaten any of itwheninmourning,norhaveIremovedanyofitforanuncleanuse,norgiven any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORDmyGod,andhavedoneaccordingtoallthatYouhavecommandedme”(vv.13-14).

Noticethekeyphrase,“Ihaveremovedtheholytithefrommyhouse.”Whenyouunderstandthatthetitheisholy,youdon’twantitinyourhouse.

YouwanttogetittothehouseofGodwhereitbelongs.Youdon’tusepartofitforyourvacation.Youdon’tuseittopayforyourchildren’sschooltuition.Youknowthatholymeanssetapart.

TheseYouOughttoHaveDone

TheNewTestament isn’t silent about the principle of the tithe either. In fact,JesusmadeaveryplainstatementonthesubjectinMatthew23:

Woetoyou,scribesandPharisees,hypocrites!Foryoupaytitheofmintandaniseandcummin,andhaveneglected theweightiermattersof thelaw:justiceandmercyandfaith.Theseyououghttohavedone,withoutleavingtheothersundone(v.23).

Jesus is obviously scolding the Pharisees here. He points out that they aremeticulousabouttithing,butthattheyhave“neglectedtheweightiermattersofthelaw.”

ButIwantyoutonoticewhatHesaysattheendofthisstingingindictment.He declares, “These [meticulous tithing] you ought to have done, withoutleaving theothersundone.” Inotherwords,Hesays to them,“Yes, titheofallyour increase, but don’t neglect the vitally important heart issues of justice,mercyandfaith.”

Thinkaboutit.Whatwejustreadis,inmyopinion,oneofthemostamazingScripturesontithing.JesusHimselfaffirmedthetithe.Idon’tknowhowanyonewithasofthearttowardGodcouldgetaroundthis.

Ofcourse, tithing isn’tagrimduty. It isn’tadryreligiousexercise.And itisn’tapunishment.Itisanamazingopportunitythatbringstremendousbenefitstothetither.Weseethisinactionin2Chronicles.ThisisalongpassageaboutadecreeofKingHezekiah,butitisworththetimeittakestoread:

Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem tocontributesupportforthepriestsandtheLevites,thattheymightdevotethemselves to theLawof theLORD.Assoonas thecommandmentwascirculated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits ofgrain andwine, oil andhoney, andof all theproduceof the field;andtheybrought inabundantly the titheof everything.And the childrenofIsrael and Judah,whodwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the titheofoxenandsheep;alsothetitheofholythingswhichwereconsecratedtothe LORD their God they laid in heaps. In the thirdmonth they beganlayingtheminheaps,andtheyfinishedintheseventhmonth.AndwhenHezekiahandtheleaderscameandsawtheheaps,theyblessedtheLORDand His people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and theLevites concerning the heaps. And Azariah the chief priest, from thehouseofZadok,answeredhimandsaid,“SincethepeoplebegantobringtheofferingsintothehouseoftheLORD,wehavehadenoughtoeatandhaveplentyleft,fortheLORDhasblessedHispeople;andwhatisleftisthisgreatabundance”(31:4-10,emphasisadded).

Thegistofthispassageisthis:WhenGod’speoplebegantotithe,Godbegantoblessthemevenmore.Themoretheywereblessed,thelargertheirtithesgrew.This upward cycle of blessing and abundance resulted in heaps of goods andfoodinGod’shouse.

WhenHezekiahcameandsawtheheaps,hebasicallysaid,“Explainthistome;arethepeopledoingokay?Theyhavegivensomuch!”Andthepriestssaidsomething like, “You need to understand something, King. Since the peoplebegan to tithe, God has blessed them. What you see here is the tithe of theabundancewithwhichGodhasblessedthem.”

This passage illustrates the two parallel results of tithing. It blessesGod’speople,butitalsobringsprovisionintoGod’shouse.RememberwhatGodsaid

inMalachi:“Bringall the tithes into thestorehouse, that theremaybe food inMy house” (3:10, emphasis added).KingHezekiah commanded the people tobring in the tithe so that the priests might devote themselves to studying theWordofGod.

CanyouimaginewhattheBodyofChristcouldaccomplishifeverybelievertithed? What kind of impact the Church could have on our culture and onculturesaroundtheworldiftheheapswouldbegintoaccumulateinourhousesofworship?HowmuchmoreeffectiveyourpastorcouldbeifhehadasupportstaffthatliberatedhimtodevotehistimetotheWordandprayer?

CANYOUIMAGINEWHATTHEBODYOFCHRISTCOULDACCOMPLISHIFEVERYBELIEVERTITHED?

I am so blessed and grateful to pastor a congregation of peoplewho haveembracedGod’s life-giving truth about tithing.As the senior pastor, I seemymainresponsibilityasleadingandfeedingthecongregation.Asaresult,Ispendmostofmytimestudying,prayingandseekingtheLord.

WhyamIabletodoso?BecauseIhaveagiftedexecutiveseniorpastorwhotakescareofall thedetailsofchurchadministrationandmanagement.Becausewehavesomanytithers,wealsoareabletoprovidenumerousotherpastorsandministerswithspecializedareasofresponsibility.

In contrast, most pastors have to do everything themselves because theresourcestohiresupportstaffsimplyaren’tavailable.Theyhavetodoallofthehospital visitation, all the counseling and all the administration of the churchbusiness.

These pastors are still expected to bring fresh, relevant, powerful sermonseachSunday.TheyarestillexpectedtobeGod’smanofanointingandpower.

Oh,how Iwish everypastorhad the timeand the staff that I have so thatthey could spendmore timewith theLord. Thiswill happen asGod’s peoplecometounderstandthepoweroftithingandthebenefitstheywillreceivewhentheir pastors are able to study, pray and bring themmessages from the throneroomofGodeveryweek.

CaringforGod’sBride

Finally,ourperspectiveon tithingwill changewhenwebegin to see the local

churchasavisiblemanifestationofGod’sBride.Considerthisillustration:

Ihavetogoonanextendedjourney,andIchoosethreemenforaspecialresponsibility. I say to those three men, “I’m going to send you each$10,000everymonth.Youmaykeep$9,000ofthemoneyandspenditasyouplease.ButIwantyoutogive$1,000eachmonthtomywifeforthemeetingofherneeds.”

Aspromised,Isendeachofthesemen$10,000monthly.Afterafewmonths,Icallmywifeandaskher ifsheisreceivingthesupportIhadarranged.Herreplyis,“Well,thefirstoneissending$1,000eachmonth,justasyouinstructedhim.Thesecondoneisactuallysending$2,000amonth.Idon’tknowwhy,butheis.Butthethirdonesent$800thefirstmonth,$300thesecondmonthandnothingthethirdmonth.”

Now,asahusbandwholoveshiswifewithallhisheart,whatdoyouthinkI’mgoingtodo?Iamtheoneprovidingthemoneytothesemen.I’vetoldthemtheycankeep$9,000forthemselves.AllIwantedthemtodowasgiveamere10percentsothattherecouldbefoodinmyhouse!(seeMal.3:10).

Well, with the first man who was being faithful to follow myinstructions,Iamgoingtocontinuesendinghimthat$10,000.Butforthethirdman—theonewhowasn’tsatisfiedwiththe90percentIgraciouslygavehim—Iamgoingtoquitsendinghim$10,000amonthandsendittothemostgenerousmaninstead.Why?BecauseIcantrustthesecondman.HehasdemonstratedthathecaresaboutwhatIcareabout.Heisagoodsteward.

What the thirdman was doing was the same as stealing fromme.(Remembertheverse,“WillamanrobGod?YetyouhaverobbedMe!Butyousay,‘InwhatwayhavewerobbedYou?’Intithesandofferings”[Mal.3:8].)

Nowletmebringthisillustrationhome.Jesushasgoneawayforaseasonoftime. He has said to each of us, “I want you to take care of My Bride (theChurch)whileIamawaybygiving10percenttoMyhouse.Youcanspendtheremaining90percentasyoudesire.”

Thosewhoobeywillbeblessed.Thosewhogoaboveandbeyondwillbeblessedevenmore.But from thosewho refuse todoeven theminimum,He’s

goingtotakewhattheyhaveandgiveittosomeonewhowillbeagoodstewardwithit.

Matthew25:29says,“Fortoeveryonewhohas,morewillbegiven,andhewillhaveabundance;butfromhimwhodoesnothave,evenwhathehaswillbetakenaway.”Therewardsofgoodstewardshiparegreat.

God doesn’t change. Tithing remains an extraordinary opportunity forblessingandabundanceforthosewiththefaithtotrustHim.

It is also the foundation upon which all the other principles I’m about tosharewithyouarebuilt.Theblessedlifeawaitsyou.However,itbeginswithaheartcommitmenttohonor,obeyandblesstheLordwithyourtithe.

CHAPTER4

ThePrincipleofMultiplication

Haveyoueverwishedyoucouldmultiplyyourmoney?Well,Ihavewonderfulnewsforyou:Godisabletodoit.

Ofcourse,thatshouldn’tcomeasasurprisetous.Hemultipliedoilandmealfor a poor widow and her son. He multiplied the strength of outnumberedIsraelite soldiers in battle after battle.AndHemultiplied fish and loaves on acoupleofGalileanhillsides.Clearly,GodisaMasterofmultiplication.

InLuke9wefindtheaccountofoneofthosemiraculousmultiplications—thefeedingofthe5,000:

When the day began towear away, the twelve came and said toHim,“Sendthemultitudeaway,that theymaygointothesurroundingtownsandcountry,andlodgeandgetprovisions;forweareinadesertedplacehere.”ButHesaidtothem,“Yougivethemsomethingtoeat.”Andtheysaid,“Wehavenomorethanfiveloavesandtwofish,unlesswegoandbuyfoodforallthesepeople.”Fortherewereaboutfivethousandmen.ThenHesaidtoHisdisciples,“Makethemsitdowningroupsoffifty.”And they did so, andmade them all sit down. Then He took the fiveloavesandthetwofish,andlookinguptoheaven,Heblessedandbrokethem,andgavethemtothedisciplestosetbeforethemultitude.Sotheyallateandwerefilled,andtwelvebasketsoftheleftoverfragmentsweretakenupbythem(vv.12-17).

You are probably very familiar with this story, but let’s modernize andpersonalizeitabit.Youmayseesomethingsyouhavenevernoticedbefore.

Putyourselfintheplaceofthedisciples.SeeyourselfasoneoftheTwelve—you’re basically a member of the official Messiah search committee. Thatmeans you’re trying to determine whether or not Jesus is the true Messiah.You’ve left your fishing boats and begun travelingwithHimon a nationwidespeakingtour.

Oneday,anenormouscrowdgathers.Youareveryexcitedbecause this isthe most people ever to attend one of these traveling seminars. Counting theheadsofhouseholds,youcomeupwithafigureofabout5,000menpluswomenandchildren.Thatmeans thereareprobably15,000 to20,000peoplegathered

onthehillsideslisteningtoJesus.(Youareamazedathowfaravoicecancarryfromthetopsofthesehills.)

Hepreachesallmorning,andyouexpectHimtowrapuparoundnoon(thetimeeveryoneisusedtogettingoutofchurchsothattheycangettothecafeteriaahead of the Essenes and the Sadducees). But He doesn’t. He keeps right onteaching.

Youthink,Well,He’spreachingwellandeveryoneseemstobeenjoyingit.We’llletHimgoalittlebitlongertoday.Then12:30P.M.comesandgoes,andHe isstillpreaching.Oneo’clock, twoo’clock, threeo’clockandfouro’clockallcomeandgo,andstilltheprophetcontinuesexpoundingontheScriptures!

Byfiveo’clock,youarebeginningtohearfromyourassociates.“Thepeoplearehungry,andalltherestaurantsaregoingtoclosesoon!”Thefactis,you’renot surewhether it’s really thepeoplewhoarehungryor justyour associates.But,beingprettyfamishedyourself,yougotoJesus.

“Lord,pleaseexcusetheinterruption,butuh…someoftheotherdisciplesand Iwere starting to,uh…Youknow…get concernedabout thepeople….Youknowhowpeopleare.Imean,uh…theyhaven’teatenallday,andnowtherestaurantsaregoingtoclose.So,wewerethinkingthatYoumightwantto…Youknow,uh…dismisstheservice.”

And so the Lord turns to you and matter-of-factly says, “You give themsomethingtoeat”andthenreturnstoHisteaching.

You let the implications ofHiswords sink in.There are 15,000 to 20,000hungry people scattered across those hillsides, and the Lord tells you to givethemsomethingtoeat.

So,yougoback to thecommittee.“Didyou tellHim that thepeoplewerehungry?” they ask.You nod. “Did you tellHim thatHe needs to dismiss theservice?”Younodagain.

“Well,isHegoingtodismisstheservice?”“Notexactly,”youtellthemsheepishly.“Not exactly?What does that mean? Didn’t you tell Him that the people

needtoeat?!”“Yes.”“AndwhatdidHesay?”“Hesaidweshouldgivethemsomethingtoeat.”“Comeagain?Foraminute there, I thoughtyousaidweweresupposed to

givethemsomethingtoeat.”“That’swhattheMastersaid.”

So, you all fan out to see how much food you can scrounge up. Thirtyminuteslater,youmeetbackupandtakeinventory.

“Let’s see,” you announce to the committee, “altogether, we have… twofish sticks, five hushpuppies, a Long John Silver’s kid’s meal sack and aSpongeBobSquarePantsactionfigure.Perfect!”

You, of course, draw the short straw, soyouhave to report back to Jesus.“Excuseme,Lord.SorrytointerruptYouagain,”andyougoontogiveHimtheexcitingnews about your food collection efforts.Now, surely,Hewill dismissthe service, you say toyourself. (Lookingnervously at yourwatch, you try tocalculatehowfastyou’llhavetowalkinordertomakeittotheBethsaidaPizzaHutbeforeitcloses.)

ThenJesuslooksatyou,smilesandsays,“That’sgreat!Havethepeoplesitdowningroupsof50.”Stunned,youheadbacktothecommittee.

“IsHegoing todismiss the service?” theyaskwhen they seeyoucoming.They’resoundingalittleirritable.Lowbloodsugar,youthink.

“No.”“No?!”“Hewantsustohavethepeoplesit ingroupsof50.”“Didn’tyoutellHim

thatallwehavetofeed20,000peopleisaLongJohnSilver’skid’smeal?”“Yep.Groupsof50.”What follows would be funny if you weren’t so hungry and exasperated.

Have you ever watched 12 guys try to organize 20,000 men, women andchildren into groups of 50? Herding cats across Texas would be a breeze bycomparison.

Ultimately, you and the committee have everyone grouped as instructed(that’sthefirstmiracleoftheafternoon).

AsyoureturntoJesus,youcan’thelpbuttrytofigureouthowHe’sgoingtoprovideforthisgroup.(That’sthetendencyforallofus.WewanttofigureoutinadvancehowGodisgoingtoprovideforourneeds.We’reusuallywrong.)

Atthatpoint,Jesustakesthefishandhushpuppies,looksuptowardheavenandblessesthem.

TwoKeystoMultiplication

Ihavetakensomecreativelibertieswiththisstoryinhopesofencouragingyoutoputyourselfintheshoesofthedisciplesthatday.Iwantyoutosee,inyourmind’seye,whathappenedoutthereonthathillside.

AfterHeblessedthefood,Jesusbeganbreakingitinhalfandhandingittothe disciples. Can you imagine what someone like Peter was thinking as helookeddownatthathalfpieceofbread?HehadhandedJesusawholepieceandonlygotbackhalf!

IjustwonderifPeter,lookingdownatthatlittlefragment,mighthavesaidtotheLord,“Uh,areYousureYou’rethroughpraying?Wouldn’tYouliketopraya littlemore?”TheLordmighthavesaid,“No,I’veblessed it.Nowgogive itaway.”

PeterwalkedawaywiththathalfpieceofbreadinHishandand,obediently,brokeitinhalfthesamewayhehadseenJesusdo.Handingoutchunksofbread,hebrokeitinhalfagainandagainandagain.Thisiswhatwe’vemissedinthisremarkablestory.Themiracledidn’thappenintheMaster’shands—ithappenedin the disciples’ hands. You know the outcome. With each of the disciplesduplicatingthispattern,theresultwas12bigbasketsofleftovers.

Embodied in this real-life account, there are two very important principlesforus.TheyarethetwokeystomultiplicationinthekingdomofGod.

Thefirstprincipleisthis:Somethingmustbeblessedbeforeitcanmultiply.WhatmanyChristiansfailtounderstandisthatbeforeyourmoneycanmultiply,ithastobeblessed.Inotherwords,ithastobegiventotheLordfirst.

SOMETHINGMUSTBEBLESSEDBEFOREITCANMULTIPLY.INOTHERWORDS,ITHASTOBEGIVEN

TOTHELORDFIRST.

Aswehaveseeninpreviouschapters,whenwegivethefirstofourincrease,thetithe,totheLord,therestofit isblessed.RememberthewordsofRomans11:

Forifthefirstfruitisholy,thelumpisalsoholy;andiftherootisholy,soarethebranches(v.16).

IknowmanysweetChristianswhohaveneverseentheirfinancesmultiply.Andoftenthereasonisthatthemoneyhasn’tbeenblessed.WhenyougiveittotheLordfirstandtheLordputsHisblessingonit, then,andonlythen,doesithavetheabilitytomultiply.

Jesus,theOnewhoreceivesourtithes,istheonlyOnewhohasthepowertoblessitsothatitcanmultiply.That’sthefirstprincipleofmultiplication.

There isasecondprincipleofmultiplication:Onlywhat isgivenawaycanmultiply.

In theexamplewewere justexploring, thediscipleshad thebreadand thefish.Ithadbeenblessed,andsoithadthepotentialtomultiply.Butiftheyhadjust eaten it themselves, it would have remained five loaves and two fish. Itwould never havemultiplied. Theywould have had a couple of bites of foodeach instead of full stomachs and 12 baskets of leftovers.They had to give itawaysothatitcouldmultiply.

This is another thing I haveobserved in thosewhohave said tome, “I’veneverseenmyfinancesmultiply.”Sometimesthosewhoaretithinggivelittleornothingoverandabovethetithe.Theydon’trealizethatonlythatwhichisgivenawaycanmultiply.“Butisn’ttithingaformofgiving?”youmaybeasking.

I believe there is a difference between tithing and giving. I believe thattithing is simply returning to God that which He has said is His. Giving ourfirstfruits,ourfirst10percenttotheLordviaalocalchurch,iswhatcausesthatwhichisourstobeblessed.

Youcan’tgivethatwhichdoesn’treallybelongtoyou.ThefirstfruitsaretheLord’s.Therestisyourstokeeporgiveasyouchoose.It isfromthisaccountthatyougivewhattheBibleoftenreferstoasofferings.

Tithing isn’t really giving—it’s returning. It is bringing back to the LordwhatisalreadyHis.Thus,thesecondprincipleofmultiplicationisthatfinancesoverandabovethetithemustbesharediftheyaretomultiply.

ThePowerofOfferings

InMatthew25,Jesustellsastoryofthreestewards.Onestewardwasentrustedwith five talents.When accounting time came around, he returned those fivetalents to theLord, plus fivemore.And theLord said, “Well done, good andfaithfulservant”(v.21).

There was another steward who was entrusted with two talents, and,likewise,hereturnedtotheLordmorethanHehadgivenhim.

But then there is the third steward—the one who was entrusted with onetalent. He said to the Lord, “There you havewhat is yours” (v. 25). He onlyreturned to theLordwhatwasalreadyHis.And theLordcalledhimawickedandlazyservant.

TITHINGISN’TREALLYGIVING—IT’SRETURNING.

Now, please don’tmisunderstandme. I’mnot suggesting that anyonewhoonlytithesiswickedandlazy.Iamsaying,however,thatthereisaprincipleoffaithfulstewardshipthatteachesthatweshouldgivemoretoGodthanjustthetithebecausetithingissimplyreturningtoHimwhatisalreadyHis.

Ifyou’renotcurrently tithing, that iscertainly theplace tostart.Tithing iswhereweremovethecurse.Tithingiswhatbringstheblessingonthebalanceofour finances.Tithing iswhat causesGod to rebuke thedevourer andopen thewindowsofheaven.Itisthefoundationonwhichourgivingisbuilt.

ButifyoulookcloselyatMalachi3,Godmentionsmorethanthetithethere.Hementions“tithesandofferings”(v.8).

Inotherwords,it’stithesandofferingsthatremovethecurse.It’stithesandofferings that bring the blessings. It’s tithes and offerings that rebuke thedevourer.

I’mconvincedthatGodwantstoblessandmultiplyourfinances—justasHeblessedandmultipliedthetwofishandthefiveloaves.

ThetruthisthatGodcancauseourfinancestogofurtherthanwecouldevercause themtogo throughourownclevernessordiligence. Iknowthis is true,becauseI’veseenitoperateinmyownlifeoverandover.

Godwants your finances to be blessed, andHewants your finances to bemultiplied.Butitisvitaltounderstandthatyouwillneverseethemultiplication

ofyourfinancesuntilyouunderstandthesetwoprinciples:

1.WegivetotheLordfirstsothatourfinancesareblessed.2.Wegiveoverandaboveourtithesbecauseonlythatwhichissharedcan

bemultiplied.

These are the principles ofmultiplication. And they are as powerful today astheywereonthatGalileanhillside.

CHAPTER5

BreakingtheSpiritofMammon

Inlesspoliticallycorrecttimes,beforeallthingsremotelyChristianwerepurgedfrom public schools, many high school students were required to read JohnMilton’sepicpoemParadiseLost.

If you were one of them, you know this poem painted a pretty detailedportrait of hell. In it, Milton showed Satan as a fallen commander in chiefsurrounded by his demon generals.Among them areMoloch,Dagon,Astarte,OsirisandBelial.

Eachofthese,ofcourse,wasthegodofanidol-worshipingcultureinancienttimesandismentionedintheBible.ButMilton’spoemdepictsanotherdemonstandingatSatan’sside.Thatdemon’snameisMammon.

Youmayrecognize“mammon”asaNewTestamentword.Jesusmentionsitinacoupleofplaces.ForexampleinMatthew6,Jesusdeclares:

Noonecanservetwomasters;foreitherhewillhatetheoneandlovetheother, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. YoucannotserveGodandmammon(v.24).

After reading thisverse,youcanseewhyMiltonwould lumpademonnamedMammoninwithallthoseOldTestamentidols.Jesusclearlysuggeststhatitispossible to servemammon instead of servingGod, but He goes even farther:Jesusstatesitisimpossibletoservebothatthesametime.

Hesays thatyouwill love theoneandhate theother.Youwillbe loyal toone anddespise the other.According to Jesus, there is nomiddle ground—nohalf-and-half.Mammon,apparently,isajealousgod.

Jesuscertainlymakesastrikingcontrastbetween theSpiritofGodand thespiritofmammon.Butjustwhatismammon?

“Mammon” is an Aramaic word that essentially means “riches.”1 And,apparently, the Assyrians got the concept of a god of wealth from theirneighbors,theBabylonians.

Babylonwasacityfoundedonprideandarrogance(remembertheaccountof the towerofBabel inGenesis11).At itsheart isanattitude thatsays:Mandoesn’tneedGod.We’reself-sufficient.Thisiswhatthespiritofmammontriestotellus:Youdon’tneedGod.Trustinriches!

Inthebiblicalsenseoftheword,mammonisthespiritthatrestsonmoney.Didyouknowthatallmoneyhasaspiritonit?IteitherhastheSpiritofGodonitorthespiritofmammon.

MoneythatissubmittedtoGodandHispurposeshastheSpiritofGodonit—which is why it multiplies and cannot be consumed by the devourer. I’mconvincedthatmoneythathasbeensubmittedtoGod—wealththatisdevotedtoservingHimratherthantryingtoreplaceHim—isblessedbyGod.Inaveryrealsense,God’sSpiritblessesit.

On the other hand, money that is not submitted to God has the spirit ofmammon on it by default. That’s why people so often try to use money tocontrol or manipulate others. It’s why people think money can bring themhappinessorfulfillment.

Mammonisbasicallythespiritoftheworld—andthatspiritisaliar.

TheRuleofMammon

Ihavenoticedthatthepeoplemostundertheinfluenceofthespiritofmammontendtohavethemostfearabouttheirmoney.

That’swhyJesussaid,“YoucannotserveGodandmammon”(Matt.6:24).Mammon wants to rule. The spirit of mammon is looking for servants. It isseekingworshipers.Itwillpromiseyoueverythingbutdelivernothing.

As Jesus clearly suggests, mammon tries to take the very place of God.Pastor Jimmy Evans, senior pastor of Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo,Texas, said, “Mammon promises us those things that only God can give—security, significance, identity, independence, power and freedom. Mammontellsusthatitcaninsulateusfromlife’sproblemsandthatmoneyistheanswertoeverysituation.”2

Whenyouthinkabout it,mammonisnothingmore thanthesystemof thisfallenworldthatstandsinsharpoppositiontoGodandHisways.Forexample,mammonsaystobuyandsell;Godsaystosowandreap.Mammonsaystocheatandsteal;Godsaystogiveandreceive.Butmorethananything,mammonwantstorule.

It’snocoincidencethatinthebookofRevelation,theAntichristattemptstodominatepeoplethroughtheuseofeconomics—preventingpeoplefrombuyingorsellingunlesstheysubmittohim(see13:17).Inthisway,thebriefruleoftheAntichristwillbethroughthespiritofmammon.

It’snowonder Jesus saidyoucannot servebothGodandmammon.Why?BecausethespiritofmammonstandsindirectoppositiontotheSpiritofGod.

Now,don’tgetthewrongidea—moneyandmammonarenotsynonymous.Moneyisnotinherentlyevil.OneofthemostfrequentlymisquotedversesinalloftheBibleisin1Timothy6:

Fortheloveofmoneyisarootofallkindsofevil(v.10).

Notice, theBibledoesn’t say thatmoney is the rootof all kindsof evil. Itsaysthattheloveof[ortheworshipof]moneyisarootofallkindsofevil.Itisthe idolatrous loveof thespiritofmammonthat isevil. Inotherwords,greed,covetousnessandselfishnessareallmanifestationsofthespiritofmammon.

The reason we cannot serve both God and mammon is that the spirit ofmammonistheoppositeoftheSpiritofGod.Mammonsaystotake;Godsaysto

give.Mammonisselfish;Godisgenerous.Andsoon.Mammonisaspiritand,assuch,talkstousallthetime.Mammonsays,“If

youhavetherightcreditcards,therightclothesandtherightcar,andyouliveintherightneighborhoodandknowtherightpeople,you’llbehappyandfulfilled.”

Mammontellsyouthatifyouhadmoremoney,peoplewouldlistentoyou,yourrelationshipproblemswouldgoaway,andlifewouldbesweet—youcoulddowhatyouwant,gowhereyouwantandlivethewayyouwant.

Sadly, people in theworld aren’t the only ones susceptible to this kind ofdeception.Mammonsometimesengages increative lyingtoensnareChristiansaswell.The spirit ofmammoncanget religiouswhen it has to.For example,sometimesmammonsays,“Ifyou justhadmoremoney,youcould reallystarthelpingpeople.” (Keep inmind,Jesusnever toldanyone theanswerwasmoremoney.Moneyisnottheanswertoproblems—Godis.)

MONEYISNOTTHEANSWERTOPROBLEMS—GODIS.

Many times,whenwe’re under pressure, the thoughtwill come to us (andit’sactuallymammonspeakingtous)thatweneedoneoftwothingstohappen:We either need God to miraculously change our circumstances or we needsomeone todropa truckloadofmoneyonus.Thisdaydreamusually involveswinningthelottery,acontestorsweepstakesor thedeathofawealthyrelativewedidn’tknowabout.

Noticehow the spiritofmammon tries toposition itself as a substitute forGod. “You either need God to work a miracle right now or you need moremoney.”That’ssimplyalie.WeneedGod,period.

ThisispreciselywhyIamverycautiousofmultilevelbusinessopportunities.I have been invited many times to meetings where these opportunities areshared. I am usually invited because someone has observed my God-givenabilitytocommunicate,andheorshewantstoharnessthatgiftforbuildingthebusiness.Ofcourse,I’mnotgoingtodothat.GodhasgivenmethisgifttogetlostpeoplesavedandtoteachHispeopleHisWord.

On the occasions I have attended thesemeetings, I have seen the spirit ofmammonworking in very subtlewayswhereChristians are concerned.Often,thepitchisthis:Ifyouwererich,justthinkofallthepeopleyoucouldhelp;or,yourchurchorfavoriteministrywillhaveeverythingitneedsafteryoubecome

amillionaire!Myfriend,Godcanhelppeoplewithoutmoney.Whenwestartthinkingthat

most of our problems can be solved by havingmoremoney, it’s a signwe’reundertheinfluenceofthespiritofmammon.

Don’tmisunderstand.Jesusisnottellingustohatemoney.Heissayingthatifwe loveGod,wewill hatemammon—the greedy, selfish, lying, deceiving,Antichrist-likespiritthatoperatesthroughmoneyworship.

AsJesusproclaimed,eitherwewillloveoneandhatetheotherorwewillbeloyaltooneanddespisetheother(seeMatt.6:24).Wearetodespisethespiritofmammonthatliestopeople,promiseseverythingbutdeliversnothinganddarestotrytotaketheplaceofGod.

BothGodandmammonarealwaystalkingtous.Everytimewe’reprayingaboutgivingsacrificiallytoourlocalchurchortoaministry,mammonistherewhisperingtous(oroccasionallyshouting).

