ìBut those who desire to get rich quick fall into snares and harmful desires. For the love of money is the root of all evilî (1 Tm. 6:9-10).

Did you know that the Bible speaks more about how we use money than it does about heaven or hell? Why? Because the way we use our money reveals so much about who we are and how we live our lives. In fact, it may even reveal our hearts. As the Bible says, ìWhere your treasure is, there shall your heart be alsoî (Mt. 6:21).

God teaches us how giving connects to life. He begins by realigning us and transforming our hearts, giving us new insights, changing old attitudes and patterns in our lives in such a way that we walk in the right path. Can you think of any better blessing than that?

The essence of giving and its value to us as believers is seen in this verse: ìëBring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,í says the Lord of hosts, ëIf I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflowsíî (Mal. 3:10). From this we see Godís value in our giving is not to receive our money or our offering, His value is in being able to then give us so much more!

I remember when Anna and I first got married. We didnít have much money and could not afford to buy our first house. Then a friend of mine asked, ìWayne, are you tithing? Are you giving to the Lord in a consistent way?î I had to admit that I gave whatever I could, but not consistently. He told me that when you give through your church (ìthe storehouseî) for the Gospelís sake, God would open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing. And more than just returning financial blessings, God often pours out His blessings in greater ways.

Q1: List your three greatest treasures. Are they of heavenly value? Also, are you able to ìgive them upî if necessary or do your possessions possess you?

HOW GIVING IS CONNECTED TO LIFE

 1.      IT SIGNALS THE GLAD RELEASE OF GODíS PROVISION.

ìIf you giveÖyour gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving, large or small, it will be used to measure what is given back to you.î (Lk. 6:38 NLT)

Giving is a hallmark of being able to release things that may otherwise possess you. Weíve all heard of the wisdom that teaches us to not be possessed by our possessions. The same concept applies to gladly releasing Godís provision. If you are going to measure out compassion and generosity with a teaspoon, then thatís the kind of measure that will be delivered to you.  

I wish I could say that when I started tithing money started rolling in. I canít. In fact when I started to tithe, I had nothing left. I was poor. But it was then that God spoke to my heart. He revealed to me that I was discontent. I had a craving for more and it drove me into debt. In fact thatís how addictions start. And if you are not careful, it will emerge in wrong desires later on. So He began to teach me to reduce my longing for nicer stuff by doing without. Simple!

He exposed another area in my life during this time of lack: how to receive. I had too much pride. There were times when we didnít have too much financially. People would anonymously leave some groceries on our porch. So He routed out my ìI donít need your handout, I donít want your helpî attitude. What He was calling me to do in the future would require a whole lot of people working together. He knew my future and thus taught me humility.  

Often God asks us to give up what is valuable to us so that He might entrust something that is valuable to Him. Too often we place importance on worldly things and become reluctant to let it go. God understands this tendency and thatís why He asks us to gladly release these things.

There was a time when God told me to sell my car so I could get my lifestyle in order. Another time He said to sell my Harley Davidson. I obeyed God by placing the ad in the paper for two weeks. That was difficult for me to do because I just loved my Harley. No one bought it though. Then I remembered thinking, ìItís almost like Abraham and Isaac. He didnít want Isaac, He wanted Abrahamís heart.î I would never have been compelled to sell those things except that when I tithed, I had very little left. Iíve learned along the way that before money comes character and a change of heart precedes it. Are you okay with giving up what you consider valuable? 

During that time I learned the greatest lessons of life and faith and how giving is connected to life. He taught me how to believe in miracles. When we had nothing and He said for Anna and I to go to Hilo, the church in Hilo said they couldnít pay us. The Lord said to go anyway. Then two weeks before we left, a businessman called and took me to lunch. At lunch he said, ìGod said to give this to you.î It was an envelope with $15,000 in it and thatís what we lived on for the next few months. God knew that church was not going to be able to pay us for a while, but His provisions were released.  

Q2: Is it easy or difficult for you to tithe? Why? Do you trust God to provide for you?

ìIíll open up the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessingî says our God, ìone that will be sourced from heaven if you will have the principle of the tithe working in your life.î So the first step to learning the principle of how giving is connected to life is to understand that giving will release Godís provisions. At the same time, we must also be aware of the three mistakes we often make in giving. The first is:

THREE MAJOR MISTAKES IN GIVING

?        LETTING CIRCUMSTANCES RULE MY GIVING INSTEAD OF THE BIBLE.

ìHe who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.î (Ecc. 11:4) (See also 2 Cor. 8:2.) 

If we allow circumstances to control our giving, then they can become lord in our lives. However, God wants us to trust His Word in this matter. Then He will be able to teach us who really is Lord in our lives.

Q3: Have you ever let circumstances control your giving? How has that affected your life? 

The first mistake we must be mindful of is to not let circumstances dictate our giving. For if we let what we have rule how we give, it will interfere with Godís plans for us. Another mistake we often make is:

?        SOWING IN THE WRONG PLACES.

