Watch With ME

Seeking the Perspective of Jesus

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

This devotional is somewhat of a continuation from the last one. I shared with you a personal story about my heart and conviction about the “Tithing Experience.” I would like to share a little more with you and bring some New Covenant seasoning to the subject of giving to God’s work and His promise to give back to us. Remember, the “Tithing Experience” is not just our act of giving, but God’s act as well, which should encourage us to give generously to the Lord’s work. Now, some people with the wrong heart could say, “Give a little on my part… get more back from God? That’s a deal I can live with! I don’t even need to be a Christian to buy into that program!” But to protect this departure from the truth of the Tithing Experience, there is a caveat that needs to enter the process, which is: God knows our heart and He knows our motives when we give. Do not think that we can buy God off and just enter a business deal with Him, for the Tithing Experience is not about business, but rather, it is God’s method of raising up Men of God…Mighty Warriors…Men after God’s own heart. Therefore, we must look now at the heart of giving, not just the act, to fully understand our Sacred Responsibility in giving as God desires.

If you will do your own study of the tithe, you will find that it was instituted for the purpose of supporting the Sons of Levi, as they carried out their temple duties for God and the people. They were the first “Fulltime Ministers” in Bible history. These men and their families would share no inheritance in the Promised Land, as the other tribes did, so this was God’s provision for them. This was a work of God for the priesthood, and God instructed the Israelites to support it. The tithe back then, as it should be now, was given to the Lord, for the Lord’s work through the people He calls for this work. At that time, the concept of ministry was related to temple worship and temple ministry only. Therefore, the storehouse is mentioned for housing the gifts that supported the ministry of the Sons of Levi. However, I believe that the tithe was not just about funding a life and lifestyle for these men and their families, but rather to support the ministry these people were called by God to do. As you read in Leviticus you will see a clear perspective being presented in that God told the people to bring the tithe to HIM, and He would give it to the priests for their work. The work of ministry is the key, as they made intercession on behalf of the people and carried out the other priestly duties given to them. Now, let’s go forward over a thousand years to when Jesus entered the scene. We see that the ministry to God’s people was not being carried out fully in the way He desired, for the religious leaders had lost their hearts for God and their purpose, even though they paid their tithes. Let’s read the following rebuke by Jesus to the religious leaders and see if we can pick up His perspective about the tithe and the heart of tithing:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Matthew 23:23

Can you see it? Can you see the anger God has against those “fulltime ministers” who neglect their priestly duties because they have lost their heart for the people? But can you also see the anger God feels against those who try to buy Him off and manipulate Him with a tithe, but still maintain a ruthless heart that gives no mercy, no justice and only appear to be faithful? Men, God doesn’t want us to only appear to be faithful with our giving to His work. He wants our hearts to be right when we give, or it will accomplish nothing. Let’s go to a new and fresh view about giving to God’s work that the New Covenant brings. The referenced verse in 2 Corinthians helps us see and even find the heart for giving that God wants us to have. Let’s dive into it:

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” -- There is a dynamic that hasn’t been changed in New Covenant giving versus the Old Covenant, in that what we give will be returned to us many times over, as is promised in Malachi 3:10. As I have said many times, God is not trying to raise money. He is trying to raise up godly people, and the Tithing Experience is His method. Therefore, the benefit is still the same, if our intentions are pure.

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give.” -- Now we see a departure from the Old Covenant instructions of tithing to bring the heart of the New Covenant into it. I believe that Old Covenant tithing had grown into legalism and had no heart for God’s agenda or His purpose for the tithe. When Jesus rebuked the religious leaders, it was because of their legalism and His disdain for it. The New Covenant represents that which we cannot attain on our own by our works and legalistic behavior. The New Covenant is grace personified in the form of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. We are redeemed by His grace, and He desires a heart of grace in us. His grace given to us gives back our heart for giving to God’s work. Does it exempt us from a tithe? It would appear not if we look again at what Jesus said: “You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Scripture does say to us that our tithe, whatever the amount we determine, is between God and ourselves. It is not to be dictated by the church or any other Christian ministry. It is not about percentages and where it should go. It is between you and God to find the answer for both questions.