TrueRiches

There is a longer passage in the New Testament in which Jesus talks aboutchoosingbetweenGodandmammon.HereisthepassagefromLuke16:

AndIsaytoyou,makefriendsforyourselvesbyunrighteousmammon,thatwhenyou fail, theymay receiveyou into aneverlastinghome.Hewho is faithful inwhat is least is faithful also inmuch; andhewho isunjustinwhatisleastisunjustalsoinmuch.Thereforeifyouhavenotbeenfaithfulintheunrighteousmammon,whowillcommittoyourtrustthe true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is anotherman’s,whowillgiveyouwhat isyourown?Noservantcanserve twomasters;foreitherhewillhatetheoneandlovetheother,orelsehewillbe loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God andmammon(vv.9-13).

Here Jesus calls mammon unrighteous, but note that He wasn’t callingmoneyunrighteous.Mammonandmoneyaren’tsynonymous.Jesuswascallingthespiritthatcanrestonmoneyunrighteous.

Money can be used for either unrighteous or righteous purposes. It can beusedfortemporaloreternalpurposes.MoneythathasbeensubmittedtoGod(asopposedtobeingusedinanattempttoreplaceHim)isblessed.Andthat’swhyblessedmoneymultipliesandisnotconsumedbythedevourer.It’smoneythatcanbeusedforgoodandtoblessothers.

Whatelsedoesthispassagetellus?Itsaysthatwearetouseourmoneyforthatwhichiseternal.Andwhatinourlivesiseternal?People!Theonlylastingthingsyouwillencountertodayarepeople.Thehumansouliseternal.

If I use my money to bring people to Christ, they will welcome me intoheaven when I die. Use your money to affect people—to help them hear thegospel—andtheywillformpartofyourwelcomingcommitteewhenyougettoheaven.

Notice, Jesus doesn’t say thatmoney will welcome you. He says that thefriendsyoumakewillreceiveyouintoaneverlastinghome.IknowonedayIamgoing to be greeted by peoplewho are in heaven because I gave to churches,ministriesandmissionariesthatarebringingpeopletoChrist.

JustasHeturnedwaterintowine,Godcanturnmoneyintosouls.Heisthe

onlyOnewhocantransformunrighteousmammonintotrueriches.Inasimilarvein,inMatthew6,Jesussays:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rustdestroyandwhere thievesbreak inand steal;but layup foryourselvestreasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and wherethievesdonotbreakinandsteal.Forwhereyourtreasureis,thereyourheartwillbealso(vv.19-21).

Whenwe usemoney for righteous purposes, we are laying up treasure inheaven.That’swhy Iwant tobeawise stewardofmoney. Iwant touse it toinvestinchurchesandministriesthatareinvestinginpeople.Iwantmymoneyto be used in helping people, loving people, feeding people and caring forpeople.

Thisisoneofthereasons,asafamilyandasachurch,wegiveconsistentlytoJamesRobison’sministry,LifeOutreachInternational.Itisaministrythatisaffectingpeopleinpowerfulandpositiveways—bothphysicallyandspiritually.At this writing, the ministry feeds and clothes more than 300,000 hungrychildreneachmontharoundtheworld.TheyalsoshareChristwiththem,andofcourse, the people listen because they have seen a tangible demonstration ofGod’sloveintheformoflife-savingaid.

Iknowthatoneday inheavensomepeople fromAfricaaregoing togreetme and say, “I’m in the Kingdom because you supported Life OutreachInternational. Thank you for letting God turn unrighteous mammon intoheavenlytreasure.”

ThisiswhyIkeepemphasizingthatmoneyisnotinherentlyevil.Godusesmoneytofeedandclothepeople.Heusesittofacilitateandspreadthegospeltotheunreachedpartsoftheearth.

This explains why the enemy of our souls works so hard to corrupt anddistortourthoughtsaboutmoney.ThedevilknowsthatGodcantaketemporalmoneyandturnitintoeternalsouls.Heknowsthatthemoremoneywegivetothechurch,themoresoulsaregoingtobesaved,themorethekingdomofGodisgoingtobeadvancedandthekingdomofdarknessisgoingtofail.

Hellisbeingplunderedbyourofferings,andSatanknowsit!ThedevilhatesSpirit-ledgivingbecause it simultaneouslydiminisheshis kingdomandmakesusmorelikeourheavenlyFather.

That’swhy I stated in theopeningwordsof the introduction that thedevil

doesn’twantyoutoreadthisbook.Hedoesn’twantyoutogetfreefinancially;therefore,hedoesn’twantyoutotitheandgiveofferingssothatyourmoneycanbeblessedandmultiplied.

Atthispoint,youmightbethinking,Well,tobehonest,Idon’thaveenoughofthis“unrighteousmammon”tomakeanyofthisrelevanttome.Idon’tneedtoknowaboutstewardshipandgivingbecauseIdon’thaveanymoney!

Tothat,Iwouldlovinglybutfranklysay,“Andyouneverwillifyoudon’tembrace this principle.” In verse 10 of the passagewe previously read, Jesussays:

Hewhoisfaithfulinwhatisleastisfaithfulalsoinmuch;andhewhoisunjustinwhatisleastisunjustalsoinmuch(Luke16).

The Bible says that we must be faithful with a little before we will beentrustedwithmuch. If you have just a little bit ofmoney, you are a perfectcandidate for blessingbecause if youwill be faithfulwith that little,Godwillgiveyoumore.

Godis lookingforpeopleHecanentrustwithmuch.Healsoknows thatapersonwho is unjustwith a littlewill be unjustwithmore aswell.Christianswhowillcheatwitha littlewon’tsuddenlybecomefaithful if theyaregivenalot.ThatiswhyJesussays:

Thereforeifyouhavenotbeenfaithfulintheunrighteousmammon,whowill commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not beenfaithfulinwhatisanotherman’s,whowillgiveyouwhatisyourown?(Luke16:11-12).

WhatI’mtryingtohelpusseeisthatitisnothowmuchwehavethatmatters—itiswhoseitis.IfwebelongtoGod,thenit’sHismoney,notours.

ThatiswhyJesustellsmeIneedtobefaithfulwithwhatissomeoneelse’s.It’snotmine;it’sHis.Andeachnewdaybringsatestofmystewardship.

ACompleteTransformation

ImusttellyouthatIgrewupaveryselfish,proudandmaterialisticindividual.Myparentswerecertainlynotthatway.Theyare,andalwayshavebeen,greatgivers.To thisday, theyhelppeoplebuyhouses that theycouldnotaffordontheirown.

Mymotherandfatherarebothvery,verygenerouspeople.Butforwhateverreason,IwasquitematerialisticasIwasgrowingup.

Butwhen,at theageof19, Igot saved, the first thing Iwanted todowasgive. Iwanted to give to everyone I could. Iwanted to bless others and helpthemknowwhatIhadfound.

WhenGodfinallygotholdofmeandchangedmyheart,mywifeandIhadacombinedgrossincomeofabout$600permonth.Inthoseearlydays,wehadabudgetthatwouldallowustogoouttoeatonetimepermonth.

I distinctly remember the first time we ever went out to eat after I hadaccepted Christ. I found myself wanting somehow to share Jesus with thewaitresswhowasservingus.Thenanideacametome.IfIdidn’torderameal,Icould take that money and leave it as an extragenerous tip along with anevangelistictract.MaybethetipwouldencouragehertoreadthetractandcometoknowtheLord.Sothat’swhatwedid.Beforeweleft,wesaidafewwordstoherabouthowmuchGodcaredabouther.

ITISNOTHOWMUCHWEHAVETHATMATTERS—ITISWHOSEITIS.

About a month later, we were back in that restaurant for our monthly“splurge.” Through the month, I had prayed that God would bless us withenoughextramoney tobeable to leaveanevenbigger tip alongwith anothertract.

JustasIhadasked,ourfaithfulGodhadallowedustoaccumulateanextra$50 that we could leave along with a booklet about salvation. That night werequestedthatsamewaitressandlefthera$50tipona$10meal.

We returned to the restaurant one month later, very eager to see if thatwaitresswasstillworkingthere.Shewas,indeed.

Whenshesawus,shesaid,“Ireadthat littlebookletyouleft last timeyou

were here.” We tried not to show how excited we were to hear that. Shecontinued, “And I prayed that prayer to receive Christ at the end of it.” Ofcourse,wewerethrilledtohearthat.Butshewasn’tfinished.“ThenIcalledmyhusband on the phone and read thewhole booklet to him, and he prayed thatprayer,too.”

Atthatpoint,Isaid,“That’swonderful!Butwhatdoyoumean,youcalledyourhusband?Doeshetravelforaliving?”

Looking embarrassed, she said, “No,myhusband is in prison.Hewill getoutintwoorthreeyears.Webothwanttothankyouforleavingmethatbookletandbeingsogenerous.Moneyhasbeenprettyscarcesincehewenttoprison.”

Overthenextfewyears,mywifeandIdiscipledthissweetwaitressandsawgreatspiritualgrowth.Wealsobegantomentorherhusbandinprison.Whenhewas released, he joined the church with his wife, and they were baptizedtogether.IhadtheprivilegeofknowingthatthelivesandeternaldestiniesofthiscouplehadbeenchangedbecauseIgave.

AndIgavebecauseChristhadchangedmylife.

ExperiencingtheBlessing

I mentioned earlier that when Debbie and I got married, our combined grossincomewas$600permonth.Thatisanannualincomeof$7,200.

AfterafewmonthsoftithingandgivingextravagantlytotheLord,Debbiegot a different job that paid $18,000 per year.About that same time, I beganpreaching and doing revivals. That first year, my income from offerings was$32,000.Thus,together,ourannualincomewentfrom$7,200to$50,000.

Inoursecondyearofmarriage,aswecontinuedtotitheandgivewheneverandwherever theHoly Spirit directed,Debbie quit her job in order to stay athomewhilemy income increased to$72,000.Our incomehadnowrisen from$7,200to$72,000—atenfoldincrease.

Within three years, our income had risen to more than $100,000, and byGod’sgrace,weweregiving70percentofitaway(andhavingthetimeofourlivesdoingit!).

ThereissomethingsignificanttoGodabouttenfoldandhundredfoldreturns.I’veseenitthroughoutmywholelife.(RememberthestoryIrelatedinchapter1about themanat thepizzaplacewhogaveme10 times theamount Ihad justgivenawaytothemissionary?)

IrememberoneoccasioninwhichIwasataministryconferenceinthelargeDallasConventionCenterarena.Weweresittingwayupinoneofthebalconysectionstowardthebackofacrowdnumberingaround10,000.Wedidn’thaveverymuchmoneyatthatpoint,butatofferingtime,IfeltstronglythattheLordwantedmetogive$100.Itwasgoingtobeastepoffaithtogivethatamount.

Theministerwhowas receiving theofferingsaid,“Iwantyou toprayandaskGodtoblesstheofferingyou’regiving.”Whenhesaidthat,Ifeltimpressedtoholdtheofferingupovermyheadasweprayed.JustasIdid,athoughtcametome,soIjustprayedit.Isaid,“Lord,IaskYouforahundredfoldreturnofthisofferingsothatIcangiveevenmoretothekingdomofGod.”

Ididn’tknowitatthetime,buttherewasamansittingonthearenafloorupnear theplatform.At themoment I liftedmyoffering to theLordwithaheartfullofgratitude,Godspoketohimandtoldhimtoturnaroundandlook.Asheturnedaround,henoticed,waybackintheupperreachesofthatarena,thetinyfigureofamanwithhishandsraisedtotheLord.TheSpiritofGodspoketohimandsaid,“Iwantyoutogogivethatman$10,000.”

Later, the man foundme and gaveme a check for $10,000—exactly 100

timestheamountIhadjustgiven.PleaseunderstandwhatI’msaying.Themoneyisnotthepoint.It’sthejoy

thatwereceivefromgiving.It’sthepowerthatcomesfromobedience.I’mnotpresentinggivingasaget-rich-quickscheme.Onthecontrary,I’mpresentingitasalay-down-your-lifechallenge.

Butaswegive,Godblesses.AndthegreatestblessingofallisbeingabletoseeGod’skingdomenlarge,toseeministriesadvance,toseechurchesgrowandtoseebrokenpeoplebecomewhole—allbecauseofourobedienceingiving.

That’swhatI’mexcitedabout.It’swhatIwantyoutounderstand.Iwaslostandwithouthope.Ididn’tknowChrist.JesusgaveHisall tosaveanarrogant,pridefulnobody.SoIcandonolessthangivemyallforHim.

Godspeakstousaboutourmoney,andsodoesthespiritofmammon.Whoisyourmaster?Towhomareyoulistening?

MammonHasFriends

Overtheyears,Ihaveobservedacoupleofotherspiritsthattendtoruninthesamecircles,especiallywhen itcomes towealthandgiving.Justasaspiritofmammonwillkeepyoufromlivingtheblessedlife,sowillaspiritofpovertyoraspiritofpride.

AspiritofpovertywillcauseyoutobeashamedoftheblessingsofGod.Ifyouareafaithful,generoussteward,youwillbeblessed.Thereisnoavoidingit.Aswehaveseenoverandoverinthisbook,themoreyougiveaway,themoreGodbestows.

Beingagiverwillresultinblessings.Thedevilcan’tstopit,buthecantrytomakeyouashamedofit.Thisisthejobofthespiritofpoverty,andI’veseenitafflictboththepoorandthewealthy.Infact,itismorecommonintherichthaninanyothergroup!ItmanifestsitselfasasenseofshameandguiltaboutbeingblessedbyGod.Thinkaboutthisforamoment:IsthereanythingGodcoulddoin your life forwhich you should feel ashamed?Of course not. However, bysimplydoingthingsGod’sway,manybelieversreceiveblessingsandsomehowfeelasiftheyhavetoapologizeforthem.Don’teverdothat.Don’teverallowtheenemytomakeyouashamedofGod’sblessings.

Now,ifyou’renotsusceptibletothetrapofapovertymentality,theenemywilltrytheoppositeapproach—aspiritofpride.Pridesays,“You’veearnedthisstuff. Your hard work, ingenuity and talent have made it happen. Thus, youshouldbeproudoftheblessingsyouhavereceived.”

Thesespiritsworkfromoppositeendsof thespectrumbuthaveacommonroot—theygetus tofocuson“stuff”rather thanGod.WebecomecenteredontheblessingratherthanontheBlessor.

The spirit of pride says, “Wealth comes from hard work.” The spirit ofpoverty says, “Wealth comes from the devil.” The spirit of pride says, “Youshouldbeproudofwhatyouhave.”Thespiritofpovertysays,“Youshouldbeashamedofwhatyouhave.”TheyarebothtrapsbecausetheyarethingsfocusedratherthanGodfocused.

Let me give you some real-world examples of how these spirits manifestthemselvessothatyoucandiscerntheirattacksinyourlife.

Howdoyourespondwhensomeonecomplimentsyouonyourwatchoryouroutfit?Pridesays,“It’simportedfromEurope.”Povertysays,“Thisoldthing?IgotitatTarget.”

Thespiritofpride tries tomakepeople thinkwepaidmorefor things thanwedid.Thespiritofpovertywantspeople to thinkwepaid less.Povertyfeelsthe need to justify purchases and possessions because it equates blessingwithevil. It causes you to say, “I can’t let you think I spent verymuchmoney onanythingbecausethatwouldmeanI’mnotspiritual.”

Doyouseethetrap?

ExposingaPovertyMentality

Let me say it again: If you have been blessed by God because you’ve donethingsHisway,stopfeelingguilty.Don’tbeashamedofhavingaheartGodcanbless!

Ispeakfromexperiencehere.Therewasa timeinwhichGodhadtoshowme just how prevalent the poverty mentality was in my thinking. It wasespecially strong because I have been in the ministry all my adult life (andeveryoneknowsthatpreachersaresupposedtobepoor).

IrememberpurchasingaverynicejacketonceandthenreturningitbecauseIfeltguiltyaboutwearingit.ItwasagolfjacketthatwasjustwhatIhadwantedandneededforsometime.Ifounditatagolfshopathalfprice.IcalledDebbiefromtheproshoptogetheropinion,andshesaid,“It’sagreatdeal.Buyit!”

Iworeitdirectlyoutontothegolfcourseandproceededtoplaysomeoftheworst golf ofmy life. Of course, the spirit of povertywas quick to place theblameformyhorriblescoreonthenewjacket.Goddidn’twantyoutohavethenicejacket.You’vemissedGod,andnowyourgolfgameiscursed!

Believeitornot,assoonastheroundwasover,Ireturnedthejacketandgotmymoneyback.Butthatwasn’ttheendofit.Inthedaysthatfollowed,Ibeganto grieve over “having” to return that jacket. I stewed about it, and I actuallyfound myself resenting God. I can’t believe I can’t even have a nice jacket.Otherpeoplegettohavenicethings,andIcan’tevenbuyacoatwithoutmygolfgamebeingcursed.It’snotfair,God!

Afterputtingupwiththisnonsenseforaboutthreedays,Godeventuallygotmyattentionandspokeveryclearly,“QuitblamingMeforyournothavingthatjacket!Ididn’ttellyoutotakethatjacketback.”

ThenHesaidsomethingI’veneverforgotten.TheLordsaid,“Son,Ineverspeaktoyouthroughguiltorcondemnation.”Healsoadded,“And,bytheway,don’tblameMeforyourlousygolfgame.You’veneverneededanyhelpfromMetoplaybadly.”

Isn’t it amazing that somanyofGod’speople feel as if theymust explainaway the presence of anything good or nice in their lives; or if anyonecomplimentsthemonsomething,theyfeelcompelledtojustifyit?

My friend,youdon’thave to justifyyourpurchases to anyonebutGod. IfGodgivesyoupeaceaboutbuyingsomething,don’tworryaboutwhatanyoneelsethinksaboutit!

GODNOTONLYUSESOURSTUFFTOTESTUS,BUTHEUSESOTHERPEOPLE’SSTUFFASWELL.

RightlyRelatingtoThings

AsIhavepointedoutpreviously,Godusesthingstotestourheartsandrevealwhat’sinside.ThetruthisthatGodnotonlyusesourstufftotestus,butHeusesother people’s stuff aswell. In otherwords, howwe respond to someone elsebeingblessedsaysalotabouttheconditionofourhearts.

It is no coincidence that the tenth commandment essentially says that youshallnotcovetyourneighbor’sstuff.TheGreekwordtranslated“covet”intheBibleisepithumeo,anditmeans“tosettheheartupon.”3ItisverysimilartotheGreekwordfor“lust,”whichisepithumia.4

Tocovetsomethingis tosetyourheartuponit.This isaproblem,becausewearetosetourheartsuponnothingandnoonebutGod.Goddoesn’tcareifwehavestuff;Hecaresifstuffhasus!

Haveyounoticedthatinthemoviesallmaterialisticpeoplearewealthy?Butinreallife,someofthemostmaterialisticpeopledon’thaveverymuch.

Aperson’snetworthdoesn’ttellyouanythingabouthisheart.SomeofthemostmaterialisticpeopleIhaveeverencounteredwerepoor.Bythesametoken,someof themost heavenlyminded, sold-out-to-God, nonmaterialistic people Iknowarequitewealthy.

GodwantsustogoafterHim.Itisthethemeofthisbook:It’stheheartthatmatters.

Self-Evaluation

Howcanyouknowwhereyourheartis?First,askyourselfthesequestions:AmIlookingtoGodortopeopletomeetmyneeds?DoIgetangryorresentfulwithpeople who don’t help me as I want them to? Do I blame others for mycircumstances?

TheseareallwarningindicatorsoflookingtomenratherthantoGodasoursourceofprovision.WhenpeoplehavebeenlookingtomenratherthanGodtomeettheirneeds,theyareultimatelydisappointed.Thentheybecomebitter.

Wemustalsodiscernthepresenceofaspiritofprideorpovertyinourlives.It isvital toourspiritualhealthandeffectiveness inGod’skingdomthat thosespirits be replaced by a heart of gratitude. Here are some tests to help youdiscernthedifference:

Whenyouthinkaboutyoursituationinlife…

Pridesays,“Ideservemore!”Povertysays,“Ishouldfeelguilty.”Gratitudesays,“Thankyou!”(GratitudeisanattitudeofthankfulnessthatalwaysacknowledgesGod’sprovision.)

Whensomeonesays,“Wow,youhaveanicehouse!”

Pridesays,“Weweregoingtobuildabiggerone.”Povertysays,“Itwasaforeclosure.”Gratitudesays,“Thankyou.TheLordhasblessedus!”

Whensomeonesays,“That’sanicesuit!”

Pridesays,“It’stailor-made.”Povertysays,“Itwashalfprice.”Gratitudesays,“Thankyou!”

Whensomeonesays,“That’sanicecar!”

Pridesays,“I’vegotthreeofthem!”Povertysays,“It’sacompanycar.”Gratitudesays,“Thankyou!”

Pridewantspeopletothinkthatwepaidmore.Povertywantspeopletothinkwepaid less.Gratitudedoesn’tcarewhatpeople think; itonlycareswhatGodthinks! How about just telling the truth? When someone remarks aboutsomethingyouexercisestewardshipover,justtellthetruthandbegrateful.

TheComparisonTrap

Pridecausesustocompareourselveswithothers.Povertycausesustocompareotherswithourselves.

When someone pulls up beside you in a less expensive car, pride says,“Mine’s better!”When someonepulls upbesideyou in amore expensive car,povertysays,“That’sawaste!He’sprobablyacrook.”

Pride and poverty do have this in common—they both always get us tocompareourselveswithothers!

Insharpcontrast,apersonwithaheartofgratitudecompareshimselfwithGodandsays,“Thankyou!”Why?BecausewhenIcomparewhatIhavedonefor God (which is nothing) with what God has done for me (which iseverything),myheartnaturallyoverflowswithgratitude.

Don’tfallintothecomparisontrap.Pridesays,“Iearnedit.”Povertysays,“Ishouldn’thaveit.”Gratitudesays,“Ireceiveditbygrace.”

As we have seen, the key to resisting the spirits of mammon, pride andpovertyistoremember.Wemustrememberthatwewereslavestosin,theworkGodhasdoneinusbygraceandthatalthoughwehaveworkedhard,ithasbeenGod’sblessingonourlivesthathasproducedanythinggood.

This is themessageGodgave theIsraelitesbefore theyentered the landofpromise:

AndyoushallremembertheLORDyourGod,foritisHewhogivesyoupowertogetwealth,thatHemayestablishHiscovenantwhichHesworetoyourfathers,asitisthisday(Deut.8:18,emphasisadded).

If,asyouhavereadthischapter,youhavediscernedsignsofmammon,prideorpovertyinyourlife,youmaywanttoprayaprayerlikethis:

DearGod,pleaseforgivemeforbeingselfish,pridefulandcovetous.Pleaseforgivemeforlisteningtotheunholyspiritsofmammon,pride

andpoverty.Lord,IaskYoutobreakthemoffofme,offofmyfamilyandoffofmydescendants.Andhelpme,fromthisdayforward,tobea

generous,extravagantgivertothekingdomofGod.InthenameofJesus.Amen.

CHAPTER6

ItTakesaHeartTransplant

IthinkLuke6:38isawonderfulverseofScripture.ButI’malsoconvincedit’soneofthemostfrequentlymisappliedandmisunderstoodversesintheBible.

Its words are very familiar tomost Christians. You can probably quote itfrommemory:

Give,and itwillbegiven toyou:goodmeasure,presseddown,shakentogether, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with thesamemeasurethatyouuse,itwillbemeasuredbacktoyou.

Oneofthemostcommonmistakespeoplemakeaboutthisverseisassumingthat Jesus is speaking only ofmoney. In truth,He’s revealing a principle thatappliestoeveryareaofourlives.

Thisbecomescrystalclearifyoulookatthelargercontextoftheverse.Forinstance,backupacoupleofversesandlookatverses36and37:

Thereforebemerciful,justasyourFatheralsoismerciful.Judgenot,andyoushallnotbejudged.Condemnnot,andyoushallnotbecondemned.Forgive,andyouwillbeforgiven.

It isonly then that Jesus says, “Give, and itwill begiven toyou” (v. 38).Yes,thisprincipleappliestomoney,butyoucanalsogiveforgiveness.Youcangivemercy.Youcangiveunderstanding.Youcangivepatience.

Jesus is simply talking about the broad principle of giving.Whatever yougiveisgoingtobegivenbacktoyouin“goodmeasure,presseddown,shakentogether,andrunningover”(Luke6:38).

To capture the full meaning of this truth, you need to know a littlemoreaboutwhat the terms,“goodmeasure,”“presseddown,”“shakentogether”and“runningover”referto.Inreality,thesewerefarmingterms.

According to instructions in the Old Testament, farmers in Israel were toleave the grain in the corners of their fields for the poor. Thus, each year atharvesttime,thereweretwosetsofharvestersinthefield:theprimaryharvestersinthemiddleofthefieldwhowerebeingpaidtobringinthecropandthepoorpeopleinthecornerswhowereharvestingthecropinordertofeedthemselves

andtheirfamilies.Primaryharvestersoutinthemiddleofthefieldwouldfillupabasketthen

carryitovertothebarnorwagon.Theywouldthendumpitoutandgobacktothefieldtobeginfillingthebasketonceagain.Totheseworkers,itdidn’treallymatterhowfull theirbasketswere.Theywerebeingpaidby thehour, so theydidn’tcare.Theyjustneededtostaybusyandkeepworkinguntilall thegrainwasinthebarn.

Thiswasnotthecase,however,forthepoorpeopleworkinginthecornerofthefield.Thatfieldwasprobablynowhereneartheirhomes.Theyhadprobablywalked severalmiles to get there.Howevermuch food they couldget in theirbasketswouldbetheamountoffoodavailabletotheirfamilies.Theyhadlife-and-deathincentivetogetasmuchintothatbasketaspossible.

Ifyouwereinthatposition,youwouldfirstmakesureyouhadputinagoodmeasure—notjustapartialmeasureorahalfmeasure.Thenyouwouldpressitdown to compress the grains together to createmore room.After topping thebasketoffagain,youwouldthenshakeittoeliminateanyairspacesbetweenthegrains. Having done all that, you would then pour in as much grain as youpossiblycould,heapingitupabovetherimuntilitbegantospilloverthesides.

It is one thing to receive a basket of free grain. It is a far better thing toreceiveagood-measure,pressed-down,shaken-togetherandrunning-overbasketoffreegrain.

That’swhytheLordchosetousetheseterms.HeknewHislistenersinIsraelwould instantly connect with the point He was trying to make. What Hecommunicatedwasthatwhateveryougive,you’regoingtogetalotmoreofthesameinreturn.ThisisauniversalprinciplewithGod.Youalwaysreceivebackmorethanyougive.

Thinkabout it thisway.Whenyougiveawayanappleseedbyplantingit,youdon’t just get back an apple seed. In time, you actually get back awholeappletree,andonthattreearemanyapples,andeachapplehasmanyseeds.Yougetbacksomuchmorethanyouactuallygive.

HOWMUSTGODFEELWHENHISPEOPLEONLYGETEXCITEDABOUTGIVINGTOWARDHISKINGDOMPURPOSESWHENTHEYAREWHIPPEDINTOAFRENZYTHROUGHGETRICH-QUICKPROMISES?

Yetthisispreciselywheresomanypeoplegowrongregardingthispassageof Scripture. Once you understand the wonderful truth of it, there is atremendoustemptationtomakeityourmotivationforgiving.

Manywell-meaningpreachersandBible teachersactuallyfall intothis trapandthusencourageotherstodothesame.The“giveanditshallbegiventoyou”principleistobeourreward,notourmotivation.

That’swhyJesusprecededthispromisebysaying,“Judgenot,andyoushallnotbejudged.Condemnnot,andyoushallnotbecondemned.Forgive,andyouwillbeforgiven”(Luke6:37).

Thiscontextputsthepromiseinaverysoberinglight.Ifyougivejudgment,judgment will be given back to you, good measure, pressed down, shakentogether and running over. If you give condemnation, condemnation will begiven back to you, goodmeasure, pressed down, shaken together and runningover.Itworksbothways!

Thegoodnewsis,ifyougiveforgiveness,anabundanceofforgivenesswillbegivenbacktoyou.Ifyousowlove,youwillreceiveanoverflowingharvestoflove.

This isa fundamentalprinciple in thekingdomofGod. It isa truth Ihaveheardcalledthelawofreciprocity.Butapproachingitinabalancedwayisverymuchamatteroftheheart.

ThebasicproblemIhavewithmostoftheteachingI’veheardonLuke6:38isthatmaterialgainispresentedasthemotiveforgiving.HowdoyouthinkGodfeelswhenapreachergetsupandessentiallysays,“Comeon!GivetoGod,andyou’llgetbackmore!Thisisagreatdeal!”?

AsIhavepointedout,itistruethatyoucan’toutgiveGod.Theprincipleofreciprocityappliesjustasfullytomoneyasitdoestojudgmentandforgiveness.But there is nothing in Scripture that sayswe shouldmake personal gain ourmotiveforgiving.

HowmustGodfeelwhenHispeopleonlygetexcitedaboutgiving towardHis kingdom purposeswhen they arewhipped into a frenzy through get-rich-quick promises?Do you thinkGod ever says, “Boy, if onlyMy people couldcatchthevisionofhavingalotmorestuff”?

Goddoesn’twantustocatchthevisionofgetting.Hewantsustocatchthevisionofgiving.

Yes, aswe do,wewill receivemuchmore in return.And, no,God is notagainst our having nice things. On the contrary, He loves to see His peopleblessed.Butmotivesareeverything!