ìAnd others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears let him hear.î (Mt. 13:8-9)

Whatís the object of your giving? To Give to God! Some people come to me and say, ìWayne, this church costs too much money.î Well, allow me to share from the book, ìThe Grace of Giving.î The author quotes another author saying:

ìA certain Christian once said to a friend, ëOur church costs too much. They spend a lot of money.í Her friend replied, ëSome time ago a little boy was born in our home. He cost us a lot of money from the very beginning. He had a big appetite. He needed clothes, medicine, toys and he even wanted a puppy. Then he want to school and that cost us a lot more. Later he went to college and when he began dating, that cost us a small fortune. But in his senior year in college, he got into a car accident and died. And since the funeral, he hasnít cost us a penny. Which situation do you think weíd rather have?í After a long pause she continued, ëAs long as this church lives, it will cost. When it dies for want of support, it wonít cost us a thing. You see a living church has the most vital message for the world today. Therefore, I am going to give and pray with everything I have to keep that church alive.íî 

This church is living entity and we have the most vital message the world needs today. So it is a worthy place and it is called ìthe storehouseî or your home church. It is where you get your spiritual nourishment. It is worthy of bringing our tithes to invest in the Kingdom.

Q4: Where is your giving directed? Would you say that your giving contributes to sustaining the life of the church? 

Sometimes we may let our circumstances rule our giving or we err by sowing in wrong places. Another area we must also be alert for possibly preventing us from understanding giving is the third mistake of:

?        SOWING TOO FEW SEEDS.

ìThere is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want.î (Pr. 11:24) (See also 2 Cor. 9:6.) 

Iím reminded of the story of a farmer who had wheat that was taller than all the rest. The other farmers wondered how he raised that kind of wheat. So he told them that when he harvested the wheat, he sifted the grain and separated the large and small grain accordingly. He sold the smaller grain at the market and used the larger seed for sowing. He always planted back the best seed. As a result, it gave him the best harvest. The moral of this story: Never eat your sowing seed! The word ìtitheî means not only a tenth, but also the first tenth. That is the first of your fruits, the best of your crop.  

Let Him work through you to bring about an understanding of how giving is connected to life. Godís provisions are released when we give. At the same time He cautions us that if we are not aware, we will make some mistakes because of our circumstance or in where or how much we sow. The next step God explains how giving relates to life: 

2.      IT CANCELS THE SPIRIT OF DEBT.

ìëThen I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,í says the Lord of hosts.î (Mal. 3:11) 

Tithing has the wonderful benefit of canceling the spirit of debt. Let me explain. I would often go into debt to get what I wanted. But when God began to teach me on tithing, I learned that I could live without and still be content. That in itself was a miracle that God was able to accomplish deep in my heart, but only by learning to tithe and live without. He ìrebuked the devourer for me,î and that devourer was often my own desire for more than I needed. So He taught me humility and contentment, and the spirit of debt began to subside.

God shows us in His provision and canceling the spirit of debt or poverty how giving is connected to life. We also learn to be aware of the snares that may get in the way and hamper our giving in a correct and consistent way. The last lesson He teaches us through giving is:  

3.      IT REBUILDS A GRATEFUL HEART.

Charles Allen once said ìI would love to paint a picture of Jesus in the midst of the five thousand with only a little boyís lunch of a few fish and a few loaves.î His point is so beautifully captured in the stark contrast of a small boyís humble lunch against the magnitude of the need of the masses. Jesus could have complained about having so little when He needed so much. But instead, He lifts His eyes and gave thanks. Then the miracle took place. The lesson for us is that we can be grateful in the midst of great need, and it is then that our hearts begin to change.

Q5: When you have little left, are you still able to be grateful for what you do have? 

ìThe purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives.î (Deut. 14:23 TLB) 

Some time ago when Abby was about six years old, I brought some beef jerky back from Japan for her. When I gave it to her eyes just lit up because she really liked beef jerky. She looked at me and said, ìDad, here you take one.î I said, ìNo I bought it for you.î She said, ìI want to share, so you have the first one.î She wanted her father to have the first one. That just blessed my heart! I thought that must be how our Father feels when He gives us our salary or what weíve received and we say, God you have the first one. It just delights the Fatherís heart.  

Thatís the principle of the tithe. Then God can work in so many areas of our life to teach us contentment, humility, and to believe for miracles. So when God adds financially, youíll have the character to sustain His blessing and it wonít destroy you. 

If you want God to bless your life, honor Him first for thatís the principle of the tithe. We have a loving Father who says test Him on this. Trust Him to bless you by turning you from your wicked ways. Allow Him to redirect your heart to right treasures. He will ìopen up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing for you until it overflows.î

Q6: What most impacted you from todayís lesson? How can you begin to apply this to your life today?

MAHALO NUI faithful writer & giver, Rhonda Pang!