“...not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” -- Now I must be honest with you. In times past, I have given to ministries or fulltime Christian workers out of compulsion or manipulation because of their compelling tactics. As a result, I think I wasted my gift, and I wish I had sent it elsewhere, for I had no cheer after I did it. As a missionary pastor, a founder and the directional leader for Influencers, relying on the support of our donors, I have a strong conviction that we should never ask for support in a way that would take from our donors this essential cheer. I want our donors to believe in what we are doing and to join us with their hearts when they give. Otherwise, I would desire that they give to a ministry that does bring them this cheer and to those that they feel led by God. I believe that all ministries should carry a great burden that their donors connect with God and the heart of giving more than anything else. We must all stay away from heavy-handed fundraising and manipulation as a means of supporting our ministry, if we want our donors to have the right heart for giving to us. We should also be ever conscious of our responsibility to practice good stewardship and not waste any of the support that is graciously provided to our ministries by our donors. Otherwise, we may find Jesus looking at us as He did at the religious leaders in His day...with rebuke.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” -- This is a very special promise to my wife and me, for we have experienced the joy of seeing God supply a “special gift” for us to give to a missionary in need, while in fact not having the resource to give it. Let me explain:

In the late 1970s, I had a young family and was still early in my career. We had very little extra income, and we were loaded down with debt. We couldn’t do much even if we had wanted to do so. We were beginning to understand the need to give to God’s work and wanted to help a man and his family who were going through a particular needy time in their life. This man had blessed us greatly with his ministry to us, and others as well. Because these missionaries had a need to pay for the prenatal care of a child that would be born to them several months later and had no insurance, we had a great burden for them. I prayed, “Father, I want to help with this need, but I don’t have the resources to do so. Would You, in a way that only You can do, provide me the resource to help these missionaries. When it comes to me, I know that it is from You for this purpose, and we will send it to them.” That afternoon I received the strangest call from the company that I was working for. They told me that the company move that was just completed for us was audited, and they found that $700.00 was due us, and it was in the mail! When we received the check a few days later, it was dispatched to my missionary friend in California immediately. Then, another strange thing happened only a few days later. I was an insurance broker at the time, working with an independent agent in another town. I had helped him sell a large group insurance contract for the city employees. When the case was accepted by the city and completed, I was informed by this independent agent that he could not receive any commission on the deal, for his father was the mayor, and it would not look right. I asked him if he had he thought about what to do with the commission that would have to be paid to someone. He responded that he had not but wanted them to not be wasted. I asked him what he thought about helping out my missionary friend with the income that the commission would create? Excitedly he said. “That is just what I want to do! This makes me very happy!” I thought in my mind, “How about cheerful? Isn’t that what the Bible calls giving from the heart?” For the next several months the commission was paid to our missionary friends for their baby and fully funded that need. I also saw God use us to invite another insurance agent, who did not know our missionary friends, to consider helping them out, and he, too, experienced the joy of giving to their need. I saw that my wife and I were supplied the ability to fund a need for someone we loved, even though we didn’t have the resources to do it. All this was done because I simply asked the Lord to help us do it, and He responded by doing so!

So, how does this speak to your hearts, my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ? If this ministry is able to help you grow close to Christ and to share His heart in any way, you must understand that He wants you to be as generous as He is in helping His work expand to reach other people for Him. Never use an excuse that you do not have it to give, for He is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Just ask Him to help you be generous, by supplying the resources so that you may give. Then watch what happens. It will be provided so that you can give from the fullness of your heart, without compulsion or reluctance. God wants this for you, for it will draw you closer to Him, which is His desire for you. Therefore, my prayer for you is that you may understand the joy that is waiting for you when you learn to give in such a way. I pray that it will never become something you dread or resent. I ask of God that it may be one of the greatest joys you will ever experience, and that it will awaken a heart in you that God is re-creating for His purposes and to His glory.