AsProverbs16tellsus:

Allaman’swaysseeminnocenttohim,butmotivesareweighedbytheLORD(v.2,NIV,emphasisadded).

AndJamesconfrontstheissuedirectly:

Whenyouask,youdonotreceive,becauseyouaskwithwrongmotives,thatyoumayspendwhatyougetonyourpleasures(4:3,NIV,emphasisadded).

When it comes to pleasing God and operating in line with His kingdomprinciples,heartmotivationiswhatmatters.

TheBiggerPicture

WehavediscoveredthatifwebackupafewversesfromLuke6:38,webegintosee itsmessage in a little different light.Well,we get evenmore context andperspectiveifwebackupalittlefurther.Let’sbeginwithverse30:

Givetoeveryonewhoasksofyou.Andfromhimwhotakesawayyourgoodsdonotaskthemback.Andjustasyouwantmentodotoyou,youalsodotothemlikewise.Butifyoulovethosewholoveyou,whatcreditisthattoyou?Forevensinnerslovethosewholovethem.Andifyoudogoodtothosewhodogoodtoyou,whatcreditisthattoyou?Forevensinnersdo the same.And ifyou lend to those fromwhomyouhope toreceiveback,whatcreditisthattoyou?Forevensinnerslendtosinnersto receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend,hopingfornothinginreturn;andyourrewardwillbegreat,andyouwillbesonsoftheMostHigh.ForHeiskindtotheunthankfulandevil(Luke6:30-35).

Nowwehavethegreatercontextofthefamiliar,“Give,anditwillbegiventoyou”(v.38).Notcoincidentally,thispassagebeginswiththewords,“Givetoeveryonewhoasksofyou”(v.30).Bothverses,beginningwiththeword“give,”cangoalongwaytowardhelpinguscatchtherevelationofgiving.

As I have suggested, the thing that bothersme about thewaypeople havepreached Luke 6:38 is with material gain presented as the motive for givingratherthanaby-productofit.

Themessage of Jesus’ sermon is“Give!” Give to those who ask of you.Givetothosewhocan’tpayyouback.Givelovetothosewhodon’tdeserveit.Givemercytothosewhowrongyou.Givethekindoftreatmentyouwouldhopetoreceivefromothers.Give,give,give!Oh,andbytheway,whenyoudo,yourheavenlyFatherwillmakesureyougetmuchmoreinreturn.

Doyouseethesubtlebutimportantdistinctioninemphasis?Whenyougivewithwhat looks to theworld like reckless abandon, you are followingGod’sexample.

Heiskindtotheunthankfulandtheevil(seev.35)—thatwasyouandmeatone time.God extendedultimate kindness to us by sendingHisSonwhenwewereunthankfulandevilpeople.

Godisagiver.And,yes,it’struethatwhenwegive,Godwillgivebacktous,butthatshouldnotbeourmotiveforgiving.WeshouldgiveforthepurejoyofimitatingourwonderfulFather.

It’sourheartstheLordisconcernedabout.Andaproperlyfocusedheartismoreexcitedaboutthegivingpartthanthereceivingpart.

In otherwords,God is saying, “When you give just to give, I’m going torewardyoubygivingbacktoyouinmuchgreatermeasure.”TherewardcomesbecausewehaveallowedGodtodoaworkinourheartsintheareaofgiving—notintheareaofgetting.

There isanOldTestamentglimpseof this truth inDeuteronomy15.ThereGodsays:

If there is among you a poorman of your brethren, within any of thegatesinyourlandwhichtheLORDyourGodisgivingyou,youshallnotharden your heart nor shut your hand fromyour poor brother, but youshallopenyourhandwide tohimandwillingly lendhimsufficient forhis need,whatever he needs.Beware lest there be awicked thought inyourheart,saying,“Theseventhyear,theyearofrelease,isathand,”andyoureyebeevilagainstyourpoorbrotherandyougivehimnothing,andhecryout to theLORDagainstyou,anditbecomesinamongyou.Youshallsurelygivetohim,andyourheartshouldnotbegrievedwhenyougivetohim,becauseforthisthingtheLORDyourGodwillblessyouinallyourworksandinalltowhichyouputyourhand.Forthepoorwillneverceasefromtheland;thereforeIcommandyou,saying,“Youshallopenyour handwide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in yourland.”Ifyourbrother,aHebrewman,oraHebrewwoman,issoldtoyouand servesyou sixyears, then in the seventhyearyou shall lethimgofree fromyou.Andwhenyou sendhimaway free fromyou,you shallnot lethimgoawayempty-handed;youshallsupplyhimliberally fromyour flock, from your threshing floor, and from yourwinepress. Fromwhat the LORD has blessed youwith, you shall give to him.You shallrememberthatyouwereaslaveinthelandofEgypt,andtheLORDyourGodredeemedyou;thereforeIcommandyouthisthingtoday(vv.7-15,emphasisadded).

Here is a clear view of God’s heart for helping people. It is also moreevidencethatGodlooksattheheartattitudeofthegiver.Hemakesitapointto

telltheIsraelitesnottolettheirhearts“begrieved”(v.10)whentheygive.Allthewaybackthen,Godloveda“cheerfulgiver”(2Cor.9:7).

It’snothardtounderstandwhythisisso.Aren’tyouproudofyourchildrenwhen they are unselfish?Are you blessedwhen you have to bribe or threatenthemtogetthemtobegenerous?

We’repleasedwhenourchildrenhelpandpreferoneanother in love.AndwhatistrueforusasearthlyparentsisinfinitelytrueforGod.

Furthermore,whenwegrowtobecomecheerful,willinggivers,webecomemoreandmore likeourheavenlyFather.God is trying todoawork inus.Hewantstopurifyourhearts.

But, as the passage we just read points out, there are some things aboutourselveswe are going to have to confront if we are to become pure-heartedgivers.

TheSelfishHeart

According toDeuteronomy15:9,we’regoing tohave todealwith thewickedthoughts that would keep us from having compassion on others. Here Godclearly labels selfish thoughts as wicked. Selfishness whispers that we won’thave enoughor thatGodwon’t be faithful tomeet our needs ifwegive.Godsays,“Don’tallowyourhearttothinkthatway.”

Obviously, greed and selfishness are not proper motives for giving. Godwantstochangeusfromgreedy,selfishtakersintograteful,generousgivers.

InJoshua1,weread:

ThisBookof theLawshall notdepart fromyourmouth, but you shallmeditateinitdayandnight,thatyoumayobservetodoaccordingtoallthat iswritten in it. For then youwillmake yourway prosperous, andthenyouwillhavegoodsuccess(v.8).

Manypeoplereadthatverseandcomeawaythinkingthat thekeytobeingprosperousandhavinggoodsuccess is tomeditateon theWord.Takeanotherlookandyou’llseethattheyareonlyhalfright.ThisverseactuallysaysthatwearetomeditatedayandnightontheWordsothatwecandoeverythingitsaystodo!It’sdoingtheWordthatbringssuccessandblessing.

That’s precisely why selfishness is your enemy. Selfishness tries tomanipulateandmakedealswithGod.Wewerebornselfish.

Attheriskofoffendingyouifyou’reabrand-newparent,Imusttellyouthatyourpreciousangelsprangfromthewombcompletelyandutterlyself-absorbed.

Every baby’s first verbal expression isn’t “mama” or “dada.” It’s“waaaaaah!,”whichcanberoughlytranslatedas,“Feedme!Changeme!Holdme—now!”

AndhaveyoualsonoticedthatthefavoritewordofeveryEnglish-speakingtwo-year-oldontheplanetis“Mine!”?

Clearly, selfishness is deeply rooted in all of our hearts, and this doesn’tchange just because our bodies grow up. If you doubt this, just try helpingyourself toapork riborchickenwingonaman’splate sometime. It’sagoodway to loseahand.Perhapsyouhaven’tnoticed,butmostmendonot like tosharefood.

Most women, on the other hand, are happy to share their food. Watch a

group of women at a restaurant and you’ll witness more food swapping thanyou’ll find in the commodities pit at the ChicagoMercantile Exchange. Thisexplainswhyawomanassumeshermanwillbemorethanhappytosharefromhisplate.Sheiswrong.

This dynamic plays out thousands of times each day in fast-food drive-throughsacrossthisgreatlandofours.

Ahusband andwife drive up to themenu speaker and hear, “Welcome toBurgerCircus.MayItakeyourorder?”Thehusbandleansoutthewindowand,talking quite a bit louder than necessary, says, “Yeah, I’d like a doublecheeseburgerandsomefrenchfriesandacoke.”

Hethenturnstohiswifeandasks,“Whatwouldyoulike,dear?”Andwhatdoesshesay?“Oh,Idon’twantanything.I’lljusthavesomeofyours.”Someofmine,themanthinks.Doesn’tsheunderstandthat“mine”is…well…mine?IorderedtheamountoffoodthatIwantedtoeat!

Ofcourse,themandoesn’tactuallysayanyofthis.Instead,hesayssweetly,“Honey,ifyouwantsomething,I’llorderitforyou.Ifyouwantsomefries,I’llgetyousomefries.”“No,no,”shesays,“I’mnotreallyhungry.”Ofcourse,thehusbandknowsthatatleasthalfofhisfriesareasgoodasgone.

Mypointisweareallselfish.Thedefaultconditionofthehumanheartistohoardandavoidsharingwithanyone.ThenalovingheavenlyFathercomestousandsays,“Iwanttodealwiththiswicked,selfishheartandmakeyouagiver.IwanttomakeyoulikeMe.”

TheGrievingHeart

“Andyourheartshouldnotbegrievedwhenyougivetohim.”That’s what the Lord said in the passage we read fromDeuteronomy 15.

Afteraddressingthefactthatwehaveaselfishheart,thesecondthingwehavetodealwithwhenitcomestogivingisagrievingheart.

Takealookatthewholeverse:

Youshallsurelygivetohim,andyourheartshouldnotbegrievedwhenyougivetohim,becauseforthisthingtheLORDyourGodwillblessyouinallyourworksandinalltowhichyouputyourhand(v.10).

Notice that therewardforbeingagiver isablessedlife.GodsaysHewillblessyouineverythingyouputyourhandtoandinallyourworks.

ButHeinstructsusnottogrieveinourheartsafterwehavebeenobedientingiving.It’simportantnottoletyourselfstartgrievingoverwhatyoucouldhavedonewith themoney if youhadkept it foryourself.Selfishness canattackusbeforewegive,butgriefcanattackusafterwegive.

Peoplewho sell big-ticket items for a living know about something calledbuyer’sremorse.Thetermreferstosomethingthatfrequentlyhappenstopeoplewho spend a lot of money on an item, such as a car or house. After theexcitementofthemomentwearsoff,theycanexperienceapanickywhat-have-I-donefeeling.Manyitemspurchasedonimpulsearereturnedthefollowingdayasaresultofthisphenomenon.

MANYPEOPLEGIVEBECAUSETHEYFEELTHEYHAVETORATHERTHANBECAUSETHEYWANTTO.

SomethingsimilarmayhappenwhenyouhavebeenobedienttogiveastheHolySpiritprompts.Thatmeansyouhave toguardyourheartnotonlybeforeyougivebutafterwardaswell.

Here’s another problem:Many people give because they feel they have toratherthanbecausetheywantto.Theyfeelpressuredtogive,andafterwardtheygrieveoverthatgift.Theygrieveoverthemoneytheynolongerhave.

God is trying to do something deeper in our hearts. If we are filled with

regretafterbeingablessing,doesitpleaseGod?HasHeaccomplishedtheworkinourheartsHewantstoperform?Notatall.

So,howdoyoucombatgrief?Youdoitwithaproperperspectiveregarding“your”money.

Toillustratethisperspective,Ioncestoppedrightinthemiddleofasermonandsaid,“Youknowwhat?Ineedsomeonetogiveme$100.”Immediately,aman jumpedup, came to the front andhandedmeaone-hundred-dollar bill. Istuckthebillinmypocketandcontinuedrightonwithmysermon.

Iamsureeverypersoninthecongregationwasthinking,Whatwasthatallabout?Whydidheaskfor$100?Andwhywasthatmansoquicktogetupandgivehim$100?(Isuspectthepersonwhowasthinkingitthemostwastheman’swife!)

After letting everyone stew on it for several minutes, I interrupted mymessage once again to explain. “Let me tell you why that gentleman was soquicktobringme$100withoutknowingwhyIneededit.Beforetheservice,Igavehimtheone-hundred-dollarbillandtoldhimIwouldaskforitduringtheservice.IaskedhimtobringitupquicklywhenIaskedforit.”

I went on to explain that I was trying to illustrate a point for them. Thereason theman gave themoney promptlywhen I asked for itwas that itwasmine in the firstplace.Heexperiencednogrief, remorseoremotionalconflictaboutgivingmethemoney.Why?Becauseheknewitwasn’this.

Aswesawinapreviouschapter,thesameistrueofeverythingwehave.Itisall God’s, and we merely exercise stewardship over it. When we get God’sperspectiveonmoney—whenweunderstandthatGodownsitall—itiseasytogiveitwhenHeasksforit.WegiveittoHimfreely,andwedon’tgrieveoverit.Weunderstandthatitwasn’toursinthefirstplace.

WheneverIobserveaChristianoperatingselfishly,IknowI’mlookingatapersonwhoeitherdoesn’tknoworhasforgottenthatitallbelongstoGod.Theyareactinglikeanowner,notasteward.

Themanwhogavemethemoneyduringmysermonreallydidn’tgiveittome, did he? He simply returned it. Maybe we have a problem with givingbecausewedon’tunderstandstewardship.Perhapswe’veforgotten thatGod istheowner,andthatinsharing,weareactuallyjustreturningtoGodwhatisHisinthefirstplace.

So,letmeaskyou:Doesyourheartevergrieveovergivingmoney?Doyouever find yourself feeling sorrow overmoney lost?You can stop it. Itwasn’tyoursinthefirstplace!

MoreHeartSurgery

Beyondovercomingaselfishheart,beyondavoidingagrievingheart—thereisathirdheartadjustmentthatwemustmakeintheareaofgiving.WithGod’shelp,wemustdevelopaliberalorgenerousheart.

Now I am not using the term “liberal” in the political sense. I’m talkingabout liberality—the practice of being generous and free with our materialpossessions.

Lookonceagainat thisverseaboutgiving to thepoor fromthepassage inDeuteronomy15:

You shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshingfloor, and from your winepress. Fromwhat the LORD has blessed youwith,youshallgivetohim(v.14,emphasisadded).

Wemay not have threshing floors or winepresses nowadays, but we are stillcalled to give liberally from thatwhichGodhas blessedus.We are not to bestingy in our giving; we are to be generous. That’s why wemust cultivate aliberalheart.

Thisgoesagainstthegrainofourfallennatures,butitisperfectlyconsistentwiththenewnatureswereceivedwhenwegaveourlivestoJesus.OftenIsay,“Iwasbornselfish,butIwasbornagaingenerous.”

Thekey towalking in thenewnature, rather than theoldone, is simplyamatterof renewing themind. “Anddonotbeconformed to thisworld,butbetransformedby therenewingofyourmind”(Rom.12:2).Mindrenewalbringstransformation.

Mynewnature—the spiritman insideofme—wants tobegenerous, but Imustlearntorenewmymindinthisarea.ImustcometotrustthatGodwilltakecareofmeifI’magenerousgiver.

MyoldnatureusedtotrytofigureouthowIcouldmanipulatecircumstancesinmyfavor.Ofcourse,that’stheattitudeofataker,notagiver.SelfishnesstriestomanipulateGodor“makedeals”withHimwheregivingisconcerned.Butaliberal-hearted person gives quickly and generously because he knows it allbelongstoGod,andhetrustsinGodtotakecareofhimandblesshim.

Tonocreditofmyown,thisisaworkGodhasdoneinmyheart.AndIamwritingthisbooktotestifytoyouthatitworks.Godisfaithful.

Some time ago, Debbie was talkingwith a pastor and his wife whowerestayinginourhome.Theycouldclearlyseethatwewerelivingtheblessedlife,sothepastoraskedmywife,“WhydoyouthinkGodhasblessedyousomuch?”

Debbie thoughtabout itamomentandanswered,“I thinkithas todowithRobert’sheart.WhenRobertgotsaved,Godsochangedhisheartthathewouldgive away everythingwe owned if he sensedGod tellingHim to do it. As amatter of fact, he’s done it several times because he loves God and he lovespeople.TheLordhasgivenhimaheartthatwantstogivegenerouslytoGod’speopleandGod’swork.”

Ican’tbegintotellyouhowmuchjoygivinghasbroughttoourlives.BeinggiversinGod’skingdomisthemostfunwehaveeverhad.Ithasresultedinamoreexcitinglifethanwecouldeverhaveimagined.

AFinalWorkoftheHeart

WhenweallowGodtochangeusinthisarea,thereisonemoreworkHemustdoinourhearts.Wehavetodevelopagratefulheart.

LookbackatDeuteronomy15onelasttime:

YoushallrememberthatyouwereaslaveinthelandofEgypt,andtheLORDyourGodredeemedyou;thereforeIcommandyouthisthingtoday(v.15).

Why did God instruct the Israelites to remember that they had been slaves?BecauseitwouldfilltheirheartswithgratitudeforwhatHehaddoneforthem.

Fromtimetotime, inworshiporinmyquiet time,Godremindsmeofmypast.Hedoesn’tdoit toproduceguiltorcondemnation.Heknowsitproducesdeep gratitude. I was such a mess. I was on a road of heartache and self-destruction,andthenHesavedmeandputmeontheroadoflifeandblessing.WhenIthinkaboutthat,myheartoverflowswiththankfulness.

When we allow God to remind us that we used to be slaves and thateverythingwehaveisbyHisgracioushand,itwillhelpustobegrateful.Andwhen we’re grateful, we’re generous. Genuine gratitude to God is a rare andpowerfulthing.

One time when I was preaching in a very small church on the subject ofgiving,afriendofmine,aliberalgiver,camealongtosupportmeinprayerasIpreached.Healsowasprayingforthepeoplewhowerehearingthemessage—

thatGodwoulddoaworkintheirheartsintheareaofgiving.At theendof themessage, I said,“Iwanteachofyou toprayandask the

Lord what He wants you to give tonight.” At that point, as my friend beganthinkingaboutwhatGodmightwanthimtogive,herealizedhehadn’tbroughthis wallet or checkbook with him. To his dismay, he discovered that he hadnothingatalltogiveintheoffering.

He prayed, Lord, what can I give? I don’t have any money with me!Immediately, theLord remindedhim that he had on a brand-newpair of veryexpensiveshoes.TheLordsaid,Iwantyoutogivethoseshoestothepastorofthischurch.

Thepastorofthatlittlechurchwouldprobablyhaveneverpurchasedsuchanicepair of shoes for himself, even if he couldhave afforded them,whichheprobablycouldnot.

At that point,my friend began going through all thosemental gymnasticsonegoesthroughwhenGodasksyoutodosomethingunusual.Whatifthey’renottherightsize?Willhebeoffended?Whatwillpeoplethink?AmIjustgoingtowalkoutofhereinmysocks?

Finally,hemadeadecision,TheLordhasspokentome,soI’mgoingtodoitwhetherornotitmakessense.

Hewent over to the pastor’swife and asked, “What size shoes does yourhusbandwear?”Itwastheverysamesizehewaswearing.Needlesstosay,myfriendrodehomewithmeinhisstockingfeet.Buthewasblessedandfullofjoy—andsowasthatpastor.

Severalyearslater,Iheardthestoryofamanwhowasinthecongregationthatverysamenight.HehadjustrecentlycometoknowChrist.Priortobeingborn again, hehad squandered all of hismoney andwas essentiallybroke.Atofferingtime,hesaid,Lord,whatcanIgive?Ihavesolittlemoney,butmyheartissofullofgratitudeforwhatYouhavedoneforme.

Ashetoldit,theLordgavehimtheideaoftakingoutalifeinsurancepolicyandmaking the church the beneficiary. So he arranged for a $100,000policy.Justafewyears later,hepassedaway,andthechurchreceivedthatmoney—alargergiftthanhecouldpossiblyhavegivenanyotherway.

GreedorGratitude

AsIhavesaidbefore,aheartoftruegratitudeisarareandpreciousthing.Overtheyears, Ihavegottena littleglimpseofhowGodmust feelasDebbieandI

havebeeninvolvedinblessingandgivingtootherpeople.Thefactisthatanytimewehaveevergivensomethingtosomeone,wehave

encountered one of two attitudes. People respond to a blessing with eithergratitudeorgreed.LetmeexplainwhatImean.

This second response is most common when we have chosen to give tosomeoneon several occasions.Whenyougive to someoneonce, theymaybesurprisedandgrateful.Butafteryouhavebeengenerousseveraltimes,thereisatendencyforthepersontostartseeingthegiftasanentitlement.

WerespondtoGodinthesamemannerallthetime.Godrepeatedlyblessesandgivesand,beforelong,itisexpected.Ifitstopsshowingup,weareoffendedandmad.

It’s greed or gratitude. I had an experience that beautifully illustrates thedifference.

InoneoftheinstancesinwhichDebbieandIweregivingavehicleaway,wewere standing in our drivewaywith the couplewewere about to bless.Therehappened to be two vehicles in the driveway at the time—the one we weregivingawayandours.

Thewiferespondedtoourgiftwithgratitude.Shewasveryexcitedandveryexpressiveinherthanks.Thehusband,ontheotherhand,wasnot.Aswetalked,hekeptcommentingonhownicemycarwas.

Whenwesteppedintothehousealittlelater,hefinallycamerightoutandasked, “Do you think you will ever give that other car away?” I rememberthinking,Nottoyou!

Weneedtobeawarethatourattitudestowardpossessionshaveapowerfulability toexposethe truenatureofourhearts.Whether it isgreedorgratitude,moneyandmaterialthingswillbringitout.

If you are a parent, ask yourself this question:Which attitude am I mostmotivatedtorewardinmychildren—greedorgratitude?Obviously,everygoodparentwantstorewardgratitude—andGodisnodifferent.

PeanutBlessings

WhenGoddoes awork inourhearts,wegive simply togive,not toget.Theresultingblessingwereceiveistheby-product,notthegoal.

IsawabeautifulexampleofthisonatriptoCostaRicatopreachataBibleschool.IdiscoveredthateveryFridayatthisBibleschool,theyhavewhattheycall BlessAnotherDay—a day inwhich studentswere encouraged to give toothers.

Iheardaboutastudentintheschoolwhohadnomoneyandworkedinthefieldsofapeanutfarmertopayhistuition.Hewenttothefarmerandsaid,“I’mwonderingifyouwouldwithholdfrommywagesthepriceofonepeanutsothatImayhave it togive tosomeoneonBlessAnotherDay?”(Keepinmindhoweasyitwouldhavebeenforthisyoungmansimplytopocketapeanutortwoasheworkedinthefields.Godcanblesspeopleofintegrity.)Thefarmeragreed.So,everyFriday,thisstudentwouldbringonepeanuttoschoolandgiveittoastudentinhisclass.

Notsurprisingly,Godbegantoblessthisyoungmanwhohadanunselfish,liberalheart.Before long,hewasn’tgivingpeanutsonBlessAnotherDay;hewasgivingmoney.Bytheendofthesemester,hewasalsobuyingpencilsandotherschoolsuppliesforthepooreststudents.

By theendof thatyear,Godhadblessedhimsomuch thathewasable topayayear’s tuitionforanotherstudent.Andby the timehegraduated,hewaspayingthetuitionof10otherstudentsbesideshimself.

Within a fewyears of graduating fromBible school, hebought thepeanutfarmwhereheused toworkandwascovering thecostof tuition forscoresofstudentswhootherwisewouldnothavebeenabletoaffordtogo.

AnditallstartedbecauseGoddidaworkinhisheart.Hegavewhenallhecouldgivewasapeanut.Theissueisnottheamountwegive.Theissueisthemotivebehindourgiving.

Does God bless givers? Absolutely! But those promises of blessing aregiven,nottoenticeus,buttofreeusfromthefearandgriefthatkeepssomanybelieversfromturninglooseandgiving.

Yes,whenyougive,“Itwillbegiventoyou:goodmeasure,presseddown,shakentogether,andrunningoverwillbeputintoyourbosom”(Luke6:38).

Godpoursblessingsongivers,andHedoesitsotheycancontinuetogiveevenmoretoHiskingdom—butittakesahearttransplant.

WHENWECOMETOTHEPLACEWHEREWEGIVESIMPLYBECAUSEWEHAVEANUNSELFISH,

LIBERALHEARTOFGRATITUDETOWARDGOD,WEWILLBEWELLONTHEROADTOTHEBLESSEDLIFE.

When we come to the place where we give simply because we have anunselfish, liberalheartofgratitudetowardGod,wewillbewellontheroadtotheblessedlife.

CHAPTER7

DotheRightThing

DoyourememberthatoldstationwagonofoursImentionedbackinchapter1?Well,therewasareasonweweredrivingsucha“vintage”vehicle.It’snotthatby the world’s way of thinking we couldn’t afford anything better. We hadpurchased an older car because God had instructed us to do three thingsconcerningourfinances:

1.Getoutofdebt.2.Nevermanipulateothers.3.Give.

Forus,thesethreeveryimportantfinancialprincipleshavebeenthefoundationstones of living the blessed life. And I think they represent keys to living inGod’sfinancialPromisedLandforyouaswell.

So in this chapter, I want to elaborate on these three principles and sharesometestimoniesIbelieveyou’llfindbothinspiringandinstructive.

GetOutofDebt

We purchased that 1973 station wagon with 130,000miles for a very simplereason.ItwastheonlyrunningvehicleIcouldfindforwhichwecouldpaycash.Weboughtitfor$750.

Justpriortothatpurchase,wehadbeendrivingaone-year-old,fullyloadedOldsmobile.Itwasabignicecarwithabigfatpayment—$370permonth,tobeexact. By way of comparison, our house payment at that time was $320 permonth.(Keepinmind,thesewereearly1980sdollars.)Itdidn’ttakelongfortheLordtoshowushowabsurdthiswasfromastewardshipstandpoint.Infact, itwasridiculous!

Godhadtoldustosellitandworktowardgettingoutofdebt,sowedid.Wethenboughtthatoldwagonfor$750.Weprayedoverit.Weanointeditwithoil(aboutaquartaweek).Andweloveditbecause,thoughitwasn’tmuchtolookat,weknewwewereinthecenterofGod’swill.

It took us one year to get completely out of debt. I know you may bethinkingthatitwouldtakeyoumuchlonger,butletmetellyouwhatwedidtomakeitareality.

During that season of time, we didn’t buy anything that wasn’t a truenecessity.Wedidn’tgoout toeat.Wedidn’tgoto themovies.Wedidn’tbuyanynewclothes.Wedidn’tevenbuyanewmicrowaveovenwhenoursbrokemidwaythroughthatyear.

We bought nothing during that time because we had made a solemncommitmenttogetoutofdebt—nomatterhowlongittook.WesaidtotheLord,Weareseriousaboutthis,andweshowedit.

I’ve hadmanypeople tellme theywant to get out of debt, yet theyneverchange their lifestyle.Theystilleatoutall the time.Theystill spendfreelyonentertainmentandvacations.Theystillbuynewclothes.Theyevencontinuetomakelargepurchasesoncredit,suchasnewhomesandnewcars.

Irememberonecoupleinourchurchwhowereinseriousfinancial troubleand came to us for counseling. In contrast tomost, they actually didwhatwecounseled them todo. (It’samazing tomehowmanypeoplecome toapastoraskingforhisorhercounselandthenproceedtoignoreitafterit’sgiven.Idon’tknowwhytheyaskinthefirstplace!)

Thiscouple,however,askedusforcounsel,andthentheyfollowedthrough.Wetoldthemlovinglybutcandidly,“Youcan’taffordthehouseinwhichyou

areliving.You’regoingtohavetosellitanddownsize.You’regoingtohavetotakesomeotherradicalstepsaswell.”

Amazingly,theyactuallydidit.Theyfollowedgodly,Spirit-ledcounsel.Theresult? God has so blessed that family. As a matter of fact, the couple wasrecentlyabletogiveacartoayoungmaninourchurchwhoneededone.

Theywentfromcrushingfinancialpressuretohavingthefreedomtogiveacaraway.Bydownsizing,theirtruestandardofliving(theirlevelsofjoy,peaceandfulfillment)hasgoneupimmeasurably.

Thetruthisthatifyou’regoingtolivethelifestyleofagiver,you’regoingtohave tomake the lifestyle adjustments that allowyou tohave something togive.Oneofthefirstwaystodothatistogetoutofdebt.

WhenGod saw thatwewere serious about our commitment to get out ofdebt,Hebegantoblessustremendously.That iswhywewereabletobecomedebtfreeinonlyoneyear.

That’s thegreat thingabout thisprinciple.You’reneveronyourown.Godstandsreadyandwillingtoprovideallofheaven’shelpifonlyyouwill takeastepoffaithandbegin.

Soletmeaskyou,HowseriousareyouaboutobeyingGodinyourfinances?DebbieandIhavecometounderstandthatallofourmoneybelongstoHim.

Thus,weneedtoaskHimbeforewespendanyof it.Avaluablepractice is topray about every significant financial purchase andwait overnight before youcommit.

GODSTANDSREADYANDWILLINGTOPROVIDEALLOFHEAVEN’SHELPIFONLYYOUWILLTAKEASTEP

OFFAITHANDBEGIN.

I’mobviouslynottalkingaboutprayingovernightaboutwhethertogowithcorn flakes or raisin bran at the grocery store. I am, however, talking abouttaking almost every purchase—large and small—to the Lord and waitingovernightbeforemakingadecision.

Yousee,I’vediscoveredthatabout80percentofourpurchasesaremadeonimpulse.Alittleprayerandabriefcooling-offperiodcankeepusfrommakingcountlessspendingmistakes.

This commitment is especially helpful when you’re being pressured by asalesmantomakeanimmediatedecision.Whenaprospectsays,“Ineedtopray

about it,”manysalesmenofbig-ticket itemshavebeen trainedto tellyoutheyrespectthatdesireandthatthey’llleaveforalittlewhileandcomebackinafewminutes.Buttheydon’thaveananswerwhenyoutellthemyoudon’tmakeanypurchaseswithoutprayingaboutitovernight.

One of the biggest rewards of obeyingGod and getting out of debt is thefreedomtodotherightthingwhenGodspeakstoyouaboutit.Letmegiveyouafewexamples.

Ioncehadadisgruntledformeremployeewhoaccusedmeofcheatinghimoutof$2,500.Now,Ihadthefinancialrecordstoshowthathewaswrong.Hewasowednomoneyatall,andIcouldproveit!ButIbelieveintheprincipleofgoingtheextramile,andIknowGodalwaysblessesmeforit.

Sowesoldavehiclethatwehadatthetime(wehadpaidcash,ofcourse,soweowned itoutright),bought a less expensivevehicleand took$2,500of theproceedsandsentittohim.

Wedidn’towehim themoney.Butwe just feltGodsaying,“Go theextramile.”Thenextweek,someonesentusavanthatcost$25,000.

Onanotheroccasion,Ihadaformeremployeraccusemeofowinghim$400.Hewaswrong.Ididn’towehim$400,andIcouldhaveprovenit.Butagain,wewanted togo theextramile.Romans12 tellsus, “If it ispossible, asmuchasdependsonyou,livepeaceablywithallmen”(v.18).

Frankly,IwouldmuchratherbecheatedbymenandblessedbyGodthantoinsistonfairnessfrommenbutforfeitGod’sblessing.EverytimeI’vedonetherightthing,Godhasalwaysblessedme.

So I sent my former employer the $400. The next week, I received anunexpectedofferingof$5,000.Godalwayshonorsdoingtherightthing.

God is looking for good stewards. He’s looking for people who “rendertherefore toCaesar the things thatareCaesar’s,and toGod the things thatareGod’s” (Matt.22:21).Thisalsomeans thatweshouldn’tcheatonour taxesorscrimponourgiving.

Thinkaboutit.IfGodreallyhasdoneaworkinourhearts,whywouldwebetrying to figure out how to diminish the amount of our tithe?Whywouldweeven be trying to rationalize tithing on the net of our income rather than thegross?

That’sthekey—Godwantstodoaworkinourhearts.

NeverManipulateOthers

ThesecondfoundationstonethatGodlaidinourlivescameintheformofclearinstructionsfromHim:“Don’tmanipulate.”

When I was a traveling minister, I had a mailing list of people who haddonatedtomyministryatonetimeoranother.Iwouldperiodicallysendletterstothefolksonthatlist,lettingthemknowwhatwasgoingonwiththeministryandmakingthemawareoftheneedswehad.

Let me emphasize right now that there is nothing wrong with that. It isappropriateforministriestomaintainalistofdonorsandtouseittoletpeopleknowaboutneeds.ButIdiscoveredthatIhadbeguntoviewthatmailinglistasmysource.

Forinstance,therewasamaninHouston,Texas,onthatlistwhofaithfullysentus$300every timehegot a letter fromus.When theLordbegan todealwithmeaboutmyheartattitudetowardthatlist,Irememberthinking,But,Lord,if Idon’tmail to that list,people like thatman inHoustonmightnot send themoney.AndtheLordresponded,“IfIwanthimtogive,I’llspeaktohim.”

Inobedience,IstoppedthemailinglistthatIhadbeguntoviewasmysourceof provision.And sure enough, theman inHouston stopped sending his $300donations.

IremembersayingtotheLord,“Lord,IthoughtYousaidifYouwantedhimtogive,Youwouldspeaktohim.”AndtheLordrepliedbysaying,“Well,I’mobviouslynotspeakingtohim,amI?”

ThustheLordbegantoshowmesomethingsaboutwhereIwasplacingmytrust and expectancy for provision.He correctedmy focus regardingwhomysourcewas.

Obviously, doing the right thing means walking in integrity—no hiddenagendas and no hidden motives. Again, there is nothing unethical about aministrymaintainingamailinglist.Whatiswrongisstartingtoviewthepeopleon that list as your source rather than God. When you fall into that trap, itbecomesveryeasytomoveoverintomanipulationinordertogetpeopletogive.

Inmycase,IhadslowlystoppedlookingtoGodtomeetourneedsandhadbeguntolooktopeopleinstead.

Ifyou’re invocationalministryasapastor,missionaryorevangelist,or insome other type ofministry inwhich your support comes from offerings anddonations,thisisanareainwhichyoumustalwaysbeonyourguard.Butthisis

reallyatrapanyonecanfallinto.Who are you viewing as your source? To whom are you looking for

provision? Do you ever drop hints when you’re around people who are in apositiontohelpyou?

I’llelaborateinthenextchapter,butI’lltellyourightnowthatpeoplewhooperate in the gift of giving have the ability to discernmanipulation in othersquitequickly.AndtheLordwillnotallowthemtorewardmanipulation.

Tobeblunt,manipulationisaformofwitchcraft.It’srelyingonourabilitytospeakandpersuaderatherthanonGod’sabilitytospeakandpersuade.Godcangetprovisiontoyouwithoutyourmanipulativehelp!

Forexample,inarecentelders’meetingatthechurchIpastor,weallfeltaleadingtosendafinancialgifttoaparticularchurchfortheirbuildingfund.Thisisnotachurchwithwhichwehaveacloserelationship. Infact,wehadneverevenmetwiththeirleadership.Allweknewwas,theHolySpiritwasspeakingtous abouthelping them.Theywereprobablypraying forprovision, andGodfoundsomewillingearsinourelders.

Godisabletomeetallofourneeds,butHewillnotdosoifwearerelyingonmanipulation.Aswitheverythingelsewe’vediscussedinthisbookthusfar,it’sallamatteroftheheart.

I go out of my way to avoid even the appearance of manipulation. Forexample, inalmost20yearsof teachingandpreachingongiving,IhaveneveroncereceivedanofferingforourministryafterIhavetaughtongiving.Instead,I’vealwaysencouraged the listeners togivefirst to their localchurchesand tothematerialneedsinthechurchbodyandtootherministries.

Iwill not have a travelingminister inmy pulpitwho iswilling to receiveofferingsforhimselfafterhepreachesongiving.Sadly,thereareplentywhonotonlyarewillingbutinsistonit.

Ihaveapastorfriendwhosechurchwasstrugglingfinancially.Onsomeoneelse’s recommendation, he called a well-known minister who is known forpreaching aboutmoney.Hewas simply seeking somecounsel and some ideasforcommunicatingtruthstohispeopleaboutgiving.

Thisministertoldhimthathewantedtocomeandhelphimpersonally.Heoffered to come preach for him on the subject of giving. My pastor friendacceptedthisoffer.

Thisministercameandtaughtthepeopletheconceptofpayingbacktithes(the idea is that ifyouhavegottenbehindon tithing,youneed tocatchup). Ipersonallydon’tseethatconcepttaughtanywhereinScripture.Onthecontrary,

as with any other area of our lives in which we fall short, the answer isrepentance,notrestitution.Jesushaspaidthepriceinfullforallofoursins,andwecanneverrepayHim.

Nevertheless,thepeoplerespondedtothatminister’smessageandgavemorethan$60,000intheoffering.Followingtheservice,thisministertoldthepastorthattheentireofferingshouldgotohim,notthechurch.“You’llbeblessedbysowingthisofferingintomyministry,”thepastorwastold.

Thatwaspuremanipulation.Thatpreacherleftthatchurchnobetteroffthanhefoundit.I’mconvincedthosekindsofthingsareanabominationtotheLord.

At theriskofsoundingas if I’mboasting(Believeme, I’mnot.This isallduetothegraceofGod.),ImusttellyouthatineverychurchinwhichI’veeverpreachedongiving,thepastorhasalwaystoldmelaterhowmuchhealthierthechurchwasafterward.

IFYOUWANTYOURHEARTTOFOLLOWAFTERTHETHINGSTHATGOD’SHEARTISAFTER—THELOCALCHURCHANDREACHINGTHELOST—PUTYOUR

TREASURETHERE.

Several churches have seen their resources double, and some have eventripled,oncethepeoplecaughtarevelationofthejoyoftithingandgiving.Anditisn’tjustthefinancesthatincreaseinthesecases.Peaceandjoyinthechurchincrease. Attendance increases. And the numbers of people serving andvolunteeringincrease.Theintensityof theirworshipincreases.Allof thesearevital signs of church health. They all happenwhen people allowGod to do aworkintheirheartsthroughgiving.

Whyis thisso?I thinktheanswerlies inMatthew6:21.Rememberthat inthisverse,Jesussaid,“Forwhereyourtreasureis,thereyourheartwillbealso.”WhenpeoplebegintoinvesttheirtreasureinGodthroughthelocalchurch,theirheartsfollow.

It’sthesamedynamicyouseewhensomeoneinvestsinthestockmarketforthe first time.When you invest in a stock, you start keeping upwith it. Youbegincheckingon it in thenewspaperoron the Internet every fewdays.Youstart listening for news about that company on television. Why? Becausewhereveryourtreasureis,yourheart’sgoingtogotherealso.

IfyouwantyourhearttofollowafterthethingsthatGod’sheartisafter—the

local church and reaching the lost—put your treasure there. Your heart willfollow.

WhenGod’speoplecatcharevelationofgiving—whenGoddoesaworkintheirhearts—theybegintowanttoserveintheirchurches.Theywanttohelpthechildren’sministrygrow.Theywantthechurchtohaveagoodyouthministry,apowerful choir and a blessed staff. They want to be generous in missionarygiving.

Thewholeatmosphereinachurchchangeswhenpeoplecatchtherevelationofgenerosity,tithingandgiving.

Give!

Yes,Godhassaid,“Getoutofdebt.”Hehassaid,“Nevermanipulatepeople.”And the third thing God instructed us to do in the area of our finances was“Give.”We are to begin giving generously—not just tithing, but giving wellaboveourtithes.

I remember the first timeDebbie and I began to give over and above ourtithe on a regular basis. God immediately began to bless and multiply ourincome.After someprayer,wehadcommitted togive10percentofourgrossincome as our tithe to our local church and an additional 10 percent of grossincome to missions. That year, as we doubled our giving, God doubled ourincome.

Thusfar,I’vesharedmanytestimonieswithyouaboutourowngiving.NowletmerelateafewamazingtestimoniesthathavedevelopedasIhavepreachedthismessagetoothers.

TherewasafamilyinachurchatwhichIwasscheduledtopreachthathadborrowed$1,200 fromanother family in thechurchduringapersonalcrisis intheirlives.Theotherfamilydidn’tneedthemoneybackandhadeventoldthemnottoworryaboutrepayingit.

Butthefamilythathadborrowedthemoneyfeltstronglythat,inordertobegoodstewards,theyneededtopayitbackquickly.Thatbecameafocusoftheirprayer.TheyaskedGodfortheabilitytorepaytheloan.

Onacertainnight,Iwaspreparingtopreachonthesubjectofgiving.Thatvery afternoon, the family that had borrowed the money was watching PatRobertson’s700Club.Astheywatched,Dr.Robertsonsharedapropheticwordaboutafamilywhoowedadebt.HesaidGodwasabout toprovideawayforthemtopayitbacksupernaturally.Withexcitement,theytookholdofthatword

infaith.Thatevening,Ipreached,asplanned,ongiving.Iencouragedthepeopleto

give first to their church and then to wherever else the Holy Spirit promptedthemtogive.AsIdid,peoplebegantospontaneouslygotothatfamilyandputmoneyintheirpockets.Whentheygothome,theypulleditoutandputitonthekitchentable.Theycountedexactly$1,200.Thenextnight,theywerejoyouslyabletopaythefamilybackeverycenttheyhadborrowed.

Onanotheroccasion,Iwaspreachingongivinginachurchinwhichoneofthemembershadbeenseverelyinjuredinacarwreckandwastemporarilyinawheelchair.Becauseofhisinjuries,thedoctorshadtoldhimhewouldbeinthewheelchair for about three months and then on crutches for another threemonths.

AtthetimewhenIpreachedthere, ithadonlybeenabouttwoweekssincethe accident. The old truck he had been driving in the accident had beencompletelydestroyedandwasuninsured.

ThenightthatIpreached,manypeoplewenttohimandgavehimmoneyatthe prompting of theLord.When he got home, he counted $2,000—the exactamountofanoldpickuphehadfoundtoreplacetheonethathadbeentotaled.

Asheprayedaboutit,however,theLordshowedhim20peopletowhomhewassupposedtogive$100each.Godhaddoneaworkinhisheartwheregivingwasconcerned,too.

Thenextnight,hewenttoeachpersonandgavehimorherthemoney,justastheLordhadinstructedhim.Afewdayslater,theLordspoketoanothermaninthechurchtobuyhimabrand-newpickuptruck.Themanwastotakeitovertotheinjuredmanandtoprayforhimtobehealed.

GODWANTSTOWORKMIRACLESINOURLIVES,ANDMANYTIMESHESTARTSBYWORKING

MIRACLESINOURHEARTSREGARDINGFINANCIALOBEDIENCE.

Themanprayedforhim,andGodmiraculouslyhealedhimonthespot.Thenextmorning,hedrovehisnewtrucktowork!

GivingtouchesatthecoreofsomuchofwhatGodwantstodoinourlives.Godwantstoworkmiraclesinourlives,andmanytimesHestartsbyworkingmiraclesinourheartsregardingfinancialobedience.

TrustandObey

OnceIwasteachingtheprinciplesofgivinginachurch,andwewereseeingatremendousmove of God’s Spirit among the people. People were respondingandgivingtothechurchandtooneanotherastheLordledthem.

Onenight,acouplewhowereseeminglybrokenbeforetheLordcameuptome. They were weeping almost uncontrollably. They said that the Lord hadspokentothemaboutgivingawayeverypennytheyhad.Ilearnedthattheyhadwrittenacheckforallthemoneytheyhadintheworld.Nowtheywerebringingmethecheck,saying,“We’resupposedtogivethistoyou.Dowhateveryoufeelyou’resupposedtodowithit.”

Immediately,IknewwhattheLordwantedmetodo.Whentheyhandedmethecheck,Iaskedthem,“Areyousayingthisisminenow,andIcandoanythingthat Iwantwith it?”Through their tears theynodded and answeredyes.So, Isaid,“Well,IknowexactlywhattheLordwouldhavemedowiththischeck.”ThenItoreitupinfrontofthem.Immediately,theyfelltothefloorandbegantoweepuncontrollably.

Goddidawondrousworkintheirheartsthatnight—onethatchangedthemfor therestof their lives.Theywerenever thesame.Theyhadpassedamajortestofobedience.

Tothisday,Idon’tknowhowmuchmoneyitwas,nordoIcare.IdoknowitwasenormousintheireyesandpreciousintheeyesofGod.IalsoknowthatnoamountofmoneyintheworldcouldpurchasewhatGoddidinthatcouple’slivesthatnight.

That incident remindsme of a spiritual principle thatmywife and I havecome to call the I. O. Principle. I. O. stands for Instant Obedience.We havecometounderstandtheimportanceofrespondinginstantlywhenwehearGod’svoice.

Withthatcouple,Icouldhavewaitedtoseehowmuchthecheckwasfor.Icould have pocketed it, prayed about it further and torn it up later. But thatwouldhavebeendangerous.

Sometimes in giving, if youwait, Satan is given time to comeupwith allkindsofgood reasonsnot todowhatGodhas toldyou todo.The longeryouwait,themoretimethereisforyourmindandemotionstocloudthemessage.

IfGod speaks, do it.Trust andobey.Anddo it now!Don’t giveSatan anopportunity to help you rationalize another course of action. Follow the I. O.

Principle.AndrememberthatthethreeelementsIhaveoutlinedhere:(1)gettingoutof

debt, (2) avoidingmanipulation of others and (3) giving asGod leads you togive,representthefoundationoftheblessedlife.I’mconvincedofit.

Laythatfoundationandwatchmiraclesbegintohappeninyourfinances.

CHAPTER8

TheGiftofGiving

Manypeoplearesurprisedtodiscoverthatthereisaspiritualgiftofgivingthatiseverybitasvalidasthegiftsofprophecyandteaching.

We tend to hear and read a lot about various spiritual gifts. But for somereason,wehearverylittleaboutthegiftofgiving.Butthefactis,itismentionedprominentlyinRomans12:

Havingthengiftsdifferingaccordingtothegracethatisgiventous,letususe them: if prophecy, let usprophesy inproportion toour faith; orministry,letususeitinourministering;hewhoteaches,inteaching;hewhoexhorts,inexhortation;hewhogives,withliberality;hewholeads,with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness (vv. 6-8,emphasisadded).

This passage outlines seven motivational gifts. They are often calledmotivationalgiftsbecausetheytendtoidentifywhatmostmotivatestheonewhohas the gift. I believe every Christian has one of these as his or her primarygifting.Ofcourse, a fully functioningSpirit-filledChristian shouldhaveallofthesegiftsinoperationtovariousdegrees.Jesuswalkedinallofthegiftsinfullmeasure.

We,on theotherhand,mighthave twoor threeof thesegifts thatareveryprevalentinourlives,butoneinparticularwillbethemainmotivatinggiftforus.That’swhyittakesallofusworkingtogethertocomprisetheBodyofChrist.

In the verses we just read, we found prophecy, ministry (or serving),teaching,exhortation,giving, leading (oradministration)andmercy.Thesearethe sevenmotivational gifts of theSpirit.Here’s a quick definition of each ofthese:

• Prophecy—reveals the motives of man and seeks conformity to God’sWordandways.

•Ministry(orserving)—meetsneedsonapracticalbasis.•Teaching—searchesoutandpresentsscripturaltruths.•Exhortation—admonishesorencouragesothers.•Giving—meetsmaterialneeds,oftenthroughfinances.

•Leading(oradministration)—organizesandleads.•Mercy—empathizesandshowscompassiontoothers.

Manypeoplearealsounawareoftheversesthatimmediatelyfollowtheoneswejustread.Romans12:9-15providesinformationthatcorrelateswitheachgift.

Forexample,verse9speakstothosewiththegiftofprophecy:“Letlovebewithout hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” That is whatsomeonewiththemotivationofprophecydoes; theyabhorthingsthatareevil,andtheyclingtowhatisgood.ButtheadmonitiontothemfromScriptureisto“let lovebewithouthypocrisy.” Inotherwords, love everyone—thegoodandthebad.

Verse 10 provides encouragement for those with the gift of serving: “Bekindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor givingpreference to one another.” That’s a great description of someonewho serveswithexcellence.

Verse 11 correlates with the gift of teaching: “Not lagging in diligence,fervent inspirit, serving theLord.”Teachers tend tobeverydiligent,but theiradmonition fromScripture is to be ferventwhen they teach the truths that theLordhasgiventhemfromScripture.

The next verse, verse 12, offers instruction for those with the gift ofexhortation:“Rejoicing inhope,patient in tribulation,continuingsteadfastly inprayer.”Peoplewhoareexhortersknowhowtorejoice,buttheyalsoknowhowto be patient with people. They are also wonderful intercessors—praying forpeopleinneed.

And in verse 13, we find the job description of someone with the gift ofgiving:“Distributingtotheneedsofthesaints,giventohospitality.”ThepeopleIknowwhofunctioninthegiftofgivingtrulylovetodistributetotheneedsofthe saints. They are also very hospitable, always opening up their homes toothers.SomegiversIknowhaveactuallybuiltextraroomsontotheirhomessothatmissionariescanstaywiththemwhentheycomeinfromthefield.

Verse14correlateswithleadingoradministrating.Itsays,“Blessthosewhopersecuteyou;blessanddonotcurse.”Thisiscertainlysomethingthatthoseinplaces of authoritymust do all the time. Peoplewho lead are no strangers tohavingpeoplespeakagainstthem.

Finally,verse15correlateswiththegiftofmercy:“Rejoicewiththosewhorejoice, andweepwith thosewhoweep.”Youdon’t reallyhave to tell peoplewhohave thegift ofmercy toweepwith thosewhoweep; it comesnaturally.

Butyoudosometimeshavetoadmonishthemtorejoicewiththosewhorejoice.

ThingstoLookOutFor

Asyouknowbynow,mywifeandI,byGod’sgrace,havebeenusedintheareaof giving formanyyears. I have shared about a remarkable season of time inwhichwewereabletogiveninevehiclesawayin18months.AsIwrite,wearenowupto14vehiclesthatwehavegivenaway,andcounting.Blessingpeopleisfun(andhabitforming!).

Sincethoseearlydays,we’vebeenabletogiveourfirsthouseaway.We’vegone through seasons in our lives in which we’ve given 70 percent of ourincome away. And on three different occasions in our lives, we’ve had theprivilegeofgivingeverythingthatweownaway.(I’llsharesomedetailsaboutthemostrecentofthesetimesintheclosingchapterofthisbook.)

Pleaseunderstand,I’mnottellingyouanyofthistobrag.I’mnotinterestedinpattingmyselfontheback.Iaminterested,however,inlettingyouknowthatIhavelivedtheprinciplesI’msharingwithyou.Thisisn’ttheorywithme—it’sreallife.

Becausewe’vebeenabletowalkintheareaofgivingformanyyears,we’velearnedsomethings.We’velearnedalotaboutthosewhooperateinthegiftofgiving,andwe’velearnedalotabouthowpeoplerespondtothosewhohavethegiftofgiving.

Iremember,forinstance,atimetheLordspoketousaboutgiving$1,000tosome acquaintances who had a need. When we gave them the money, theirresponsetouswas,“Ofcourse,$1,000toyouguysislikeonly$100toalotofpeople.”Theimplicationwasthatwehadmoremoneythanweknewwhattodowithandthatgiving$1,000awaywasnotasacrificeforus.

This hurt us, and we didn’t understand why they would make such astatement.Wehadjustgiventhem$1,000.Whywasn’t theirresponse,“Thankyou somuch!”?Whywould they say, “Of course, $1,000 to you guys is likeonly$100toalotofpeople”?

That wasn’t true, of course. A thousand dollars has the same purchasingpowerregardlessofwhoisholdingit.Yetoftenthat’sexactlythewaywethinkabout people the Lord has blessed financially. Statements like the one thatcouplemaderevealinsensitivity,ingratitudeandwrongthinkingaboutmoney.

It reminds me of another couple who was aware of our reputation asgenerous givers. Every timewewere around them, theywould start droppinghints about all their financial needs.When it seemed to them thatweweren’t

pickinguptheir“subtle”hints,theygotincreasinglyblatant.Ofcourse,wewerepickinguptheirhints;wejusthadnointentionofrespondingtomanipulation.

Irememberoneoccasionwhenoneofthemsaid,“Yeah,wewereshortthismonth on some of our bills, but of course, you two wouldn’t know anythingabout that.” Of course, we knew quite well what it’s like to have too muchmonthattheendofourmoney.Wehadexperiencedtimesinwhichwehadtotrust God for the meeting of our basic needs. Even people who have beenblessedtremendouslybyGodstillknowtimesinwhichthey’vehadshortfalls.

Theunfortunatetruthisthatifyouoperateinthespiritualgiftofgiving,youare almost certainly going to encounter the ungrateful, the insensitive or themanipulative.Itcomeswiththeterritory.

AWordtoPastors

This chapter holds some valuable insights for pastors. I really have a heart tohelp shepherds understand that people in their churches have this gift, how torecognizeitandhowtocultivateit.

It’skindofodd.Manypastorsinstinctivelyknowthattheyneedtonurture,trainanddeveloppeopleinthechurchwhohavethegiftsofleading,servingorteaching.Theywillinstructthemandhelpthemlearntofunctionbetterintheirgifts.Butmanyofthesamepastorsdon’tevenknowhowtorecognizethegiftofgiving as a spiritual gift, and if they do, they don’t knowhow to help peoplegrow in it. I suspect some pastors even think it is somehow inappropriate forthemtodevelopthosememberswhohavethegiftofgiving.

Thinkaboutthis.Sincetherearesevenmotivationalgifts,it’squitepossiblethatoneoutofsevenofthosesittingaroundyouinchurchhasthemotivationalgiftofgiving.Ifyouareoneofthosewiththegiftofgiving,Iwanttohelpyou.AndIwanttohelptheleaderswhoarereadingthisbooktoknowbetterhowtohelp peoplewith this gift. They are too valuable to theBody ofChrist not tohavetheirgiftsmaturedanddeveloped.

If you have the motivational gift of giving, I want you to know it is awonderfulspiritualgiftfromGod.YoushouldbepleasedandgratefulthatGodhasgivenyouthisgift.MyhopeisthatyouwillseeitasaspiritualgiftthatGodwantstousetobuildtheChurchandtobuildHiskingdom.

Ifyou’reapastororaleader,IwanttochallengeyoutoaskGodtotakeyoutoahigherlevelofgivinginyourownlife.It’sverydifficultforapastortoleadgivers effectively if that pastor doesn’t have a heart for giving or anunderstandingofthebiblicalprinciplesofstewardship.

I encourage pastors to preach on giving without apology.Money was thesubject in 30 percent of the parables Jesus taught. I like to preach on givingbecauseIknowithelpspeople.IknowthatwhenpeoplehearandembracethetruthaboutSpirit-ledgiving,Godisgoingtoblessthemandchangetheir livesforthebetter.

MONEYWASTHESUBJECTIN30PERCENTOFTHEPARABLESJESUSTAUGHT.

Inalltruthandsincerity,whenIpreachtomycongregationaboutgiving,mymotive is to help them, not the church. I will say, however, that I personallydon’tcareforsomeofthephrasesthatarecommonlyusedrelatedtogivinginchurch.

For instance,avocationalministerwilloftenstandbefore thecongregationandsay,“I’mgoingtoreceivetheofferingnow.”Itsuggeststhatthecongregantsarethegiversandthepastorandstaffarethereceivers.Iwouldverymuchpreferto hear, “We’re all going to give our offerings now.” This indicates that thepastorisjoiningthepeopleingivingtotheLord.

Oh,howIlongtoseepastorsaskGodtodoaworkintheirheartsintheareaofgiving—thenpreachwithpassionandpoweroutofthatchangedheart.Somedon’tbecausetheyareafraidpeoplewillbeoffended.Ihaveheardthemsayso.But the truth is that the only people who get offended when you preach ongivingaretheoneswhodon’tgive—thosewhoareinthegraspofthespiritofmammon. The people who have a revelation of giving will not get offendedwhen you preach on it, and those in bondage to mammon can never tastefreedomunlesstheyhearthetruth.

People who have the gift of giving are a wonderful asset to a church. Apastorcangotoagenuinegiveranddirectlyshareaneedwiththem,andtheywillnotbeoffended.Asamatteroffact,theywillappreciateitbecauseoftheirstrongdesiretomeetneeds.

I had onemanwith the gift of giving describe how giverswill frequentlydirect themajority of their above-the-tithe offerings towardministries outsidethechurch.Why?Becausethechurch’svisionsimplyisn’tbigenoughtojustifythefundstheywouldliketogive.Inotherwords,thepastorseitherdon’thaveabigenoughvisionorbigenoughfaithtobeabletoattractthosefunds.

Iwanttosaytopastors,“GetalargevisionfromGod,becauseHehasgiventhegiftofgivingtoindividualsinyourchurchwhohaveadesiretogivelargeamountsifthevisionislargeandworthy.”

Of course, as I have already stated, if you begin looking to them as yoursource,ratherthanGod,youwon’tseemuchinthewayofresults.Peoplewiththegiftofgivingcansensemanipulationfromamileaway.Ifyoustartdroppinghints around them instead of making a straightforward request, they will beoffendedandwillnotgive.Peoplewhohave thegiftofgivingcanpickupongimmicksandscamsquickerthananyoneelsebecausetheygivebysupernaturalrevelation.TheygivebythevoiceoftheSpirit.

I remember one particular lunch meeting I had with a fairly new

acquaintance.Hewaswealthy,andIcoulddiscernthathehadthegiftofgiving—thoughatthetimeitwasclearlyundeveloped.

Soonafterwesatdown,hesaid,“Let’sgetsomethingstraightrightfromthestart.IwillonlygivetoyourministryifGodtellsmeto.”Alittlestartledathisbluntness,Isaid,“Great!I’dliketogetsomethingstraightrightfromthestartaswell.Likeyou,IfunctioninthegiftofgivingandIdidn’tinviteyoutolunchtoask you formoney. Frankly, God has blessed us tremendously, andwe don’tneed any of your money. I’m here because God has given me some insightsaboutthegiftofgiving.TheLordtoldmethatyoudon’tknowtheseprinciples,eventhoughyouhavethisgift.”

Atthispoint,hewastheonewhowasstartled.Nowonaroll,Icontinued,“TheLord showedme that there are five things you have been praying aboutdoing.Icanhelpyouapplyyourgiftofgivingintheseareasifyou’llletme.”

Ioutlined the five issues theLordhadshownme,and inaddition tobeingamazedattheaccuracy,headmittedthathedidindeedneedhelpinthoseareas.

Sincethatoccasion,wehavebecomeclosefriends.Today,hehassurpassedmeinhisunderstandinginthisareaandfrequentlyhelpsmeteachothersaboutthegiftofgiving.

TheSinofPartiality

TheBible stronglydiscouragesus fromshowingpartiality, specifically towardthewealthyorprominentinsociety.“Butifyoushowpartiality,youcommitsin,andareconvictedbythelawastransgressors”(Jas.2:9).

Ihaveobservedthatwhenitcomestorelatingtopeoplewhohavethegiftofgiving,wefrequentlyshowpartialityand that itmanifests itself in twodistinctways.

Tobesure,thereareoccasionsinwhichachurchgoesoutofitswaytotreatawealthyvisitorbetterthanitshould.Butmypersonalobservationhasbeenthatthe rich are often treated much worse than others, usually because of envy,jealousyorgreed.

Inmyexperience,peoplewhohaveexercisedthegiftofgivingfaithfully—andhavebeenblessedwithfinancesasaresult—don’treallywanttobetreatedany differently from anyone else. But often, people who have great financialresourcesaresomeoftheloneliestpeopleintheworld.

Byandlarge,peopleofwealthhavebeenbadlytreatedbythechurch.Theyhavesatinservicesasjokesweremadeabout“therich.”They’veheardsermonillustrations from the pulpit that have portrayed success as if it were a sin orsomethingaboutwhich tobeashamed.Thensomepastorswonderwhypeopleof influence andmoney don’t come to their churches. In having this attitude,manypastorsandChristianshavebeeninfectedbytheworld’swayofthinking.

Resentment of success and excellence is a hallmark of theworld’s systemtoday. Think for amoment about any of the Hollywoodmovies or televisionprograms you have seen lately. In how many of them was the “bad guy” asuccessfulbusinessperson?The“evilrichperson”andthe“greedycorporation”havebecomeHollywoodclichés.

Watch enough Hollywood entertainment, and you will soon find yourselfthinking that everyone who does well in life must have lied, cheated andbackstabbed to achieve it.This lie resonateswithpeoplebecause it appeals toenvyandjealousyinthefallenhumannature.

Inreality,peoplewhodowelloverthelonghaultendtobepeoplewhodothingsGod’sway(whethertheyknowitornot!).

ConsiderthefollowingScriptures:

TheLORDmakes poor andmakes rich;He brings low and lifts up.He

raises thepoor from thedust and lifts thebeggar from the ashheap (1Sam.2:7-8).

He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligentmakesrich(Prov.10:4).

TheblessingoftheLORDmakesonerich,andHeaddsnosorrowwithit(Prov.10:22).

The generous soul will bemade rich, and he whowaters will also bewateredhimself(Prov.11:25).

According to theseScriptures,wealth isablessing fromGodandaproductofthingssuchasdiligenceandgenerosity.

So let me ask you, Why would we put down someone whom God hasblessed?WhywouldweconsidersomethingthatcamefromthehandofGodtobeevilorshameful?Itbordersonblasphemy.

Isuggestweneedtochangeourattitudesaboutmoney.Weneedtoexamineour hearts and see if we have any prejudices against people who have beenblessedfinancially.Envyandjealousyarerampantinourcultureand,sadly,inourchurches.Itispossibletohaveyourthinkingtaintedbythespiritofthisage.

Abram might not have been welcome in many churches today. Why?“Abramwasveryrichinlivestock,insilver,andingold”(Gen.13:2).

ManyofthemenintheBiblewhomwerevereandrespectasmenoffaithwere blessed financially by God. They were blessed because they were goodstewards, andGod knew thatHe could trust themwithwealth.He knew theywouldusetheirresourcestoblessothersandcarryoutGod’spurposes.

We need to examine our hearts, including our feelings toward those whoseemtoliveextravagantlybyourstandards.Forexample,letmetellyouaboutafriendofminewhoisverywell-to-do.

My friend made the foundation of his house with precious stones. Hisdrivewayismadeofgoldandhisgatesaremadeofpearls.DoyouknowwhoI’mtalkingabout?I’mtalkingaboutGod.WouldyousaythatHeiseccentric?WouldyousaythatHehasaprobleminthisarea?

Theproblem,ofcourse, isnotmoney.Theproblemishowwe thinkaboutmoneyandthosewhohavemoreofitthanwedo.

Liketherestofus,peoplewithwealtharejustlookingforaplacewheretheycan be accepted. Unfortunately, I thinkwe have treated them so badly in the

churchthatmuchoftheirgivingnowgoestoparachurchministriesandChristiancharitiesratherthantoalocalchurch.

Pleaseunderstand,I’mnotopposedtopeoplewiththegiftofgivingdonatingtoministriesotherthanalocalchurch,butIwouldalsoliketoseelocalchurchesgetalltheresourcesGodwantsthemtohave.

Ihaveapassion toseechurches financiallyable tohire thestaff,build thebuildings and send themissionaries they need to fulfillGod’s highest calling.Thatcanonlyhappenaschurchesquit ignoring (orevendespising)oneof thesevengiftstheSpiritprovidesintheBody.

HallmarksofaGiver

Ofcourse,foreverytruthofGod,Satantriestoofferadistortedcounterfeit.For example, I believe God tried to restore the truth about giving to the

churchinthe1980s.ButSatandistortedthattruth;thuswesawmanyministersexploit people and gather large sums of money for their own pleasure. Theabuses were there for the whole world to see. Yes, God wants to bless Hispeople,butfortherightpurposes.

Aswe’veseen,thegiftofgivingisoneofsevenmotivationalgifts.Ifthosegifts are evenly distributed among God’s people then roughly 15 percent ofbelievershavethisgift.Yetsurveysshowthatonly5to7percentofChristiansbelievetheyhavethegiftofgiving.

Whyisthis?Isitbecausewehaven’trecognizeditasavalidgiftfromourpulpits? Is this because we don’t honor people who have this gift, equippingthemandencouragingtheminit?

FOREVERYTRUTHOFGOD,SATANTRIESTOOFFERADISTORTEDCOUNTERFEIT.

Letmedescribetheclassicsignsofabelieverwiththegiftofgivingandthewayyoucanrecognizetheminyourownheartandinothers.Ialsowanttohelppastors recognize this gift in their people and be better able to equip them tooperateinthatgift,tothebuildingupoftheChurch.

• People who have the gift of giving respond to strong vision with clearobjectives. Theywant theirmoney to count; theywant to seeministriesand ministers that operate by sound financial principles; they want toinvestinministriesandministersthataregoodstewardsandaresuccessfulinutilizingthefundsGodisgivingthem.TheyareliterallyinvestorsintheKingdom.And as good investors, theywant to put theirmoney in goodministriesthatarebeingeffectivewiththefundsentrustedtothem.Thisisveryimportanttothem.

• Givers canbemenorwomen. I knowaman inour churchwho isverysuccessfulfinancially,buthiswifeistheonewhohasthemotivationalgift

ofgiving.Now,helovestogivetoobutsheistheonewhohearstheLordby revelation in the area of giving. His motivational gift is that ofleadership,whichGodusestoproducefinancialblessing.ThensheisabletousehergiftofgivingtodistributethosefinancesastheLordspeakstobothofthem.Now,obviously,theyeachhaveothergiftsaswell,butthesearestrongmotivationalgiftswiththem.Theymakeagreatteam.

• Peoplewhohave thegiftofgivinghavediscernment thatallows themtodetermine genuine needs.Remember,we’re talking about a spiritual giftthat comes from God. Therefore, a person who has this gift picks upmanipulationmore quickly than anyone can by naturalmeans. They areabletolookatministriesandmissionariesanddeterminewherebonafideneeds are and howmoney should be used. Peoplewho have the gift ofgiving are great at serving on mission committees and benevolencecommittees,becausetheyhavetheabilitytodeterminetrueneedsthatareworthyofinvestmentbythechurch.

•Peoplewhohavethegiftofgivingareveryfrugalbutalsoverygenerous.Letmeexplain.Awhileback,Ihadtocounsellovinglyamanwiththegiftof givingwhowas out of balance in this way. Hewould joyously giveawaythousandsofdollarsastheLordpromptedbutthenturnaroundandporeoverhiswife’sgroceryreceiptstoseeifshehadspentafewdollarsneedlessly.Hewasn’t trying tobemean;hewas just letting thefrugalitythatcomesnaturallytoagivergetwayoutofbalance.Becausehedidn’tunderstand some things in the area of giving, he didn’t realize he wasbeing generous toward strangers but stingy toward the most importantperson in his life.Nevertheless, peoplewhohave this gift tend towatchwhere their money goes. They like budgets, and they understand theprinciplesoffinanceverywell.Theirgreatestjoycomesinmeetingneeds.

• A person who has the gift of giving desires to be appreciated but notrecognized.Theydon’twanttheirnameonanything;theydon’twanttobepraised in front of their church for their giving; they don’t want anyrecognitionfortheirgift;buttheydoliketoknowthattheirobedienceandsacrificesareappreciated.Aheartfeltthank-yougoesalong,longway.

• Peoplewhohave thegiftofgivingwant to invest inastable ship,notasinking ship.When a televisionminister says, “If you don’t give,we’re

going off the air,” people who have the gift of giving will tend todisqualify that ministry.When, on the other hand, a television ministrycredibly shows that it is actually helping people, feeding people, takingcareofpeopleandgettingpeoplesaved—thosewhohavethegiftofgivingwillfavorthatministry.Apersonwhohasthegiftofgivingdoesn’twantto invest ina sinkingshiporevenone that isdriftingaimlesslywith thecurrent. Theywant theirmoney to be handled in a prudentmanner, andthey appreciate excellence andquality.One faithful giver toldme that iftheheadofaministryororganizationhasapovertymentalityorthewrongperspective aboutmoney, he doesn’twant to invest in thatministry.Hechooses to invest in ministries where the leader has demonstrated theabilitytohandlelargesumsofmoneyinaprudentandwiseway.

•Contrarytocommonbelief,peoplewhotrulyhavethegiftofgivingdon’twant to control theirmoney after they have given it. If you encounter apersonwhoattempts toassert control through thegivingof theirmoney,youcanbesuretheyarenotoperatinginthespiritualgiftofgiving.Peoplewhohavethegiftofgivingwanttogivegenerously,andasIhavestated,they need to know that theirmoneywill be handled correctly. But theynevereverwanttotrytocontrolormanipulatewiththeirmoney.Mostofthetime,theywillgivetoministriesthathavestrongleaderswithastrongvision. (Just a note to pastors here: You obviously need to respect andappreciatepeoplewhohavethisgift.Butyoucan’tministertoanyonewithwhom you are overly impressed or who intimidates you. As I’ve said,giverswithwealthwanttobetreatedlikeeveryoneelse.)

•Peoplewhohavethegiftofgivingdon’twanttobeaBand-Aid—theywanttobeacure.Inotherwords,theydon’twanttheirmoneyjusttoprovideashort-termfixof something that isgoing tobreakagain.Theywant it tobringlastingsolutionstosituations.

• Peoplewhohave thegiftofgivingwant togivemore thanmoney—theywant to give their time, their talent and their wisdom. Many givers arequite talented. Judson Cornwall calls them “Apostles in the businessworld.”1Inourchurchthereisamanwiththegiftofgivingwhohassavedus thousands of dollars on our land and building acquisitions. He hastremendouswisdomanddiscernment in thisarea,andhiscounsel isveryvaluable; but he also has tremendous wisdom in many other areas. For

example,heisaverygiftedBibleteacherandleader,inthechurchandonthe mission field. In fact, he recently helped a new church in Odessa,Ukraine, pattern their churchgovernment after ours. I’vediscovered thatpeople who have the gift of giving love to see their experience andexpertiseputtoworkfortheKingdom.Theywanttoofferwisecounseltothechurchtheyloveandappreciate.Bythesametoken,ifyourejecttheirwisdom,counselandexperience,theywillmostlikelyfindaministrythatwantsit.

•Peoplewhohavethegiftofgivingareoftengiftedleaders.Theirabilitytoleadisfrequentlythereasontheyhavebeensosuccessful.

• As I have already stated, people who have the gift of giving don’tappreciate being put downor criticized for having a successful lifestyle.(Who does enjoy being resented or criticized unjustly?) If a wealthybeliever has a large home, hemost likely sees it as an investment—onethatisactuallybuildingwealththathewillultimatelybeabletouseinthekingdomofGod.The income thatGodhas blessed themwithmay givethemtheabilitytodrivenicevehiclesandhaveniceclothes.Forthem,it’snotaboutextravaganceorbeingostentatious;it’saboutenjoyingsomeofthefruitsofGod’sblessing.Nevertheless,onmanyoccasions,Ihaveheardpastors deride, criticize and generalize about people who have nicepossessions,apparentlyunawarethattheyareridiculingpeoplewhomGodhasblessedwith thegiftofgiving.Often, thepeoplebeingcriticizedaregivingawayamuchhigherpercentageoftheirincomesthanthatpreacherwouldeverdreamofdoinghimself.

•Successfulpeoplewiththegiftofgivingdon’twanttotalkaboutmoneyallthetime.Iknowmanypastorswhoalwayswanttotalkaboutmoneywhentheygetaroundpeoplewhohavethegiftofgiving.I’vediscoveredthat’snot the subject they want to discuss. Money to them is a tool—notsomething to beworshiped, obsessed over or analyzed all the time.Askabout their family. Find out what their kids are doing. Talk about whatyou’vebothbeenseeingintheWordlately.Whenyou’rearoundsomeonewiththegiftofgiving,talkaboutanythingbutmoney.

AdviceforGivers

Itisverypossiblethat,asyou’vereadthisbook,youhavebeenstirredbecauseyou recognized inyourself thehallmarksof someone towhomGodhasgiventhegiftofgiving.

INVESTYOURMONEYWHEREITWILLMAKETHELARGESTPOSSIBLEIMPACTFORTHEKINGDOMOF

GOD.

Ifso,Iwouldencourageyoutolearnmoreaboutthatimportantgift.DoyourownBiblestudyonthesubject.Andifyouarenotalreadytithing,begintotitheatyourlocalchurchandlookforplaceswhereyourmoneycanbebestinvestedin the Kingdom. Look for opportunities to bless worthy ministries that areaffectingandhelpingpeople.

Begin “distributing to the needs of the saints,” as you are “given tohospitality” (Rom. 12:13). Invest your money where it will make the largestpossibleimpactforthekingdomofGod.

Ifyouhavebeenmistreatedormalignedbyuninformedpeopleinthechurch,forgivethem.Don’tletitcauseyoutogetbitterinyourheartandstoptheflowofgivingandblessinginyourlife.

Remember,Godhascausedyoutobeariver,notareservoir.Thewaterinariverispureandclean,butthewaterinareservoiriscontaminated.Makesurethatyouarecontinuingtogive,asGodleadsyou, to thechurchandtoworthyministriesthataremakinganimpactforthekingdomofGod.

CHAPTER9

GodRewardsGoodStewardship

Formostofus,summercampholdsalotofinterestingmemories.Forinstance,Iremember coming to the endofmy firstweekof campandhearing that therewas going to be an awards ceremony. I remember thinking, An awardsceremony?Not fair!Theyshouldhavetoldusat the firstof theweekthat theyweregoingtogiveoutawards.IfIhadknown,Iwouldhavetriedharder!

Idon’twantyoutosufferasimilarfate.Rightnow,whileyouhavetherestofyourlifeinfrontofyou,IwanttoletyouknowthatGodisarewarder.

Hebrews11sayssoinclearterms:

Butwithout faith it is impossible to pleaseHim, for hewho comes toGodmust believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those whodiligentlyseekHim(v.6,emphasisadded).

Godisarewarder.ThisisatruthaboutGodofwhichmanyChristiansdon’tseemtobeaware.HelovestorewarduswhenwediligentlyseekHispresence,His will and His ways. He rewards good work, and He rewards goodstewardship.

I’vehadsomereal-lifeexperienceswiththisprinciplelately.AsIwrotethisbook,myoldestsonwasawayatcollege.Hehadalwaysbeenahard-workingkid,buthetookanaccelerateddegreeprogramthatwassoconcentrated,itmadeworkingapart-timejobunfeasible.ThatmeantthatIprovidednearlyallofhissupport.

GODLOVESTOREWARDUSWHENWEDILIGENTLYSEEKHISPRESENCE,HISWILLANDHISWAYS.

Rightbeforehefirstwentofftoschool,wesatdownanddrewupabudgetforhimbaseduponasetamountIwouldsendhimeachmonth.

Twoorthreemonthslater,wesatdownandlookedathisbudgettoseehowhewasdoing.Iwaspleasedtodiscoverthathewasdoingagreatjoboflivingwithinhismeans.Hewasn’tgoingouttoeatortoseemoviesalot.Hewasn’tbreakinghisbudgetwithnewclothes.Essentially,hewasbeingagoodsteward

ofthemoneyIwassendinghim.Sowhatdidalovingfatherdoforhisgood-stewardson?Irewardedhim!I

increasedtheamountofmoneyIwassendinghimeachmonth.Isaid,“Now,doanythingyouwantwiththeextramoney—goout toeatwithyourfriendsafterchurchafewmoretimesorbuyanewshirtortwo.”

A fewmonths later, he calledme and said, “Dad, I’ve been thinking. If Imove intoadifferentapartment, I can lowermy livingexpensesandsaveyousomemoney.”Ofcourse, Iwasblessed tosee thathewas thinkingofways tohelp.Heknew that hismother and Iwere sacrificing and economizingonourendtomakecollegepossibleforhim.Hehadathankfulheart.

Wechecked intohis idea,workedoutall thedetails andhelpedhimmoveinto the less expensive apartment. Shortly thereafter, he called and said, “It’sworking out like we thought; you can lower the amount you’re sending menow.”

Do you knowwhat I did? I kept sending the same amount to him. I said,“Thanks,Son,butnowyou’ll justhavemore spendingmoney.You’vebeenagoodsteward,andIwantyoutoberewarded.Youshouldenjoythebenefitsofyourgoodstewardship.”

Whydon’tweexpectGodtobeatleastasgraciousandresponsiveasIwasto my own son?Why would we be surprised to learn that God rewards andblessesusforbeinggoodstewards?

AccordingtoMatthew6,Godrewardsuswhenweprayorfastorgivetothepoor.Andin1Corinthians,wefind:

Nowhewhoplantsandhewhowatersareone,andeachonewillreceivehisownrewardaccordingtohisownlabor(3:8,emphasisadded).

InBruceWilkinson’swonderfulbookALifeGodRewards,hecitesexampleafterexampleofhowGodisgoingtorewardusinheavenforallthegoodworksthatwehavedoneonEarth.Ashe is careful topoint out,we’renot savedbygoodworks,butwearesavedforgoodworks—andthosegoodworksresultinrewards.

ThefamiliarwordsofEphesians2tellus:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not ofyourselves;itisthegiftofGod,notofworks,lestanyoneshouldboast.Forwe areHisworkmanship, created in Christ Jesus for goodworks,whichGodpreparedbeforehandthatweshouldwalkinthem(vv.8-10,

emphasisadded).

As Bruce points out in his book, wemust distinguish between belief andbehavior.Ourbeliefdetermineswherewewillspendeternity,andourbehaviordetermineshowwewillspendeternity.

Bruce is right.God is going to rewardus oneday for our behavior or ourgoodworks. But it is also true thatGod rewards uswhilewe’re still here onEarth!TheBiblemakesthisquiteclear.Look,forexample,atMark10:

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no onewhohas lefthouseorbrothersor sistersor fatherormotherorwifeorchildrenorlands,forMysakeandthegospel’s,whoshallnotreceiveahundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters andmothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age tocome,eternallife”(vv.29-30,emphasisadded).

Jesusisspeakinghere.WhatHe’ssayingis“Godisgoingtorewardus,notonlyintheagetocome,butnowinthistimeaswell.”

As several of Jesus’ parables illustrate, the Lord rewards stewardship. Forexample, inLuke19, Jesus relates the parable of theminas. (A “mina”was acoinwith a value of about 50 shekels of silver.) Jesus tells of 10 peoplewhoreceived one mina each from a master or lord who wanted to test theirstewardship,faithfulnessandability.AsJesustellsit,whenthemasterreturnedforanaccounting,heinstantlyrewardedthestewardwhohaddonewell:

Andhesaidtohim,“Welldone,goodservant;becauseyouwerefaithfulinaverylittle,haveauthorityovertencities”(Luke19:17).

Godisnotgoingtogiveusmoremoneyifwecan’tevenbefaithfulwiththemoney thatHe has already given us. If a person can’t handle $500 perweek,whywouldGodgivehim$5,000perweek?

GodisinterestedinbuildingHiskingdom.That’swhyHeisgoingtoentrustfunds to peoplewho areproving toHim that theywill begood stewardswiththose funds—givingwhenGod tells them to give. Theywon’t squander theirresourcesonuselessthings;they’llbudgettheirmoneyandbeaccountable.Theywill also be good stewards of their time, relationships and talents. This is themessageintheparableoftheminas.Jesusmakesasimilarpointintheparableofthetalents(seeMatt.25:14-30).Godgivestalentstoeachofusaccordingtoour

ability, and He expects us to use those talents for Him and for His kingdompurposes.WewillneverseeGod’smiraculouspowergiventopoorstewards!

Intheparableoftheminas,Jesussaidtoeachmanwhohadreceivedamina,“DobusinesstillIcome”(Luke19:13).ThatiswhatGodexpectsustodo.Heexpectsustodobusiness—Kingdombusiness—untilHereturns.

InActs2,wefind thefirstSpirit-filledChristiansso in lovewithGod thattheyactually sold theirpossessionsandgoods—distributing freely toeveryonewho had need! In response to their generosity and selflessness, God wasgenerouswithmiracles!TheyabandonedthemselvestoGod’splanandpurpose,andGodapplaudedfromheavenbypouringoutHispower.

InJesus’parableof theminas,whydid themaster take theonemina fromthe bad steward and give it to the one who had 10? Because Jesus is intorewarding stewardship! Poor stewards lose resources; good stewards receivemore.It’saprettysimpleconcept!

Haveyoueverlamentedthefactthatitseemsthattherichkeepgettingricherand the poor keep getting poorer?We’d better get used to it.As the parablesshow,aversionofthathappensinthekingdomofGod.TheLordgivesmoretothosewhodemonstratetrustworthiness,asmysondemonstratedtomewhenhewent away to college.Conversely,God is not going to givemore to someonewho is irresponsible with money or who doesn’t know where his money isgoing.

OURBELIEFDETERMINESWHEREWEWILLSPENDETERNITY,ANDOURBEHAVIORDETERMINESHOW

WEWILLSPENDETERNITY.

Some believers think they are exempt from having to think aboutstewardshipbecausetheydon’tmakeverymuch.Theyfailtocomprehendthatitisbeingfaithfulwiththelittlethatleadstobeingentrustedwithmore.

Whenever there is a news report about someone winning the lottery orinheritingalargesumofmoney,Ihearpeoplemakestatementslikethis:“Boy,ifIinherited5milliondollars,I’dgiveamillionofittomychurch.Yessiree!”Right!Whatmakes them think theywill give 20 percent of awindfall to theLord if theyarenotevengiving10percentof their incomenow? It’sbecausethey think, I will still have plenty left over for myself. But the heart ofstewardshipsays,“WithwhatIhavenow,I’mgoingtohonorGod.Iwillfinda

waytogive20percent(orwhatevertheSpiritdirects)now.”Itisthepersonwithsuchaheartwhoisentrustedwithmore.

Look again at the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. It says the man“calledhisownservantsanddeliveredhisgoodstothem”(v.14).

We’relikethoseservants.GodhasdeliveredHisgoodstous.NotonlydoesHe entrust uswith ameasure ofmaterialwealth, butHe gives usmuchmorepreciousthingsaswell.Hehasdeliveredtreasurestous:prayer,thegoodnewsofsalvationandthepowertohelppeople.TheseareHispreciousgoodsHehasdeliveredtous,andHeexpectsustouseanddistributethem.

GodexpectsustobegoodstewardsofHispeoplewhomHeputsinourpath.Andaswe’veseen,Heisarewarderofgoodstewards.

You’ll remember that Jesus told us in Matthew 6 to lay up treasure forourselvesinheaven.Soletmeaskyou:Howmuchtreasureareyoulayingupinheaven?Whenyou get to heaven,will you look back on this earth and regrethowmuchtreasureyoulaiduphereinsteadofsendingitonaheadtoheaven?

AFaithfulandWiseServant?

JustpriortotheparableofthetalentsinMatthew25,Jesus,intalkingaboutHisunexpectedreturn,asksaverypointedquestion:

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made rulerover his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is thatservantwhomhismaster,whenhecomes,willfindsodoing.Assuredly,Isaytoyouthathewillmakehimruleroverallhisgoods(Matt.24:45-47).

Whataquestion!“Whothenisafaithfulandwiseservant?”Jesusisaskingthesamequestiontoday.Hesaysthatwhenthemasterreturns,HewantstofindHisservantsdoingagoodjobwiththethingsHehasentrustedtothem.

WhentheLordreturns,willHefindyoubeingagoodandfaithfulsteward?AreyoudoingthebestwithwhatGodhasgivenyou?Doyouknowwhereyourmoneyisgoingeverymonth?Areyoutithing,giving,witnessingandpraying?

WhereIsYourHeart?

As we saw earlier in chapter 5, Jesus said: “Therefore if you have not been

faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the trueriches?”(Luke16:11).

ThisshowsusthatGodactuallyusesmoneytotestourhearts;moneytestsourstewardshipandourtrustworthiness.It’ssoberingtothinkabout,buteverydayGodseesthepurchaseswemakeandthemoneywegive.

The test is our handling of money. The outcome of that test determineswhetherHecan trustuswith true richesornot.That’swhy, for theChristian,moneyismorethanjustameansforbuyingthings.Jesusspent30percentofHistimeteachingonmoneyforareason.

AsMatthew 6:21 shows us, God knowswhere our heart is by where ourtreasure is. If your testimony is “My heart is in the kingdom of God,” yourcheckbookwilleithervalidateorrefutethatclaim.

It’s likely thatGod thinksmuchmoreabout stewardship thanwedo. I saythatbecauseit’swoventhroughoutthefabricoftheBible.

As we’ve seen, the first instructions God gave Adam and Eve werestewardshiprelated:Befruitful,multiply,careforthisGardenandleavethatonetreealone!(seeGen.1:28;2:17).

The stewardship principle even makes an appearance in the Song ofSolomon.TheretheShulamitewomansays:

Theymademethekeeperofthevineyards,butmyownvineyardIhavenotkept(SongofSol.1:6).

This describes many believers. We can be so busy keeping other people’svineyards—mindingtheirbusinessandtryingtotellthemhowtoruntheirlives—thatwedon’ttakecareofourownvineyard.

Wecan’thelpothersifwedon’tcareforwhatGodhasgivenus.Ifwe’renotgoodstewards, it’sgoingtolimitourability tohelppeopleandtoadvancethekingdomofGod.

PointingtheFingerofBlame

God is constant; finances aren’t. In other words, finances seem to go up anddown, but God is always the same. Every person I know has ups and downsfinancially.Evenpeoplewhohavealotofmoneystillhavefluctuationsintheirfinances.Theyhavethesameopportunitiesasanyoneelsetofret,toworryandtobestressedoutaboutfinances.

SometimeswegetupsetwithGodbecause“He’snotcomingthroughforus”financially. We say this even when we didn’t pray about whether we weresupposedtospendourmoneythewaywedid.I’mnottryingtosoundunkindorharsh, butwe need to know thatGod is not responsible for billsHe does notinitiate.

Wearetheoneswhoareresponsibleforourfinances.Wearethestewardsofourmoney.WeshouldprayandgetGod’scounselbeforewespendmoney.Thetruth is thatmost of the stress,worry and anxiety in our lives is caused by afailuretoexercisegoodstewardship.

Suppose you have $500 left until payday, and you impulsively choose tospend$300onanewbarbequegrill,leavingyoushortandinfinancialtrouble.Friend,that’snotthejudgmentofGod.That’sarithmetic!

MOSTOFTHESTRESS,WORRYANDANXIETYINOURLIVESISCAUSEDBYAFAILURETOEXERCISEGOOD

STEWARDSHIP.

Simple subtraction makes that purchase a bad decision with certainconsequences. So often we feel like God is punishing us when we’reexperiencing financial lack. In reality, we’re actually punishing ourselvesbecausewedidn’ttakethetimetoprayaboutmakingthatpurchaseorevenusegoodcommonsense.

Ifpaydayis10daysaway,youhave$500leftinyouraccount,andyoustillhave groceries, insurance, electricity and gasoline to purchase, wisdom andcommonsensedictatethatthegrillmustwait.

ThepointisthatGodfrequentlygetsblamedforourself-inflictedwounds.Researchers say that thenumberone reason fordivorce is communication,

withmoney following a close second.When they begin to dig a little deeper,

they discover that the number one thing couples don’t communicate about isfinances.Moneyisthemainsourceofconflictinmarriage.

Ifwewouldpracticethesimpleprinciplesofgoodstewardship,wewouldn’thave a lot of the ulcers, headaches and other health problems associatedwithfinancialstress.

GodWantstoBless

God truly does desire to bless us.Do you really believe that in your heart ofhearts?Letmerephrase thequestion.DoyoubelieveGoddesires tocurseus?DoyouthinkGoddesirestodousharm?Ofcourse,youdon’t!

It’snothardtobelievethatGodisn’touttogetus.ButmanyChristiansdohaveamuchhardertimeacceptingthefactthatGoddesirestoblessthem.

Letmestateitplainly:Godferventlywantstoblessussothatwecanbeablessingtoothers.ThisisexactlywhatHetoldAbraminGenesis12:

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you andmake your namegreat;andyoushallbeablessing(v.2).

Inotherwords,God’sdesirewastoblessAbramsothathecouldbeablessing.Thesameistrueforyouandmetoday.Godwantstoputgreatresourcesin

ourhandssothatwecanbeconduitsofHisblessing.Isn’tthatexactlywhatwearetoldinthefollowingNewTestamentverse?

AndGodisabletomakeallgraceaboundtowardyou,thatyou,alwayshaving all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for everygoodwork(2Cor.9:8).

Godwantsustohaveanabundance.Why?Sothatwearereadyandabletodoeverygoodwork.Butaswe’veseen,havingabundanceisonlypossiblewhenwearegoodstewardsoftheblessingsGodhasgivenus.

ConfidenceintheRewarder

Uptothispoint,youhaveheardmerepeatedlyemphasizethetruththatwemustnotallowreward tobeourprimarymotivationforgiving—andit isabsolutelytrue.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the fact that God created us to likerewards.It’sbuiltintotheveryfabricofwhoweare.GodcreatedustorespondtorewardsbecauseHeisarewarder.Infact,Helovestoreward!

That’s why I’m not suggesting that it is wrong to believe that God willrewarduswhenwegive.Of course,we should expect it.God said it, andHecan’tlie!

Beingconfident thatGodwill rewarduswhenwegive is simple,childlikefaith, but we must be sure we don’t allow reward to become the primarymotivationforourgiving.

When we allow God to do a work in our hearts, the primary motivationbecomesgivingfor thesheer joyofgiving,helpingfor thepuresatisfactionofhelpingandblessingbecauseindoingsoweimitatetheheavenlyFatherweloveandhonor.

Byallmeans,beconfidentthatGodwillrewardyou.AndunlikemysummercampwhenIwasakid,Goddoesn’t justwaituntil theend tohaveanawardsceremony. He’s handing out rewards all the time. And now you know—Godrewardsgoodstewardship.

CHAPTER10

Need,GreedorSeed

ItwouldbeimpossibletowriteaBible-basedbookongivingwithoutspendingsometimein2Corinthians9.ThisisoneofthegreatpassagesinallofScriptureaboutthepowerandblessingthatcomesthroughalifestyleofSpirit-ledgiving.Therearemind-blowingtruthsthere.Hereissomebackgroundonthischapter.

PaulwasabouttosendacoupleofhishelperstotheCorinthianstocollectaspecial offering that they had said they wanted to give to the sufferingMacedonianchurch.

Intheopeningcoupleofverses,Paulissaying(myparaphrasehere),“Guys,you’ve said that you want to give a generous love offering, and I’ve beenbraggingonyoutotheotherchurches.Don’tembarrassyourselves(andme)bynotfollowingthrough!”

Basically, Paul is commending them for their willingness to give, and hetakestheopportunitytoteachthemsometruthsaboutgiving.

Paulwrites:

But this I say:Hewho sows sparinglywill also reap sparingly, andhe

whosowsbountifullywillalsoreapbountifully.Soleteachonegiveashepurposesinhisheart,notgrudginglyorofnecessity;forGodlovesacheerful giver.AndGod is able tomake all grace abound toward you,that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have anabundanceforeverygoodwork(2Cor.9:6-8).

Keep inmind that these words were directed at a group of people whowereabouttomakeasacrificialoffering.Theyweregivers.

Paul, writing under the direction of the Holy Spirit, begins by stating themostbasiclawofgiving:“Hewhosowssparinglywillalsoreapsparingly,andhewhosowsbountifullywillalsoreapbountifully”(v.6).

ThisisthesametruthJesuscommunicatedinLuke6:38:

Give,and itwillbegiven toyou:goodmeasure,presseddown,shakentogether, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with thesamemeasurethatyouuse,itwillbemeasuredbacktoyou.

You’llrememberthat thispromiseisgivennot tocreateourmotivation forgivingbuttofreeusfromfearandshowustherewardofgiving.

Paul’s verynext phrase is an important one. In this verse,we’regiven theprimaryguidelineforgiving.Eachpersonistogive“ashepurposesinhisheart”(2Cor.9:7).

You are the only person on Earthwho can decidewhat the right level ofgivingisforyou.It’sbetweenyouandtheSpiritofGod.

LookatthissameverseintheNewInternationalVersion:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, notreluctantlyorundercompulsion, forGodlovesacheerfulgiver (2Cor.9:7,emphasisadded).

Godisnotlookingfortithes,offeringsandgiftsthataregiven“reluctantlyorundercompulsion.”Theblessedlifeisanoutgrowthof“cheerful”giving.

Howdoyoubecomeacheerfulgiver?Thereisonlyoneway:Godmustdoaworkinyourheart.Aswitheveryothertruthwe’veexploreduptothispoint,itallcomesdowntotheheart.

Ilearnedavaluablelessonaboutcheerfulgivingduringthatremarkable18-month period in which we gave away nine vehicles. At one point back then,someone who knewwe had given away a number of vehicles approached us

saying, “We have a spare vehicle and we’d like to anonymously give it to acertainfamily.”

Weagreed to take thevehicleandgive it to thefamily,so they transferredthe title to ourministry. As I was delivering the car to their house, the car’senginewentout.Ihadtohavethecartowedtoagarageandpaytohaveanewengineputinit.

I recall doing a little complaining and grumbling to theLord about that. Iwassaying,“Lord,whycouldn’ttheenginehavegoneoutjustafewdaysearlierwhenthosepeoplestillhadthecar—orafewdayslaterafteritwasdeliveredtothepeoplewhoweregoing todrive it?Whydid itgooutduring the three-dayperiodthatithappenedtobeinmypossession?”

I remember the Lord speaking very clearly tome. “I planned it that way,Son.Thepersonwhowasgiving thecarawaydidn’thave themoney toputanewengineinit,andthefamilywhowasreceivingthevehiclecertainlydidn’thavethemoneytodoit,butIhaveblessedyoufinancially.Youhadthemoney,and you’ve acknowledged that it’s all My money anyway. I’ve orchestratedthesedetailsperfectly.”

YOUARETHEONLYPERSONONEARTHWHOCANDECIDEWHATTHERIGHTLEVELOFGIVINGISFOR

YOU.

Then,theLordsaidsomethingelsetome,“Son,youshouldbegratefulthatIhave blessed you financially and that I’ve blessed you with the privilege ofputtinganewengineinthevehicleforthatfamily.”

AndthentheLordgavemeagentlewarning,saying,“Now,ifyou’retiredof being a blessing to other people, I can certainly direct those resources tosomeoneelse.”

Obviously,IrepentedtotheLordandsaid,“Father,forgiveme.ItisallYourmoney. Thank You for blessing me, and thank You for the opportunity andability to put a new engine in that vehicle.” I quickly went from being a“grudging,undercompulsion”givertobeingacheerfulone.

Ofcourse,thenaturalstateofthehumanheartistobeagrudginggiver.Butwhenwehave theheart transplantwe talkedabout inchapter6, andwhenwebecomegrateful,unselfishandgenerous,onlythencanwebecheerfulgivers.

Now, look at the last verse in the 2Corinthians passage.Notice that Paul

said,“Godisable”(9:8).Thisiswhereeverystepoffaithmustbegin.Youmuststart by believing thatGod is able.Able to dowhat? “Make all grace aboundtowardyou”(v.8).

LetmegiveyouaquicklessoninthenuancesandintricaciesoftheancientGreek language. TheGreekword translated “all” in that verse literallymeans“all.”Isn’tthatamazing?

Youneedtoknowthat“Godisabletomakeallgraceaboundtowardyou”(v. 8, emphasis added).How often?Always!Not sometimes, not on days thestockmarketcloseshigherandnotwheninterestratesarelow.Always!

God is able to make all grace abound to you always. When we sowbountifully,God’sgracetowardusabounds.Itoverflows.

Andwhatistheresultofthisoverflowofgrace?Webegin“alwayshavingall sufficiency in all things” (v. 8).Howmuch sufficiency?All! (There’s thatwordagain.)Sufficiencyinhowmanythings?All!(Andagain.)

ThisistrulyanamazingScripture.Onceyougivecheerfully,Godisabletomake all grace abound toward you so that you always, always have allsufficiencyinallthings.Why?Soyoumayhave“anabundanceforeverygoodwork”(v.8)!

Verse8 isapromise that is linked toverses6and7.Allgrace,abundanceandsufficiencyareadirectresultofsowingbountifullyfromacheerfulheart.

NeedsorWants?

Letmeofferafewwordsaboutthatphrase“allsufficiency”(v.8).Ibelievetheword“sufficiency”referstoourneeds.Itrelatestohavingasufficientamount.

Wheneverweareabouttogiveasignificantoffering,itisnotunusualtobeattackedbyfearsof insufficiency:Will Ihaveenough?What if I losemyjob?Whatifmycarbreaksdown?

Wheneverthosethoughtscome,thefirstthingtorememberisthatmoneyisnotoursufficiencyinthefirstplace—Godisoursufficiency.WhenwebegintoputourtrustinanythingotherthanGod,itisidolatry.Itisanidol.

ItispreciousthatGodremindsusinthispassagethatifwegivefreelyandlook to Him, we will have enough to meet every need. We will have “allsufficiencyinallthings”(v.8).

Ofcourse,thereisabigdifferencebetweenaneedandawant.Contrarytowhatsomeseemtoteach,Goddoesn’tpromisetosatisfyeverywhimorpassingfancy.

ONCEYOUGIVECHEERFULLY,GODISABLETOMAKEALLGRACEABOUNDTOWARDYOUSOTHATYOUALWAYS,ALWAYSHAVEALLSUFFICIENCYINALL

THINGS.

Beyondthelevelcalledsufficiencyisthelevelcalledabundance.Itisatthislevelthatwe’realltested.

It’sonethingtohavejustenoughtomeetallyourneeds,buttherealhearttestcomeswhenwegetalittleextra.Thisisthepointatwhichit’spossibletopassfromneedoverintogreed.

Youseethiswheneveranindividual,whohasbeenprayingtogetoutofthebondageofdebt,getsanunexpectedlylargebonus.Often,itneveroccurstothisperson to take the extra money and pay down their debt. With a little extramoney in his hands, he immediately thinks,Now I can buy something that Ireally“need”—likethatnewsetofgolfclubs!

This iswhat ImeanwhenIsay thatweare tested inourneed,andwearetested in our greed. The need test comes as we must trust God to be oursufficiency. The greed test comes when we move beyond sufficiency intoabundance.

TheHighestLevel

Whereusingmoneyisconcerned,thereisahigherlevelbeyondneedandgreed.Thehighestuseofmoneyisseed.

ThelanguagePaulusedin2Corinthians9:6—“Hewhosowssparinglywillalsoreapsparingly,andhewhosowsbountifullywillalsoreapbountifully”—isthelanguageofseed.

Howdoyouview themoneyyoucontrol?Doyou see it asbeing there tomeetyourneed?Isittheretosatisfyyourgreed?Ordoyouseeitasseed?

You’llbetterunderstandthetruthI’mtryingtoconveyafteryou’velookedatthefollowingScriptures:

Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty norriches—feedmewiththefoodallottedtome;lestIbefullanddenyYou,andsay,“WhoistheLORD?”OrlestIbepoorandsteal,andprofanethenameofmyGod(Prov.30:8-9).

Notice that thewriter says, “Giveme neither poverty nor riches.” This is,basically,need(poverty)orgreed(riches).AsIhavesaid,thisiswhereweareall tested—inneedandgreed.Thewiseauthorof thisproverbunderstoodthat.Hebasicallysaid,“IwanttobeinthesweetspotofYourprovision,Lord.”

IsitpossibleforGodtoprovideforyourneedswithoutmoney?HeshowedElijahthatHecould:

The ravensbroughthimbreadandmeat in themorning,andbreadandmeatintheevening;andhedrankfromthebrook(1Kings17:6).

Goddidn’t needmoney toprovide forElijah;Heonlyneeded somebirds.Andhere’stheamazingthing:Thebirdsdidn’tjustbringElijahdry,oldbread.Hehadsteak!

Lateron,inchapter19,weseesomethingequallyremarkable:

Thenashe[Elijah]layandsleptunderabroomtree,suddenlyanangeltouchedhim,andsaidtohim,“Ariseandeat.”Thenhelooked,andtherebyhisheadwasacakebakedoncoals,andajarofwater.AndhewentinthestrengthofthatfoodfortydaysandfortynightsasfarasHoreb,themountainofGod(1Kings19:5-6,8).

Cake! Theman has angels baking cakes for him! This would be the firstknownappearanceof angel foodcake.Godnotonlyprovidedbreadandmeatbutdesserttoo!That’showgoodourheavenlyFatheris.

Without question, God is committed to meeting our needs; but are wecommittedtousingourmoneyasseed?

Thinkaboutafarmerwhohasonesackofseed.Hehasseveraloptions:Hecould grind the whole sack of seed into flour for bread and then hope thatsomeonewouldgivehimsomemoreseedforplanting,orhecouldusesomeofitforbreadandtherestforseed.Ifhesowsthatseed,he’sgoingtogetaharvestmuchlargerthantheoriginalseedsown.

We have already seen Paul use seed as a metaphor for money in 2Corinthians9:6.Nowlookatwhathesaysafewverseslater:

NowmayHewhosuppliesseedtothesower,andbreadforfood,supplyand multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of yourrighteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality,whichcausesthanksgivingthroughustoGod(2Cor.9:10-11).

Noticethatitdoesn’tsay,“Godsuppliesseedtothekeeper.”Hesuppliesseedtosowers—thosewhowillscatter.

I’veheardpeoplesay,“Sure,thatguyisagiver,buthecanaffordtobe;he’sgotmoney.”Theyhaveitbackwards.Thatguyhasmoneybecausehe’sagiver.Godissupplyingseedtothesower.

Ihate tosay this,butsomepreciouspeoplewhomGodwants toblesswillneverhavemoneybecausetheywon’tgettheirheartsright.Goddoesnotsupplyseed to thekeeperand,according to thatverse,Hedoesmore than justsupplyseedtothesower:

Hewhosuppliesseedtothesower,andbreadforfood(v.10).

God is alwaysmindfulofourmaterialneeds (sowedon’thave tobe).HewantsustotakesomeoftheseedHe’sgivenusandeatit,buttherestHewantsustosow.Heevenaddsapromiseaboutthatseed:

[Godwill]supplyandmultiplytheseedyouhavesownandincreasethefruitsofyourrighteousness(v.10).

Supplyandmultiply.God is theonlyOnewhocansupplyour seed;He is

also the only One who can multiply it. And when He does, He will also“increasethefruitsofyourrighteousness.”

I’m tellingyou, ifyou’re struggling in someareasofyour life,you’ll startfindingvictorywhenGoddoesaworkinthisareaofyourheart.

Ibelievegiverslivemorerighteouslivesthantakers.Why?BecauseGod,aspromised,isincreasingthefruitsoftheirrighteousness.

You’re no longer sowing selfishness; you’re no longer sowing greed;instead,you’resowinggenerosity,kindnessandlove.AsJesustoldus,whenyougivethesethings,youwillreceivetheminreturn,“goodmeasure,presseddown,shakentogether,andrunningover”(Luke6:38).

Thatbringsmetothethreefundamentalprinciplesrelatingtoseedthatyouneedtoknow.

Ijustmadereferencetothefirstone.Itisthis:Youreapwhatyousow.

LikeBegetsLike

I know that sounds self-evident, but you would be surprised at how often Iobservepeopleexpectingthingstoworksomeotherwayintheircase.

Embrace this truth: Ifyousowcorn,you’regoing toreapcorn; ifyousowwheat,you’regoingtoreapwheat;andif,asPaulsuggests,yousowmoney,youaregoing to reapmoney. It’s a law thatwas established at the creationof theworld.

ThenGodsaid,“Lettheearthbringforthgrass,theherbthatyieldsseed,andthefruittreethatyieldsfruitaccordingtoitskind,whoseseedisinitself,ontheearth”;anditwasso.Andtheearthbroughtforthgrass,theherbthatyieldsseedaccordingtoitskind,andthetreethatyieldsfruit,whose seed is in itself according to its kind.AndGod saw that itwasgood(Gen.1:11-12).

Thingsmultiplyaftertheirkind:Likebegetslikeandkindbegetskind.Canyouimagineafarmerstandinginafieldinwhichhehassownwheatseedsandbeingfrustratedbecausecornisnotappearing?Thatwouldbefoolishness.Butthatispreciselywhatsomanybelieversdo.Theyexpectaharvestofsomethingthey’veneverplanted.

Letmeemphasizeonceagain,thisisnotaholyget-rich-quickscheme.Wedon’tsowforthepurposeofgettingmoremoney;however,financialgrowthisaby-productofbountifulsowing.Itisaprinciple:Whateveryousow,you’llreap.

TheRightOrder

Thesecondprincipleyouneed toknowabout seed is this:You reapafteryousow.

Once again, I know that seems mind-numbingly simple but you cannotbelievehowmanypeoplesaythingslike,“Someday,whenIhavemoremoney,I’mgoingbeagiver.”

It will never happen. You can’t reap before you sow. Once again, this aprincipleGodhaswovenintothenaturalorderofthings.

Whiletheearthremains,seedtimeandharvest,coldandheat,winterandsummer,anddayandnightshallnotcease(Gen.8:22).

Fromtheverybeginningtheorderwasestablished.Beforetherecaneverbeaharvest,theremustbeaseedtime.JesusaffirmedthiswhenHesaid:

ThekingdomofGodisasifamanshouldscatterseedontheground,andshould sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout andgrow,hehimselfdoesnotknowhow.Fortheearthyieldscropsbyitself:first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. Butwhen the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because theharvesthascome(Mark4:26-29).

Imagine the same foolish farmer I mentioned earlier now standing in thefieldwaitingforacroptocomeinwhenhehasneverplantedaseed.“Oncethiscropcomesup,I’mgoingtodosomeserioussowing,”hesaysconfidently.“I’llbeabig-timesowerifIevergetthiscroptocomein.”

Ofcourse, this isabsurd.YetIhaveheardmanybelieverssayprettymuchthesamething,suchas,“IfGodwillhelpmeclosethismajorbusinessdeal,I’mreallygoingtostartgivingtothechurch.”

ITISTHEONEWHOISFAITHFULWITHTHELITTLEWHOWILLRECEIVEMUCH.

Itistheonewhoisfaithfulwiththelittlewhowillreceivemuch.Youhave

tostartwhereyouare.

Multiplication

Thethirdprincipleyoushouldknowaboutseedisthis:Youreapmorethanyousow.Theessenceofthemessageisinthefollowingpassage:

Thosewhosowintearsshallreapinjoy.Hewhocontinuallygoesforthweeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again withrejoicing,bringinghissheaveswithhim(Ps.126:5-6).

As this passage implies, the principle of harvest increase is so powerful that,evenifyou’recryingasyouscatteryour littlebagofpreciousseed,your tearswillturntorejoicingasyoubeginbringinginyoursheavesofharvest.

It’s elementary but true, isn’t it? In God’s kingdom, as in God’s naturalcreation,youreapmorethanyousow.

Acoupleof kernels of planted seed cornwill produce a stalkwith severalears. And each ear will contain hundreds of seed kernels (approximately 400kernels).That’sprettygood,isn’tit?YoualwaysgetmorewhenyousowGod’sway.

AManGodCanTrust

I have a friend who, years ago, was making $37,500. At that time, he wasconsistentlygiving10percentofhisgrossincome.ThentheLordspoketohimandsaid,Iwantyoutogive15percent;andifyouwillgive15percentthisyear,I’lldoubleyourincome;and,bytheway,ifyou’llgive20percentthenextyear,I’ll double it again; and if you’ll give 25 percent in the year after that, I’lldoubleitagain.HefeltverystronglythattheLordhadspokenthistohisheart.

He did not come back at God and say,How about this? You double myincome,andthenI’llstartgiving15percent.

HetookGodatHisWordandseizedtheopportunitytostretchhisfaithandpleaseGod.Rightaway,hestartedgiving15percentofhisincometotheworkof theLord.That year, his incomewent from$37,500 to $75,000.Taking theLordatHisWordonceagain,hestartedgiving20percent.Thatfollowingyear,he made $150,000. It was at this point that I met him for the first time.Webecamegoodfriends,andherelatedthistestimonytome.

The next year, he upped his giving to 25 percent, and his income rose to$300,000.Iknowitsoundsincredible,butIknowthistestimonytobetrue.Thismanisadearfriendofmine.

Theyearafterheuppedhisgivingto30percent,hemade$600,000.Ayearlater,heuppeditto35percentandgrossed$1.2million.Today,heconsistentlygives40percentofhisincometotheworkofGod.

But can I tell you that the greatest thing about this testimony is not howmuchmoneymyfriendgivesormakes;it’swhatGodhasdoneinhisheart.

This isamanofGod.Hedidn’t startgivingoutofadesire tobe rich.HeobeyedoutofahearttopleaseGodandbeusedbyHim.

Godlookeddownandsaid,“IneedtodistributefundsinMykingdom,andhere’ssomeoneIcantrust.”Andthat’spreciselywhatHe’slookingfor.GodislookingforpeopleHecantrustwithwealth.

Wemust pass the test of need—trustingGod to take care of us.Wemustpass the test of greed—using abundance wisely and in obedience to God’spromptings.Moreover,wemustpass the testof seed—sowingbountifully—asweobservethethreeprinciplesofseedtimeandharvest.

Godcangetittous,ifHecanonlygetitthroughus!

CHAPTER11

GodRewardsGenerosity

Joehadaproblem,sohetookittohispastor.“Pastor,I’mhavingtroubletithingthesedays,”heconfessed.“Whatseemstobethehang-up?”hispastorasked.

“Well, back when I made $50 a week, I tithed $5, which was easy. AndwhenImade$500aweek,Itithed$50,whichwasokay.ButnowthatImake$5,000aweek,I’mhavingahardtime.A$500titheisalotofmoney!Willyouprayforme,Pastor?”

“Sure,”saidthepastor,“let’spray!Father,pleasereduceJoe’sincomebackdownto$500aweeksothathecanhonorYouwiththetithe.”

That’sajoke,ofcourse.Butit’sajokethatillustratesacommontrappeoplefallintointheirthinkingaboutgivingtoGod.

It always makes sense to be generous toward God because He is alwaysgeneroustowardus.Actually,HeismorethangenerousinHislovetowardus—Heisextravagant.

I want to show you an account of someone being extravagant in her lovetowardtheLord:

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, whereLazaruswaswho had been dead,whomHe had raised from the dead.TheretheymadeHimasupper;andMarthaserved,butLazaruswasoneofthosewhosatatthetablewithHim.ThenMarytookapoundofverycostly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feetwithherhair.Andthehousewasfilledwiththefragranceoftheoil.ButoneofHisdisciples,JudasIscariot,Simon’sson,whowouldbetrayHim,said, “Whywas this fragrantoil not sold for threehundreddenarii andgiven to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, butbecausehewasathief,andhadthemoneybox;andheusedtotakewhatwasputinit.ButJesussaid,“Letheralone;shehaskeptthisforthedayofMyburial.Forthepooryouhavewithyoualways,butMeyoudonothavealways”(John12:1-8,emphasisadded).

Whatanamazingstory!Whatagraphiccontrastoftwohearts.Ononehand,wehavetheheartofMaryand,ontheother,theheartofJudas.Inessence,wehavebothgenerosityandselfishnessdisplayedforusinoneincident.

Reading itmakesmewant to ask somequestions:WhydidMarydo this?Whydidshegivesuchanextravagant,generousgifttotheLord?Threehundreddenariiwas a very large sum ofmoney—basically the equivalent of an entireyear’swages.Ofcourse,whatconstitutesalotofmoneyisrelative.Whatseemslike a lot to me may not seem like much to a multimillionaire. But a year’sincomeisayear’sincome,nomatterwhoyouare.

So,togetafeelforthemagnitudeofthisgift,thinkaboutyourgrossannualincomeandimaginespendingthatamountonsomeperfumedoil.Now,imaginetakingitandpouringitontosomeone’sfeet.Youarenevergoingtogetitback.It’s been poured out. All gone! What an extraordinary act. That begs thequestion,Why?

An additional question comes to mind as I read this passage:Why did itbotherJudassomuch?Itwasn’thismoney.

It highlights the fact that wherever you find generosity, you will findselfishnessbattlingforcontrol. Itwastrue in thatsituation,andit’s true inourownhearts.Eachofushastotakeahard,inwardlookandaskthequestions:AmIgenerousoramIselfish?Whichonehastheupperhandinmylife?

There is a breathtaking selfishness at work in Judas’ heart, and it ismanifested inhiscommentsaboutMary’soffering.Lookagainat theWordofGod’scommentaryonJudas:

Thishesaid,not thathecaredfor thepoor,butbecausehewasa thief,and had themoney box; and he used to takewhatwas put in it (John12:6).

Hedidn’tcarefor thepoor.Hewasa thief!Judaspretendedtobethinkingaboutotherswhilehewasreallythinkingofnoonebuthimself.Thisisatacticthatmanyothersdown throughhistoryhave imitated. It is theoldest cover-upforselfishnessknowntoman.That’swhyitallsoundsveryfamiliar.

I once remember riding in the carwith someone andpassingby the large,beautifulhomeofapersonwhoIknewtobeacommittedChristianandwhohadprosperedbyfollowingbiblicalprinciplesandgivinggenerously.

Ipointedoutthehousetomydrivingcompanionandmentionedtheowner’sfaith.Hisresponsewas,“Well,heoughttosellthatthingandgivethemoneytothepoor.”Ofcourse,thepersonmakingthatcommentwaslivinginahousethatwas nicer than nine-tenths of the world’s population could ever dream ofowning.Andguesswhat?Hehadnointentionofsellinghishomeandgivingthe

moneytoLifeOutreachInternational.Theuglytruthisthathedidn’tcareaboutthepoor.Hejustresentedthefact

that someone had a nicer house than he did. A spirit of compassion didn’tpromptthecomment—aspiritofenvydid.

This false spirituality manifests itself in several different but similarcomments. See if any of these sound familiar: “How could anyone in goodconscience drive a car that expensive?” “She sure could have helped a lot ofpeopleforwhatshespentonthatcoat.”Ormypersonalfavorite:“Icouldsuredoalotofgoodwiththemoneytheyspentonthat[insertnameofluxuryitemhere].”Remarks such as these are pure selfishness and jealousy dressed up asreligioussuperiority—andit’sugly.

This is exactly what Judas did that day. He saw a year’s wages being“wasted”insteadofpassingthroughhismoneyboxsothathecouldpilferagoodchunkofit.That’sbasicallyhowJudasviewedagratefulwoman’sbeautifulactofsacrificialworship—awaste.

Ihaveoftenwonderedif,atthispoint,JudashadrealizedthatJesushadnointentionofestablishinganearthlykingdomandmakinghima“bigcheese”init.

If so, and if hewas alreadyworking in the backgroundwith the religiousofficialswhowantedJesusdead,it’spossiblethatJudasknewJesuswouldsoonbekilled.Inthatcase,Judaswouldhaveassumedthatallthemoneyintheboxwouldultimatelybehistokeep.

Letmegiveyouacontemporary termfor thatmoneybox.It’s theofferingbox! This money box they carried around held the offerings people gave tosupportJesus’ministry.Inturn,Jesuswouldusethemoneytoblessotherpeople—andJudaswasstealingfromit!

Ofcourse,wethinkthatisoutrageous.Wecan’timagineanyonehavingthenervetostealfromJesus.Butthinkaboutthis:Inchapter3,aswedealtwiththesubjectofthetithe,wesawthatGodrebukedthosewhowere“robbing”Him“intithesandofferings”(Mal.3:8).

IsitpossiblethatjustasJudasrobbedtheLordbytakingoutoftheofferingbox,wehavebeenguiltyofrobbingHimbyfailingtoputintotheofferingboxwhatisrightfullyHisinthefirstplace?

I know it sounds hard, but it’s very easy for a Christian to operatemuchmorelikeJudasthanMary.

IsuspectJudaswasfollowingJesusforwhathethoughtJesuscoulddoforhim. As a member of the anti-Roman Zealot Party, he was looking for a

prominent position in the new kingdom that would throw off the shackles ofRome.Ofcourse,soweremostoftheotherdisciples,astheirfrequentjockeyingforpositionshowed.

Butmorethananyoneelse,JudaswashangingoutwithJesusbasedontheWhat’sInItForMe?(W.I.I.F.M.)principle.AndassoonasitbecamecleartoJudas that Jesus wasn’t going to come through in the way he had hoped, hebetrayedHim.

Of course, that’s not too different fromwhatmany people do today.TheyfollowGodoutoftheW.I.I.F.M.principleinstead

of being focused on what they can do for Him. And as soon as He“disappoints” them—whenHedoesn’tcome through for them in theway theywant—theygetupsetandquitcomingtochurch.

Selfishness, by its verynature, cares about nothing andnoonebut self.Aselfishpersonwillsellouthisorherfriendsifitwillhelpthepersongetwhatheorshewants.Andaselfishpersonwillalways,alwaysfindgoodreasonsnottobegenerous.

WEWILLALWAYSBETEMPTEDINTHEAREAOFOURWEAKNESS.

That’sexactlywhatJudasdid.“Hey,don’tblowthatexpensiveperfumeonJesus.Wecanturnitintocashandgivethemoneytothepoor!”

AsJudasdid,selfishnesstriestogetthefocusoffoftheselfishoneandontothe “extravagance” of others. Selfishness drives by nice houses and criticizesother people’s blessings. Selfishness always looks after self by pointing atsomeoneelse.

ConfrontingYourWeakness

WhogaveJudastheresponsibilityofcarryingthemoneybox?Jesus,ofcourse.Now,askyourself,didJesusknowthatJudaswasathiefwhenHegavehimthatresponsibility?Certainly!Thatbringsmetoanother important lessonfromthisstory.

This is a startling revelation for many Christians, but we will always betemptedintheareaofourweakness.Asamatteroffact,justasJudas—theguywith the weakness for money and prestige—was given responsibility for themoneybox,Godwillgiveyouresponsibilityintheareaofyourweakness.

Why?youmaybethinking.DoesGodsetusuptofail?No!Actually,He’ssettingusuptosucceed.Theonlywaywecantrulysucceedisbyconfrontingourweaknessesandovercomingthem.

WhenGodgivesyousomesmallresponsibilityintheareaofyourweakness,Heistakingyouthroughagrowthprocessnecessaryforyoursuccess.Yousee:

Notemptationhasovertakenyouexceptsuchasiscommontoman;butGodisfaithful,whowillnotallowyoutobetemptedbeyondwhatyouareable(1Cor.10:13).

According to theBible, youhavenever experienceda temptation thatyoudidnot have the ability to resist. We always make a conscious choice to sin.However,Godwantstohelpusturnourareaofgreatestpotentialfordefeatintoourareaofgreatestvictory.

Thus,Jesusgivesathiefresponsibilityforthemoneyand,indoingso,giveshimtheopportunitytoovercomehisselfishnessandgreed.ButJudasdidn’tdoit,didhe?

Moneyisabiggertestthanyouthink.Infact,youarebeingtestedbymoneyright now. It is vital that you understand this truth: The extent of theresponsibilityyouwillhaveintheKingdomisdirectlyproportionaltohowyouhandlemoney.

Ifyoudoubtthetruthofthisstatement,takeafreshlookatJesus’wordsinLuke16:

Thereforeifyouhavenotbeenfaithfulintheunrighteousmammon,whowill commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not beenfaithfulinwhatisanotherman’s,whowillgiveyouwhatisyourown?

(vv.11-12).

Youarebeingtestedrightnow.Theprizeforpassingthetestistrueriches.But,then,whataretrueriches?

Truerichesarepeople—theprivilegeofseeingthoseyoulovesaved,madewhole and growing inGod. True riches are thewords of knowledge, gifts ofhealing,faithandmiraclesthatministertopeople.

Truerichesarebeingabletohelpotherswhohavespenttheirentirelivesinbondagetodepressionoroppressionexperiencefreedomforthefirsttime.Truerichesaresouls.

PleaseknowthatIdon’twanttosoundharsh,butImusttellyouthetruth.God isn’t going togiveyou responsibility in thekingdomofGodor even thehouseofGodifyoucan’tevenhandleyourcheckbook.Hecannot!

As a pastor, I deliberately follow God’s example. This may shock somepeople,butIwillnevergiveapersonaleadershippositioninthechurchifheorshecan’thandlemoney.

IknowI’mgoingtogiveanaccounttoGodforthesheepintheflockI’vebeenchargedwithleading.TheBiblesaysundershepherdswillgiveanaccounttotheChiefShepherd(Jesus)abouthowtheycaredforandprotectedthesheep.That’swhyIwillneverdelegateresponsibilityoverprecioussheeptosomeoneiftheycan’tevenhandlepersonalfinancesinabiblicalway.

MarycametoJesuswithaheartoverflowingwithgratitudeand love.Thatlovetranslateditselfintoworshipthroughanofferingofgreatprice.

Inasimilarway,weshowGodeachweekhowfullofgratitudeandloveourheartsare.Soaskyourselfsomerevealingquestions:WhatdoyourofferingssayaboutyourheartlevelsofgratitudeandloveforGod?Whatdoesyourspendingsayaboutwhat’strulyimportanttoyouonthisearth?

Judaswantedtokeepeverythinghecouldinordertobuildhisownkingdom.MarywaswillingtogiveeverythingshehadinordertoblesstheKing.

ExtravaganceforGod

AsI’vesaid, there isabattlegoingoninsideeachofus. It isabattlebetweenselfishnessandgenerosity,anditisabattlegenerositymustwin.

Letme tell you somethingaboutgenerosity thatwill helpyou recognize itwhenyouseeit:Generosityisextravagant.Oneyear’swagescamepouringoutofMary’s container thatday.Surely, thatwasanextravagantgift to theLord.Buthowdoweevaluatewhatconstitutesanextravagantgifttoday?

Now,beforeyouanswerthat,let’sjustremindourselvesofsomething.Godownseverything.All thewealthofheavenandEarthareHis.Right?So,whatsizegiftwouldimpressGod?Is$1millionanextravagantgifttoHim?Isa$100billiongiftextravagant toGod?Howis itevenpossible togiveanextravagantgifttotheGodoftheuniverse?

ThereisonlyonethingyoucanpossiblygivetoGodthatwouldconstitutean extravagant gift—yourself. You can offer up all you are and ever will be.Now, that’s an extravagant gift.That is reallywhatMarywas doing that day.Theperfumedoilwasjustasymbol—atoken—representingthefactthatallofherheartwastheLord’s.ThatwastheextravagantgiftMarygavethatday.

It’sagiftthataselfish-heartedpersonlikeJudascouldneverhopetogiveorevenunderstand.

TheLadderofGiving

Asofthiswriting,I’vebeenpreachingongivingforabout20years.Butjustafewmonthsago, I sawsomethingaboutgiving that Ihadneverbeforeseen intheWord.IsawthatfortheChristian,thereareactuallythreelevelsofgivingtotheLord.

Iwillelaborateshortly,butIwilltellyouwhattheyarerightnow.TherearethreelevelsofgivingtotheLord:

1.Tithes2.Offerings3.ExtravagantOfferings

Soonaftermakingwhat I thoughtwas thisbreakthroughdiscovery, Iexcitedlycalleda friendofmine,apersonwitha stronggiftofgiving—toshare itwith

him.OverthephoneIsaid,“TheLordhasshownmesomethingI’veneverseen

before. Did you know that there are three levels of giving?” Very matter-of-factly,hesaid,“Yes,Idid,andIcaneventellyouwhattheyare.”

I remember thinking,Wrong, Mr. Smartypants. I just got this fresh fromheaven.I’veneverhearditpreachedortaughtatanytime.Thereisnowayyouknow what I’m about to say. So I called his bluff. “All right, then, what arethey?”Hesaid,“Tithes,offeringsandpainfulofferings.”

HehadphraseditalittlelessdelicatelythanIhad,butthatwasit!Heknew!(Ishouldhaveknownthatamaturebelieverwhofunctionsinthegiftofgivingwouldhavealreadyreceivedthisrevelation.)

Sadly, most believers never even get to the first level. Every study doneindicatesthatonlyasmallfractionofpeoplewhoclaimthenameofChristeventitheconsistently.

I find it mind-boggling, but the truth is that most believers struggle withtithing. Are you ever surprised in January, when you get your annual givingrecordfromyourchurch,atthepercentageofyourgrossincomethatyouhavegiven?Most people are.Many peoplewho intend to tithe and think they are,actuallyaren’t!

AsIsaid,veryfewbelieversevergettothefirstrungoftheladderofgiving;consequently, they never even get a glimpse of the joy, fun and blessingavailableatthehigherlevels.

MANYPEOPLEWHOINTENDTOTITHEANDTHINKTHEYARE,ACTUALLYAREN’T!

However,overtheyears,Ihaveobservedthat thosewhodoget tothefirstlevelusuallymoveontothenextone.Why?Becausetithingremovesthecurseand opens thewindows of heaven over us. So, if we ever start tithing, we’remuchmorelikelytostartgivingofferingsastheLordleadsus.

Nevertheless,veryfewChristianswilleverreachthethirdlevelofgivingtothe Lord—the level of extravagant giving—and this is a tragedy. I’m sosaddenedwhenIthinkaboutthefactthatsomanybelieverswillnevertastethejoyofgivinganextravagantofferingtotheLord.Butyoucan,justasmanyofthemostremarkablefiguresoftheBibledid.

For instance,KingDavidgaveanextravagantoffering to theLord topave

thewayforthebuildingoftheTemplebyhissonSolomon.Doyouknowhowmuch of his own money David set aside for the building of the Temple?Converted to today’s currency, itwould be $21 billion. That’s an extravagantgift,evenforaking.

Here’s another of the Bible’s extravagant gifts: David’s son Solomonbecame known around the world as extremely wise. Do you remember howSolomonreceivedthatwisdom?(See1Kings3.)

Solomon had just been set in as king. According to tradition, he wassupposedtogoofferanofferingtotheLord.Hewastosacrificeabull.Ontheappointedday,doyouknowwhatSolomondid?Hesacrificed1,000bulls.

Can’t you hear his advisors? “Uh… listen… we know you’re new andeverything,but…uh…didn’tyouknow thatyouareonly supposed toofferone offering? But, hey, we know you’re excited, so if you want to getextravagant,why not sacrifice 10…or even 100?But 1,000?Think about it,Solomon…we’llbehereallnight!”

Solomonpersonallygave1,000bullsthatday.Andthatnight,Godcametohimandsaid,“Askanything,andI’llgiveittoyou.”

DoyouknowwhyGodsaid“AskanythingofMe”?It isbecauseSolomonhaddemonstratedthathisheartwasgenerous,notselfish.Solomonwasagiver.

Icanassureyouthatapersonwhoisnotagiverat thehighest level isnotlikelytohaveGodcometohimandsay,“Askanything.”Hecan’t,becauseHehasn’thadtheopportunitytodoaworkinthatheart.HecouldnottrusthimwiththeblankcheckHehandedtoSolomon.

Letme tell you about another extravagant gift in the Bible. It is one thatrivalsthatofDavidandSolomoncombined.WefinditinLuke21:

AndHe[Jesus]sawalsoacertainpoorwidowputtingintwomites(v.2).

That’sright.Apoorwidowwithherofferingoftwomitesmadetheextravagantgiftlistbecause,accordingtoJesus,itwasallshehad.Ittookasmuch—ormore—faithforhertogivetwomitesasitdidforDavidtogive$21billioningold!Itis not the amount; it is the heart. Two pennies constitute an extravagant giftwhenitisallyouhave.

Here’sanotherextravagantgiftrecordedintheBible:OnaremotehilltopinwhatwouldonedaybecomeJerusalem,amannamedAbrahampreparedtoofferuphisonly,miraculousson(seeGen.22).I’dcallthatextravagant.

I’ll give you one even better than that:Not too far away from that hilltop

2,000yearslater,GodHimselfofferedHisonly,blamelessSonasasacrificeforourfreedomandlives.I’dcallthatanextravagantgift.I’dalsocallthatapainfulgift.

Godistheultimateextravagantgiver.Heisgenerous,andHewantstodoaworkinourheartsthatmakesusmorelikeHim.

APurposeforEveryGift

Aswehaveseen,thebiblicalaccountofMary’sextravagantgiftisrecordedinJohn12.Ifyouwantalittleinsightintowhatmadeheranextravagantgiver,youonlyhavetobackuponechapter.

Do you remember what happened in John 11? Jesus raised Mary andMartha’sbrotherLazarusfromthedead.Onechapterlater,MarygavehermostpreciouspossessiontotheLord.

Is it possible that the events of chapter 11 gaveMary a new perspective?Couldburyingherbelovedbrother,havinghimlieinthegraveforfourdaysandthen suddenly seeing him restored to life at theWord of Jesus have changedMary’s values and priorities? Maybe material possessions didn’t seem sopreciousanymore.

GettingaglimpseofwhatJesuscandoforthepeoplewelovehasawayofdoingthatforus.

Perhaps our perspective needs to change as well. After all, if you knowJesus,you’vebeenraisedfromthedeadyourself.

ButGod,whoisrichinmercy,becauseofHisgreatlovewithwhichHelovedus,evenwhenweweredeadintrespasses,madeusalivetogetherwithChrist (bygraceyouhavebeen saved), and raisedusup together,andmadeussittogetherintheheavenlyplacesinChristJesus(Eph.2:4-6).

Shouldn’twehave the sameperspectiveMaryhad?Yousee,agenerousheartstemsfromagratefulheart.

Matthew andMark also record the account ofMary’s extravagant gift. Infact, theydepictMarypouringtheoilonJesus’headaswellasHisfeet.MarkalsorecordssomewordsofJesusthatJohndidn’t.AfterJudascomplainedaboutthe“waste”ofthepreciousoil,Jesusrespondedbysaying:

She has donewhat she could. She has come beforehand to anointMybodyforburial(Mark14:8).

If you recall the details of the crucifixion, you will remember that Jesus’body was taken off the cross just before the Sabbath was about to begin atsundown.ThatmeanttheyhadtoquicklywrapJesus’bodyinclothandlayHim

inthetomb.TherewasnotimetoanointHisbodywithperfumedoilsorspicesas they

normallywould.Infact,itwasthisproblemthatagroupofwomenwerecomingtorectifythreedayslaterwhentheyencounteredtheangelswhotoldthemthatJesushadrisen(seeLuke24:1-5).

Think about it: The only person on Earth who received the privilege ofanointingJesus’bodyforburialwasMary.Shedidn’tknowthatwaswhatshewas doing until Jesus said, “She has come beforehand to anointMy body forburial”(Mark14:8).

Sometimes,whenwegiveobedientlyandextravagantlyatthepromptingoftheSpirit,wehaveno ideahowsignificant that gift really is; butGodknows.Godhasapurposeforeverygift.

WhenIthinkaboutthattruth,Iamremindedofsomefriendsofmine.Thirtyyearsago, theywerenewlymarried,deeplyinloveandflatbroke—nomoney,nosavings,nothing.

Intheirfirstyearofmarriage,myfriendgotasurprisebonuscheckfromhisjob.Itwasthelargestamountofmoneytheyhadeverseeninonelumpsum.Tothem,itwasahugeamount,especiallysincetheydidn’treallyhaveanything.

As soon as the initial euphoria subsided, they started sensing that, eventhough they had lots of needs and plenty of ways to spend the windfall,somehowthemoneywasn’tforthem.(Thesepeoplehavegeneroushearts.)

Theywenttothepastorofthechurchandsaid,“Wedon’tknowspecificallywhoorwhatthisisfor,butwewanttogivethismoney.”Thentheirpastorsaid,“Yesterday,Imetwithawidowinourchurch.Ifoundouttheyaregoingtotakeherhouseifshecan’tcomeupwithacertainamountofmoney.Theamountsheneeds,tothepenny,istheamountofthischeck.”

Godhasapurposeforeverygift.

UnavoidableRewards

ThereisonemorethingIwantyoutoknowaboutgenerosity:Itisrewarded.AccordingtoMatthew26,JesusmadeaninterestingcommentafterHeheard

JudasgivingMaryahardtimeforbeingextravagant.

ButwhenJesuswasawareofit,Hesaidtothem,“Whydoyoutroublethewoman?ForshehasdoneagoodworkforMe.Foryouhavethepoorwith you always, butMe you do not have always. For in pouring thisfragrantoilonMybody,shediditforMyburial.Assuredly,Isaytoyou,wherever this gospel is preached in thewholeworld,what thiswomanhasdonewill alsobe toldasamemorial toher” (vv. 10-13, emphasisadded).

WhenMary approached Jesus to anointHimwithheroil, I doubt shewassaying to herself, I’ll bet this is going to make me world-famous. They’ll betalkingaboutthisforyears!ShewasjustthinkingaboutgivingandhowmuchshewantedtoexpressherloveforJesus.

Generosity doesn’t give to receive, but generosity is always rewarded byGod.Ifyougive,Godisgoingtoblessyou.NopoweronEarthcanstopit.I’msorryifthatbothersyou.You’rejustgoingtohavetodealwithit.Iknowyou’rejustgivingtogive.Irealizeyou’renotgivingtoreceive.Nonetheless,blessingistheby-productofgiving.That’sjustthewayitis.Youcan’tgetoutofit!

To do otherwise, God would have to violate His own nature. God is arewarder.We saw that in Hebrews 11. Like any good parent, God desires torewardHischildren.

Remember the friend of mine who annoyingly knew the three levels ofgiving before I could enlighten him? One evening several years ago, he wasgoingoverhisbillsandfinances.Likemanypeople,heusesacomputerprogramtotrackhisspendingandaccountbalances.Whenallhisbillswerepaid,hesawthathestillhadaveryhealthybalanceinhischeckingaccount.Withagratefulheart,heprayed,Lord,You’vereallyblessedme.It’samazingtohavethatmuchmoney inmycheckingaccount.ThankYou.Thatmadehimcuriousabouthowmuchmoneyhehadinhisotheraccounts.

Sohecheckedhissavingsbalanceandsawavery largesumthereaswell.Once again, he prayed,Lord, You have been so good. Your blessings are just

awesome.ThankYou.Itmadehimwonderhowmuchmoneyhehadaltogether.He lookedathis

investmentaccountandhisretirementaccounttoo.Thenheaddedeverythingupandgotanumber.

Ashewenttobedthatnight,heknewindollarsandcentsexactlyhowmuchcashhehad,anditwasanamazingamountofmoney.Hedriftedofftosleepthatnightwithhisheartfullofthanksgivingandwonder.

Thenextmorning,ashewasprayinginhisquiettime,heheardthevoiceoftheLordaskhim,“Howmuchmoneydoyouhave?”Immediately,hethought,Uh-oh. I’m in trouble now. I never should have added up those accounts.CountinggotKingDavidintroubletoo!

Ofcourse,heknew,tothepenny,howmuchmoneyhehad.Hehadgonetoa lot of trouble the night before to find out his networth.Although he knewbetter,hetriedtoweasel.“Well,Lord…uh…WhatdoYoumean?…DoYoumean how much money do I have in my wallet?” Again the question came,“Howmuchmoneydoyouhave?”Myfriendresponded,“HowmuchdoIhaveinmy checking account? Is that what Youmean?” The question came again,“Howmuchmoneydoyouhave?”

Finally,hesaid,“Lord,YouknowIaddedituplastnight.ThisishowmuchmoneyIhave,”andhequotedthefigure.ThentheLordsaid,“WouldyougiveittoMe?”

Atthatpoint,myfriendsaidthathehadamomentofdisbelief.Thiscan’tbehappening.This isunbelievable.God isaskingme togiveawayall themoneyI’vespentthelast20yearsaccumulating.Butthenremembering,aspeoplewiththe gift of giving are likely to do, that it all belongs to God, he felt anoverwhelming sense of joy and excitement rise up within him. It wasunspeakablejoy.“Lord,”heresponded,“IwouldlovetogiveittoYou.”Andsohedidit.HegaveawayeverypennythathehadastheLordledhim.

Over thenext12months,Godblessedhisbusiness toadegree thathehadnever seenbefore.Oneyearaftergivingawayall themoneyhehad, thismanhadmorethanwhathehadgiven.Inthatoneyear,heaccumulatedmorethanhehad in 20 years of hard work and saving. Every account was not onlyreplenishedbuthadgrown.Whattookhim20yearstodo,Goddidinonlyone.GenerositytowardGodisalwaysrewarded.

WhenYouGiveExtravagantly

LetmeclosethischapterbytellingyouwhatalmostalwayshappenswhentheSpiritofGodspeakstoyouaboutanextravagantgift.

ThefirststepingivinganextravagantgifttotheLordishearing.Youdon’tgiveextravagantgiftsoutofyourown thinkingorplanning.Youneed tohearGod.

HearingfromGodisn’thardorcomplicated.TheSpiritwantsyoutoknowGod’swillandways.Heisalwaysspeaking.ThevoiceoftheSpiritisrarelyaloudorboomingvoice.It’susuallyaverysoftimpression.And,frankly,youcantalkyourselfoutofit.

Thesecondphaseisexcitement.OnceyouhearfromGodaboutasignificantgift, it’s natural to get extremely excited. This excitement doesn’t lastindefinitely,however.

Italmostalwaysgiveswaytophasethree:fear.Likemyfriend,youaremostlikelygoingtohavethoughtsthatshout:Thisiscrazy!Thisisabsolutelycrazy!ThefactisthatalmosteverythingintheChristianlifeseemscrazytothenaturalmind.

Afterfear,comesphasefourofgivinganextravagantgift:logic.Inthelogicphase, you’ll start thinking of lots of reasons you shouldn’t do what you’veheardGodsay.Youwillthinkoflotsofalternativeplansandprograms.

DoyouthinkAbramhadtowrestlewithlogicwhenGodaskedhimtoofferhissonIsaac?DoyouthinklogicmighthavehadathingortwotosaytoPeterbeforehesteppedoutofthatboat?

I’mnotsaying logic iswrong. Iamsaying that if logicsaysone thingandGod’svoicesayssomethingelse,God’svoicewins.

Invariably,afterlogiccomesdoubt.DidIreallyhearGodcorrectly?Maybethatwasjustmyoveractiveimagination.Whatifitwasthedevil?!!!

The devil always overplays his hand because, at that point, you can askyourself,Wouldthedevilreallytrytogetmetogivemoneytothepreachingofthegospelsothatmorepeoplewillgetsaved?Idon’tthinkso!

That’swhenyoumoveintothefinalphaseleadinguptoanextravagantgift:faith.Onceyouget back to faith, the excitement returns, and that’swhenyoucanfollowthroughandobey.

Askyourselfthisquestion:AmIgenerous,orisselfishnessstillthedominantforceinmyheart?

HowmuchofyoudoesGodhave?DoesHehaveallofyou?DoesHehaveyourdreams?Yourdesires?Yourpossessions?

Godwantstodoaworkinourhearts.Hewantstomakeusgenerous.

CHAPTER12

GuaranteedFinancialResults

Up to this point, I’ve highlighted some key biblical truths about giving,stewardshipandwhat it reallymeans to live theblessed life. Ihave reinforcedthepresentationofthosetruthswithnumeroustestimonies(mineandothers)thatdepicttheseprinciplesingloriousaction.

In this closing chapter, I want to show you how these truths, faithfullyapplied,will produce guaranteed financial results for you.That’s right, I said,“Guaranteed financial results.” I have chosen those words carefully anddeliberately.

Of course, in the world’s economic system, there is no such thing asguaranteedresults.Advertisementsforinvestmentopportunitiesarerequiredbylawtopointouttoyouthatpastperformanceisnotanindicatoroffutureresults.

Nevertheless, I can tell you without hesitation that if you will apply theprinciples I’ve outlined in these chapters, you will get remarkable, positivefinancialresults—guaranteed!

ThereasonIcansaythatisbecauseGodisfaithful.Hispastperformanceisanindicatoroffutureresults.Aswe’veseenrepeatedly,wheneverGod’speopleareobedientandfaithful,Godblesses.

Iwant to remindyouof thecentral truthof thisbook.Giving is importantbecauseitdoesasupernaturalworkinourhearts,andthat’swhatGodisafter—ourhearts.God isnotafterourmoney.Hedoesn’tneed it.Butour treasure istied to our hearts. Thus, God goes through our treasure to get to our hearts.That’s why I can promise you “guaranteed financial results.”When you givewithaheart transformedbyGod, the resultsareguaranteed.GodwillbackupHisWord.

God is not a man that He should lie. He simply cannot do so withoutviolatingHisverynature,whichholdstheuniversetogether.

WhenGodmakes a promise, Hewill fulfill His promise as we fulfill theconditions of that promise. An example of a promise with a condition is“WhosoevershallcallonthenameoftheLordshallbesaved”(Acts2:21;seealsoJoel2:32,KJV).SalvationisapromisethatGodfaithfullykeepsforanyonewhofulfillstheconditionofthatpromise—callinguponthenameoftheLord.

Wefindanothergreatconditionalpromisein2Chronicles16:

TheeyesoftheLORDsearchthewholeearthinordertostrengthenthosewhoseheartsarefullycommittedtohim(v.9,NLT).

Inotherwords,Godissearchingandsearchingforgeneroushearts—heartsHeknowsHecantrustwithwealthandresources.

GodhasalltheresourcesoftheuniverseatHisdisposal.Atthesametime,He seespoorpeoplewhoneed tobe fed,willingmissionarieswhoneed tobeequippedandsent,andchurchesthatneedtobebuilt.That’swhyHiseyesareroaming Earth, looking for faithful-hearted stewards through whom He canchannelmillionsofdollarsintoHiskingdom.

THISISTHEGREATPARADOXOFLIVINGTHEBLESSEDLIFE:WHENWEGIVEWITHOUTTHOUGHTTOWHETHERORNOTWEWILLRECEIVE,THENWE

RECEIVE.

Doyouhavesuchaheart?IcanassureyouthatifyoubecomeaconduitforthefundsGodwantstochanneltoothers,youandyourfamilywillbewelltakencare of by God. As we just read, God is looking to strongly support suchindividuals.

Godisafterourhearts,andtheevidencethatHehasourhearts is this:Wegivesimplytogiveratherthangivingtoreceive;andwegivebecausewewanttoblesspeople,helppeopleandenlargethekingdomofGod.This,ratherthanreward,isourprimarymotive.

Of course, the rewards do come. We have seen this truth throughout theWordandinallofthetestimoniesI’veshared.Whenwegiveoutoftransformedhearts,Godisgoingtoblessussothatwecangiveevenmore.Goodstewardsareentrustedwithmore.Faithfulservantsreceivetrueriches.

I know it seems like a catch-22. This is the great paradox of living theblessed life:Whenwegivewithout thought towhetherornotwewill receive,then we receive (good measure, pressed down, shaken together and runningover). Inotherwords,whenourmotiveforgivingisright,Godwill rewardusforgiving.

ThisisthevitaltruthIseeleftoutofmanyoftheteachingsongiving.Allwehearis“Give,andGodwillblessyou.”Butwhataboutourhearts?Whataboutselfishness?Whataboutgreed?Isn’tGodtryingtoworkthosethingsoutofour

lives?Absolutely.Butwhenwecometotheplacewherewesay,“Lord,Ijustwanttogiveto

YoubecauseI loveYou,”Godrespondsbysayingthesamethinginreturn:“IgiveandblessyoubecauseIloveyouandbecauseyou’veshownIcantrustyouwithresources.”

It’s like thechildhoodgameof tagweused toplay. Itseemedtomethat Iwasalwaysit.IwouldrunandrununtilIfinallycaughtsomeone,andassoonasItouchedhimorher,thatpersonwouldturnaroundquicklyandtouchmeback,andIwouldbe itagain.That’swhyIalwayswanted toenforce the ruleofnotouchbacks.

Well, when it comes to blessing and giving, God never practices notouchbacks.WecanbegladtoknowthatGodisallabouttouchingback.Heisall about returning and reciprocating. When I touch God, He immediatelytouchesmeback.

This is one of the things that I love about worship, because in worship ItouchHimandHe touchesmeback.But it’s the same ingiving.Assoonas Igivewiththerightheartandtherightmotive,Godgivesbacktome.ThenIhaveevenmoretogive.

Godwantstorewardus,justaswewanttorewardourchildrenwhentheydothe right thing with the right attitude. Don’t we long to see an attitude ofkindness,loveandcompassioninourchildren?

The trap theenemywantsus to fall into isworshiping theblessings ratherthantheBlessor.SatanwantsustofocusontheblessingsthatGodhasgivenus.Wefallintothatsubtletrapwhenwebeginseekingaftertheblessingsthatcomefrom God’s hand rather than seeking God’s face. We can never allow theblessingstohaveourhearts.OurheartsmustbewhollyGod’s.

Nevertheless,whenwegivewithpuremotivesandheartsforGod,Hewillimmediately rewardus and increaseus so thatwecangive evenmore.That’swhyIcansaywithconfidencethatthefinancialresultsofgivingareguaranteed.TheyarebackedbythefullfaithandcreditoftheWordofGod.

Yes, we are laying up treasure in heaven, but God also guarantees usfinancial resultsonEarthwhenwegivewithpurehearts.God is theonlyOnewhocantrulygiveusthisrevelation,andGodistheonlyOnewhocantrulydothisworkinourhearts.

Godcanchangeusfromtakersintogivers.Wewereallborntakers;weareborn-againgivers.Nowit’sourresponsibilitytorenewourminds.Godwantsustobegenerous,gracious,kindheartedandcompassionate.WhenGoddoes that

work inourhearts—whenwebegin togive simplybecausewewant to—thenweactuallywillberewardedsothatwecangiveevenmoretothekingdomofGod.

WhateverHeSays

Ihavesharedthismessageinmanychurchesovertheyears,andrecently,astheseniorpastorofGatewayChurchinSouthlake,Texas,ithasbeenmyprivilegetosharethesetruthswithourmembersthere.

When this book was first published in 2002, we were a young church inseveral respects.Only fouryearshadpassedsinceourvery first service.Sincethen,theLordhasincreasedournumbersdramatically.Today,wereareoneofthelargestchurchesintheUnitedStates.

Timeandagain,Ihavewatchedaspeopleinourchurchcatchthisrevelation.Godchangestheirhearts,andtheycometothealtarwithtears,wantingtogive.Theycometogiveratherthanreceive.Theygivesimplytogive,andGodrichlyblessesthemasaresult.

During the preparation and writing of this book, our church began theconstructionofourfirstbuilding.Wehadastrongdesiretobuildwithoutdebt,ifpossible,andsoasachurch,wehadsetasideaweekendforamiracleoffering.

Now we called it a miracle offering not because we wanted to see amiraculousamountofmoneycomeinbutbecausewewanted toseeGoddoamiracleinourhearts.Ourstaffandlay-leadershiplongedtoseeGodtakeustoanewlevelofselflessnessandgenerosity.Wewantedtobechangedfromtakersintogivers.TheLorddirectedustodesignatethisofferingasanopportunityforHimtodothatkindofmiracleinus.

That’swhyIaskedpeopletogivethelargestpossiblegifttheycouldgive.IencouragedwhatwedescribedinthepreviouschapterasanextravagantgifttotheLord.

WhenthewisemencametoJesus,theydidn’tbringsmallgifts;theybroughtextravagantgiftsbecausetheywantedtoworshiptheLord.

I knew that, as the pastor, I wasn’t exempt from this call to extravagantgiving. On the contrary, there is no way I could expect our people to dosomethingIwasn’twillingtodomyself.SomywifeandIbegantoprayaboutwhatweweretogive.

One week before the scheduled miracle-offering weekend, Pastor JimmyEvans fromTrinityFellowshipChurch inAmarilloministered inourweekendservices.TrinityFellowshipwasinstrumentalinplantingourchurch,andJimmyEvanshasbeenpowerfullyusedbyGodasamentortomeandasanapostletoourbody.

That weekend, Jimmy preached a wonderful message titled, “What MaryKnewAboutMiracles.” Itwas taken from John 2,where Jesus doesHis veryfirst miracle (turning water into wine) in the presence of His mother, Mary.PastorJimmycenteredhismessageontheinstructionMarygavetheservantsatthewedding,“WhateverHesaystoyou,doit”(John2:5).

HerightlypointedoutthatthisinstructionisbasicallythekeytoreceivingamiraclefromtheLord.WhateverJesussaystoyou—doit!Thiscertainlyappliestofinancialmiracles,too.Whenitcomestogiving,whateverHesays—doit.IfHesays,Give$1,000—doit.IfHesays,Give$100,000—doit.

WHATEVERJESUSSAYSTOYOU—DOIT!

Jesustookwhattheyhadinthenatural(water)andturneditintosomethingsupernatural(miraclewine).That’swhatGoddoeswithourfinances.Hetakeswhatisnaturalandturnsitintosomethingsupernatural.

WhateverHesays—doit.It’sthekey.ThisisbasicallythesameprincipleIdescribed earlier in this book as the I. O. Principle (the Instant Obedienceprinciple).AssoonasyouhearGodsayit—doit.

The following week, with the principle involved in the water-into-winemiracle inCanafirmlyestablished inourminds,weplaced largewaterpotsatthefrontofthesanctuarytoserveasofferingbaskets.

After I preached that day, I watched people come forward to place theirextravagantofferings to theLord in those earthenwaterpots. Iwatchedmanycouples and individuals stand there, with tears streaming down their faces,prayingandconsecratingthemselvesandtheirofferingstoGod.Itwasaseriousconvocationthatday.

I watched as people’s hearts were broken and changed. I saw ties to thetemporalthingsofthisworldcutasGod’speoplefreelyinvestedintheeternal.Iwatched joy floodsoulswhohad just received the revelation thatwecansendourtreasureonaheadratherthanleavingitonthisearth.

IsawfamiliesthatIknewweregoingthroughdifficulttimescomeforwardsaying,“Father,infaith,we’regoingtoacknowledgethatYouareLordandthateveninthissituation,we’regoingtotrustYoutoworkamiracleinourfamily.”

In theweeks andmonths that have followed that remarkableweekend, thetestimonies have flowed in consistently. In family after family, God showedHimselffaithfultorewardcheerful,thankful,generousgivers.

Andoneofthemanytestimoniestocomeoutofthatweekendismine.

AFreshWorkinMyHeart

About a month before our miracle-offering weekend, I was ministering atCalvary Assembly in Orlando, Florida—the church of my good friend PastorClark Whitten. At offering time that night, Pastor Whitten stood before thecongregationandsaid,“There’sablessingonthisofferingtonight.”

Now IknowClarkWhitten, and Iknow thathedoesn’tmake thatkindofpronouncementlightlyormanipulatively.Whenhesaid,“There’sablessingonthisofferingtonight,”hewasspeakingpropheticallybytheSpiritofGod,andIknewit.

WhenIheardthat,Ithoughttomyself,Well,ifthere’sablessing,I’mgoingtogiveeverythingthatIcan.IwantthemoneyIgivetobeblessedandhavethegreatestimpactfortheKingdom.

Asthatthoughtwentthroughmymind,IheardtheLordsaytome,“There’sablessingonthemiracleofferingthatyourchurchisabouttogivealso.”Atthatmoment, Iknewwhat theLordwantedDebbieandmetodo.Hewantedus toempty every account we had and give it to the Lord—checking accounts,savings,moneymarketaccounts,evenourretirementaccount—everything.

As I have mentioned previously, there have been several occasions whenGodhaspromptedustogiveawayessentiallyall themoneywehad;however,mostofthoseoccasionswereearlyinourmarriedlife.Idon’tmeantominimizewhatwedidbackthen.Eachtime, it requiredahugeleapoffaithonourpart.Butasyoumayhavenoticed, itdoesseemthataswegetolder, thestakesgethigherandthingsgetmorecomplicated.

I knew God was directing us, though, because my immediate responsewasn’t fear or reluctance.On the contrary, I got very excited inmy heart.Ofcourse,it’sonethingforme tohearfromGodthatweshouldgiveawayeverycentwehave;it’sanotherthingformywifetohearit.AndsoIwenttoDebbieandsaid,“Honey,I thinkIknowwhattheLordwantsustodoforthemiracleoffering.” “What is that?” she asked. So I told her what the Lord had said.Wouldyouliketoknowwhatherresponsewas?“Ithinkthat’sthemostexcitingthing I’ve heard in a long time.” Thatwasmy confirmation. Shewas excitedaboutit,andsowasI.

Severalweekslater,thetimehadcometofollowthrough.Atourchurch,wehave Saturday evening services as well as Sunday morning services. That

Saturdayeveningof themiracle-offeringweekend,DebbieandIwentdowntooneofthosebigwaterpotswithacheckforeverypennythatwehad.Wehadliquidated everything. We placed our check in the offering with greatexcitement.Wehave learned through theyears thatwhenGodasksyou todosomethingextraordinary,it’sbecauseHewantstodosomethingextraordinary.

Duringmorningworshipthenextday,theLordspokesomethingtomethataffected me profoundly. From time to time, when I stand before mycongregationtopreach,Iwilljokinglyask,“Howmanyofyouwouldratherbehereinchurchthismorningthaninjail?”It’sjustalightheartedwaytostarttheservice.Well,aswesangthatmorning,theLordaskedmethesamequestion—onlyHewas serious.TheHolySpirit said, “Wouldyou ratherbehere than injail?”

THEMOSTPRECIOUSANDLASTINGBLESSINGSTHATCOMEAREOFTENTHEONESNOONECANSEE.

ThenHeremindedmeoftheroadIwasonbeforeJesuscameintomylife.Ididn’t givemy life to Jesus until Iwas 19 years old. Prior to that day, Iwasinvolvedinsomeverybadthings.Inthatmoment,theLordshowedmethelifefromwhichHehadsavedme.HegentlyremindedmeofhowgraciousHehasbeentome.AsHedid,Ibegantoweep.Icriedallthroughworshipandrightupto thepointwhen Iwas supposed togetupandpreach.As I stoodbeforemycongregation,Iwasstillamess.

As Ihave tried topointout ineveryway Ipossiblycan in thisbook,Goddoes a work in our hearts when we give. Once again, that weekend, ourextravagant gift had opened the door for God to do a deep, deep work ofgratitude inmyheart, and Iwouldn’t trade thatwork for all themoney in theworld.

Yes,Godrewardsandblessesuswhenwegive.However,themostpreciousandlastingblessingsthatcomeareoftentheonesnoonecansee.

TheRestoftheStory

LessthansixweeksfromthedayDebbieandIgaveeverypennywehad,God,byHisgrace,restoreditallandthensome.Thinkaboutit:Within40days,wefoundourselveswithmoremoneythanwehadbeforegivingitallawayinthat

oneoffering.Itwassupernatural.Godguaranteesfinancialresults.He’stheonlyOnewhocan.

GivingwhentheLordleads,helpingpeopleknowtheloveandgoodnessofGod, keeping the focus on God rather than on things, being generous andallowingGodtodoaworkinourheartsarethekeystomakingourjourneyonEarthanadventureofjoyandpurpose.

Thesearethekeystotheblessedlife.

AFTERWORD

God’sRoadMapforaBlessedLife

God’s road map to living a blessed life is revealed from Genesis throughRevelation.EachsignpostalongthewaymarksanewdepthofunderstandingforhowtoapplyHisprinciplestoourdailylives.ItisinHistimingandaccordingtoHisplanthatwelearntonegotiatethecurvesandbumpsintheroadthattakesushigherupthemountaintowardfulfillingourGod-givendestinies.

Thisprocessunfoldsonestepatatime,justasabookunfoldsonechapteratatime.Everyauthorwilltellyouthatabookisnevertrulyfinished—assoonasit hits the press, there is another revelation that you know should have beenincluded. That’s exactly what happened when The Blessed Life was firstpublished.Usuallyanauthorjustsavestheadditiontoputinhisnextbook,butIstrongly felt that thisAfterword needed to be added toThe Blessed Life as itgoesintoitsnextprinting.

AHeartforIsrael

Understanding that God is concerned for the Jewish people (as each believerneeds tobe)and thatHis roadmaphasaprescribedorder isparamount to thesuccessfulapplicationoftheprinciplesofgivingoutlinedinthechaptersofthisbook. This is not just for our personal reward but also for the fulfillment ofGod’s kingdompurposes in these critical days.Before you read any further, Iwantyoutoaskyourself,“AmIconcernedfor theJewishpeople?”Behonest,becausethisisaheartissue.Godhasdealtwithmyheartinanewway,andHemaybeaskingyoutochangeyourheartasyoureadfurther.

Letme tell youwhere I’ve come from inmy love for Israel. I’mgoing tosharewithyouwhatIbelieveGodhascalledustodo.

Onemorningintheearly’90sduringmyquiettime,IaskedGodwhereHewanted me to read in the Bible. He said, “Psalm 122.” As I read verse 6,suddenlyHesaid,“PrayforthepeaceofJerusalem.”AsIbegantopray,Ifoundmyself praying for theChurch.Godquickly stoppedme and said, “No, I saidprayforJerusalem—it’snotthesamething.”

You see, a false doctrine called replacement theology has crept into theChurch,whichsaysthattheChurchhasreplacedIsrael.ThisdeceptioncannotbebackedupbyScripture.BelieversinChristhavenotreplacedIsrael.Rather,we—asGentileswhobelieveinJesus—havebeengraftedintothecommonwealthofbelieving Israel.Wearenowcitizensof Israel.This truthhasverydifferentimplications than the false teaching of replacement theology. If you don’t seethat,you’llmissthemeaningofGod’swonderfulpromisestoHispeople.IfGodisnotgoingtokeepHispromisestotheJewishpeople,whywouldHekeepHispromisestous?Godiseitherapromise-keepingGodorHeisn’t.

Read Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Romans and Ephesians, and you’llunderstand that there is a land and a people called Israel thatwere chosen byGod. They were not chosen because they were special—God said, “I did notchooseyoubecauseyouarespecialorbecauseyouarethelargestnation”(Deut.7:7). Israel is smaller than theU.S. stateofRhode Island, andGodchose tinyIsrael for this very reason. He knew that if the smallest could become thestrongest,thentherestoftheworldwouldknowthattheirGodisthetrueGod.Thisdoesn’tmeanthattheJewishpeoplearemoreimportanttoGodthanotherpeople—itmeansthattheyarepartofGod’splaninhistory,ofwhichweareapart today.Satanunderstandstheplan,andthat’swhyhehastriedtoconvince

theChurchtohateJewsforhundredsofyears.God’s plan is the reason He put it in my heart to pray for the peace of

Jerusalem. He is concerned for the Jewish people, and He wants me to beconcernedaswell.AsIbegantopraythatmorning,anoverwhelmingburdenforGod’s people came over me like I had never felt before. It was totallyunexpected.

Wehadanelders’meetingatthechurchlaterthatday.Atthetime,IwasanassociatepastorandelderatShadyGroveChurchinGrandPrairie,Texas.Ourregularmeetingsusuallystartedaboutnineinthemorningandfinishedatnoon,followedbylunchtogether—butGodhadadifferentandunexpectedagendathatday.Duringour prayer time, someone startedpraying for Israel, and just as ithadhappenedearlierinthemorning,Ifeltatremendousburden.Ibegantopray,and then another elder, WayneWilks (who has since founded the MessianicJewish Bible Institute), shared from the Scriptures in Ezekiel, Isaiah andJeremiah.

Themeeting lasteduntil5:00P.M. thatday.Weconductednobusiness.AllwedidwasreadtheScripturesaboutIsraelandpray.Itwastrulya“Godthing.”Myheartchangedandmyeyeswereopened.

Asbelievers,God isalwaysopeningnewtruths tous.Theyaren’tactuallynew—they’ve been in theScriptures all along—but they are new to us.ManypeopleexperiencethisGod-givenenlightenmentwhentheysuddenlyunderstandthegiftsoftheSpiritorbaptismintheSpiritordeliveranceandovercomingtheenemy. In the sameway, once your eyes are opened toGod’s deep love andconcernforIsrael,youwillseeitthroughoutScriptureandunderstandhowitiscloselytiedtowhatGodisdoingintheworld.That’swhathappenedformethatday.IsawGod’splan.

Before that meeting, our eldership had been praying for a divine plan toreachMuslimswith the gospel. Aswe prayed,Wayne showed us in Romans11:15 that when the Jewish people accept theirMessiah, a worldwide revivalwillbreakout.WereadinEzekiel36that“thenationswillknowthatIamtheLORD…when I showmyself holy through [Israel] before their eyes” (v. 23).Thephrase“thenationsaroundyou”appearsthreetimesinthatchapter,anditdawnedonusthatthenationsaroundIsraelarepredominantlyIslamic.GodhadgivenustheanswertoourprayersforreachingMuslimswiththegospel.

God’sOrder:“TotheJewFirst”

The first year we started Gateway Church, we began to give to Jewishevangelism—first. Beforewe give to any otherministries ormissionaries, wegivetoJewishevangelism.It’ssuchaprioritywithmethatI toldourbusinesspastor,“On the firstdayofeverymonth, Iwantyou towriteacheck tosuch-and-suchJewishministry.IwantyoutodoitonJanuary1,February1,March1,April1,throughouttheyear.Makesuretheveryfirstcheckwewriteeachmonthisnottotheelectriccompanyoreventopaythestaff—thefirstcheckwewriteisforJewishevangelism.”

Asaresult,Godhasblessedustremendouslyasachurch.Wepaidcashfor14 acres of land when we were 10 months old. We paid cash for our firstbuilding.Wepaidcashforanexpansion,andwenowown190acresnexttothefreeway,10minuteswestofDallas/FortWorthAirport.Godhasblesseduswithresources,andIbelieveit’sbecausewe’redoingitHisway—we’regivingtotheJewishpeoplefirst.

WehavearabbiandanotherJewishministeronstaff,andweplaceanadinthe newspaper everyweek for “Ask theRabbi.”We have aMessianic Jewishserviceeachmonth,andJewishpeoplecomewithnewspaperinhandtoyellatourrabbiforawhilebeforeeachservice.Justafewmonthsago,sixJewscametoyellathimbeforeaservice,andallsixacceptedYeshuaastheirMessiahthatnight—allsix!

We’re radical about it! Our Jewish service is on the first Friday of everymonth.Wehave three regular servicesonSaturdaynightand threeonSundaymorning,butthefirstservicewehaveeverymonthisforJewishpeople.We’veputGod’sprioritiesfirst,andIbelievethat’sthereasonGodisblessingus.Godputitinourheartsalongtimeagototakethegospel“totheJewfirst”(seeRom.1:16).We are concerned for Jewish people and concerned aboutGod’s order,andGodhasblessedGatewayChurchbecauseofit.HehaspouredtremendousresourcesintoourhandsbecausewearedoingitHisway.

GodisaGodoforder.Goddoesn’tthinkHisorderisthe“rightway”orthe“best way”—He thinks it’s the only way! And that’s what He blesses. If youwanttobeblessed,doitHisway.HehasanorderforhowwearetoapproachcertainthingsandHewantsHisorderaccomplished.IntheOldTestament,wereadthatHehadanorderfortheTabernacle.HehadanorderfortheTemple.Hehad an order for preparing and eating food. He had an order for offeringsacrificesandprayersandworship.Don’tyouthinkGodhasanorderforworldevangelism?

Before we go any further, you must understand that God operates in

opposites. His plan is always the opposite of our plan. If someone does youwrong,youplantotellhimoff.Yougothroughtheconversationinyourmind,planning exactlywhat you’re going to say to him.According toGod, all thatplanningistimeandenergywasted,becauseHisplan—theoppositeofyours—istoforgiveyouroffender,actasifitneverhappenedandblesshim.God’slawofoppositessaysthatifyouwanttohaveauthority,youmustbeunderauthority.Ifyouwanttoreceive,youmustgive.Ifyouwanttobefirst,youmustbelast.Ifyouwanttolive,youmustdietoself.

Let’sseehowthelawofoppositesappliestoevangelism.ThedeceptionoftheenemyhasconvincedmanypeopleintheChurchtothinkthatiftheywanttoreachMuslims (forexample)with thegospel, theyneed tohate Jews,becauseradicalIslamhatesJews.ButdoyouknowwhatGod’slawofoppositessays?Ifyouwant to reachMuslims, love Jews! Iknow this isGod’splanbecause it’sscriptural—andbecauseit’soppositefromtheplanIwouldhavecomeupwith!Thismakesnocommonsenseatall,butGod’sWordsaysthatthewaytoloveand take the gospel to the world is to love and take the gospel to Jews.RememberEzekiel36andRomans11:15?AsGodshowsHimselfholythroughtheJewishpeople,thenationsaroundIsraelwillturntoHim.

Manypastors quoteRomans1:16, but theyonlyquote the first part—“ForI’mnotashamedofthegospelofChrist,foritisthepowerofGoduntosalvationto everyonewho believes…”—and stop right there. But that’s notwhere theapostle Paul stopped! He went on to write, “to the Jew first, and also to theGreek.”

Godwillblessanychurchoranypersonwhowill take thegospel into theworld,becauseHewantsthewholeworldsaved.TheBiblesays,“Howbeautifularethefeetofthosewhobringgoodnews”(Rom.10:15).Thatword“beautiful”means“perfect timing,”likeaspringflowerinfullbloom.Here’swhatGodissaying:Thosewhobringgoodnewswill alwayswalk in perfect timing.Whenyou walk in the Spirit, when you live your life taking the gospel to people,“divinecoincidences”happenaroundyouallthetime.

Godblesses thosewhotake thegospel, that’s true.But thefull truthof theWordisthatGodblessesthosewhotakethegospel“totheJewfirst,andalsototheGreek,” that is,Gentilesornon-Jews. It’s like tithing: Ifyougive the firstportion of your income to the Lord, the rest is blessed. If you give the firstportion of your evangelism efforts to Jewish people, the rest is blessed. It’sGod’sorder.

JesusfollowedGod’sorderduringHisearthlyministry.Hesaid,“Iwasnot

sentexcept to the lostsheepof thehouseofIsrael”(Matt.15:24).HetookthegospeltotheJewsfirst.Inthesameway,theapostlesweresentoutbytheHolySpiritand“preachedthewordofGodinthesynagoguesoftheJews”(seeActs13:1-5,14;14:1;17:10).

InActs 18:5-8,we read that Paul preached to the Jews and became angrywhentheyopposedhimandblasphemed.ItisamisinterpretationofthisincidentthathasledsomeintheChurchtofallintoerror,believingthatPaulswitchedhisministry to theGentilesalone.Yes,Paulwasangryand,yes,hewascalled topreach to theGentiles—butneitherhisangernorhiscallingstoppedhimfrompreaching“totheJewfirst.”

In Acts 18:7-8, we read that Paul moved into the house next door to thesynagogueandwon the rulerof the synagogue to theLord. InActs18:19and19:8,weseethatPaulwenttothesynagoguestopreach.PaulknewitwasGod’sorder to preach “to the Jew first.” Godwants the whole earth saved, but HisorderforworldevangelismdemandsthatwebeginwiththeJewishpeople.Thentherestofourworldevangelismwillbeblessed.

TheComingRevival

IsGodconcernedabouttheJewishpeople?PaulanswersthisimportantquestioninRomans11:

Isaythen,hasGodcastawayHispeople?Certainlynot!ForIalsoamanIsraelite,oftheseedofAbraham,ofthetribeofBenjamin(v.1)…Isaythen, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! Butthroughtheirfalltoprovokethemtojealousy,salvationhascometotheGentiles.Nowiftheirfallisrichesfortheworld,andtheirfailurerichesfortheGentiles,howmuchmoretheirfullness!(v.11-12)…Foriftheirbeing cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will theiracceptancebebutlifefromthedead?(v.15).

IftheJews’fallingawaywassalvationandblessingforGentiles,howmuchmorewilltheircomingbackbe?Theiracceptancewillbe“lifefromthedead,”which is another way to say “resurrection of the dead.” And what do theScripturesmeanwhentheyrefer to“theresurrectionof thedead”?ThesecondcomingofChrist!ThereisacomingdaywhenIsraelwillaccepttheirMessiah,beforetheendcomes.JesusprophesieditinMatthew23:37-39:

OJerusalem,Jerusalem,theonewhokillstheprophetsandstonesthosewhoaresenttoher!HowoftenIwantedtogatheryourchildrentogether,asahengathersherchicksunderherwings,butyouwerenotwilling!See!Yourhouseislefttoyoudesolate;forIsaytoyou,youshallseeMeno more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of theLORD!”

Thereisaworldwiderevivalcomingbeforetheendoftheworld,andletmetellyouwhatsetsitoff:theJewishpeopleacceptingtheirMessiah.IlovehowTHE MESSAGE captures Paul’s excitement and urgency in the Romans 11passage:

Thenextquestionis,“Aretheydownforthecount?Aretheyoutofthisforgood?”Andtheanswerisaclear-cutno.Ironicallywhentheywalkedout, they left the door open and the outsiders walked in. But the nextthing you know, the Jewswere starting towonder if perhaps they had

walked out on a good thing. Now, if their leaving triggered thisworldwide coming of non-Jewish outsiders to God’s kingdom, justimaginetheeffectoftheircomingback!Whatahomecoming!

ButIdon’twanttogoonaboutthem.It’syou,theoutsiders,thatI’mconcernedwithnow.Becausemypersonalassignmentisfocusedontheso-calledoutsiders,ImakeasmuchofthisasIcanwhenI’mamongmyIsraelite kin, the so-called insiders, hoping they’ll realize what they’remissing and want to get in on what God is doing. If their falling outinitiated thisworldwide coming together, their recovery is going to setoffsomethingevenbetter:masshomecoming!IfthefirstthingtheJewsdid, even though itwaswrong for them, turnedout foryourgood, justthinkwhat’sgoingtohappenwhentheygetitright!

Wow! Isn’t it exciting to think aboutwhat that daywill be like?Can youimagine how much the world will shift? Since the day when my eyes wereopenedandmyheartwasburdenedtoprayforJerusalem,Ihavehadapropheticword:OnedayGodwillusemetoreachMuslims,andthewallsofIslamwillbebrokendownjustliketheBerlinWall—inaday.IbelievethatthewallthattrapsMuslims in oppression and deceit will fall, just as Communism’s wall ofoppression in East Germany fell—in a day! That may sound like wishfulthinking, but no one believed it could happen in Germany or Poland orCzechoslovakiaortheformerSovietUnion,either!

Satanknowsthatforthismassivechangetooccur,theJewishpeoplehavetoaccept Jesus—so Satan has done everything he can to get the Church to hateJews.TheJewishpeoplehavesufferedpersecutionforhundredsofyears—notatthe hands of Muslims (that didn’t start until 1920), but at the hands of theChurch. The Church has burned Jewish houses, raped Jewish women andmurderedJewish fathersaftermaking themdig theirowngraves.TheChurch,with crosses on their chest, tortured Jews and screamed at them, “This is forwhatyoudidtoourLord.”ManyJewsaremoreafraidofacrossthanaswastikabecauseofthecruelhistoryofpersecutionfromtheChurch.

Inthelastgeneration,however,Godhasstirredtheheartsofbelievers.Wehave begun to love Israel and to see thatGod still has a plan for them.MoreJewshaveaccepted Jesus in the last40years than in theprevious1,960or socombined. Jews are coming to Jesus all over the world. Every month inGateway’sMessianic service, Jews are acceptingChrist. Thatwas unheard of

onlyafewdecadesago.Therevivalhasbegun.Buthere’sthelatestlieofSatan:He’stellingtheChurchthatJewishpeople

don’tneedtoacceptChrist—they’regoingtobesavedanyway.Booksarebeingpublishedthatpromotethislie,andafewpopularBibleteachersareteachingit.

IdobelieveIsraelwillbesaved,butnotapartfromJesus.JesuslookedataJewishleadernamedNicodemusandsaid,“Mostassuredly,Isaytoyou,unlessone isbornofwaterand theSpirit,hecannotenter thekingdomofGod.Thatwhichisbornofthefleshisflesh,andthatwhichisbornoftheSpiritisspirit.DonotmarvelthatIsaidtoyou,‘Youmustbebornagain’”(Matt.3:5-7).JesussaidtotheJewishapostles,“Iamtheway,thetruth,andthelife.NoonecomestotheFatherexceptthroughMe”(John14:6).

JewishpeoplemustacceptJesus.Satansays,“You’lloffendthem.”Well,I’drathertemporarilyoffendthemthandeliverthemtoaneternityinhell.

ThisyearGatewayChurchgave$3milliontomissions.Ofthatamount,$1millionwent to Jewish evangelismand$2million towardGentile evangelism.I’m not saying don’t evangelize the world! We support Arab-Palestinianchurches, too. We give in 36 countries all over the world. We’re taking thegospeltoeveryone,butwe’retakingittoJewishpeoplefirst.

ThisisGod’sprescribedorder.WhenwegivetotheJewishpeoplefirst,therest isblessed.Ibelievethat’swhyGodhassoblessedusasachurch:Alongtimeagowedecidedtogive“totheJewfirst.”

TheFather’sHouse:AParable

Afteraquestion-and-answersessionataconference,apastorapproachedmeandasked,“WhyisGatewaysoblessed?”andIgavehimanansweroff the topofmyhead.

The next morning in my quiet time, the Lord said, “Your answer waswrong!”

“What’stherightanswer,Lord?WhyisGatewaysoblessed?”ThisiswhatGodsaidtome,inaparable:

There was an orphanage with a thousand kids in it. The head of theorphanagewasaharsh,meanman.Allofthekidsweretreatedhorribly.

Therewasawealthy,lovingfatherthatlivedcloseby,andhedecidedto adopt 10 of the kids. His plan was to bless those 10 and be so

wonderfultothemthattheother990wouldallwanttobeadopted,too.Andthat’sjustwhathappened.Many(notall)ofthe990kidssawhowwonderful life couldbewith a loving father, and someof them startedwalkingoutandgoingtothefather’shouse.

Butthenaverysadthinghappened:Whensomanyoftheremaining990 kids started coming into the father’s house, the original 10 gotjealousandleft.

And then something even sadder happened: Some of the newlyadoptedkids started persecuting the 10 that had left, throwing rocks atthem and calling them names—driving them further and further awayfromhome.

ThentheLordsaidtome,“Andthenoneday,Robert,youcametoMewithtearsinyoureyesandsaid,‘Dad,Ihaveaburdenforyouroriginal10kidsthatleft,andifit’sallrightwithYou,Iwanttotrytogetthemtocomebackhome.’And that’swhenI reached inmypocket,pulledoutmywallet,andsaid ‘Howmuchdoyouneed?’”

That’s why Gateway Church is so blessed. We’re blessed because we’retakingthegospeltothewholeworld,butwe’redoingitGod’sway:“totheJewfirst.”

Here’smyquestion toyou:Howdoyou feel aboutGod’skidswhoaren’tlivingathomeanymore?What is theHolySpirit speaking toyourheartaboutwhat you’ve just read?Hemight answer you tomorrow in your quiet time, ormaybe give you a more complete answer a month from now, but I think HewantstoturnyoutowardHispathrightnow.

GodhasaplanforyouandHewantsyoutolive“theblessedlife.”Nowthatyou understandGod’s order, the principles presented in the previous chapterswillgiveyouthetoolstodoso.

Endnotes

Chapter2:GodMustBeFirst1. MikeHayes (lecture, the ZionConference, Trinity FellowshipChurch,

Amarillo,Texas,January2000).

Chapter3:Life,NotLaw1. TheNewUnger’s BibleDictionary (Chicago, IL:MoodyPress, 1988),

s.v.“tenth.”2.InternationalStandardBibleEncyclopaedia(Biblesoft,1996),CD-ROM.3. TheNewUnger’s BibleDictionary (Chicago, IL:MoodyPress, 1988),

s.v.“holy.”

Chapter5:BreakingtheSpiritofMammon1.InternationalStandardBibleEncyclopaedia(Biblesoft,1996),CD-ROM.2.JimmyEvans,telephoneconversationwithauthor.3.InternationalStandardBibleEncyclopaedia(Biblesoft,1996),CD-ROM.4.Ibid.

Chapter8:TheGiftofGiving1.Sourceunknown.