Dr. D's Devotional
Title: Finances 9
by Dennis Reschke
Finances 9
There are three realms of giving in the Bible: tithes, offerings
and alms. The tithe is a tenth of your gross income given to your church
and/or (I believe) to your "storehouse". The storehouse is the source that
is supplying your spiritual, and perhaps, material needs. It is the gross,
I believe, because your taxes and benefits, which is more or less the difference
between the net and gross, are to your country and to yourself. By paying
taxes, which Jesus suggested was appropriate, even if unjust (Matt 17:27),
this gives you spiritual authority to pray over it. You have a vested interest
in its outcome which you otherwise would not have. Mal 3:10,11 delineates
the promised returns on this giving. It is unlimited (i.e., the whole of
God's kingdom).
Offerings are voluntary (2Cor 9:7), or at the request
of God. The amount is unspecified but the full return is 100 times (not
100%; Mk 4:8). The amount of the return is based on several factors including
how much care is taken in planting, caring for, and harvesting of the seed
sown. Alms giving is funds given to the materially poor. The return on it
is one to one (Pr 19:17). Why do I talk about return? So we can establish
God's covenant and give to those who have need (Deut 8:18, Eph 4:28)(I will
continue to hammer this motive thing).
Ps 35:27 "Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor My righteous cause:
indeed, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure
in the prosperity of His servant". God delights in prospering us. Notice
it says "servants", not sons or disciples or believers. Are you God's servant?
If not, this doesn't apply to you. You can be born again and not be God's
servant. Are you going to heaven? Absolutely. It's not by works lest any
man should boast, but there are things we can do to position ourselves to
receive of God's bounty while here on earth. Why? so we can give it away.
"Test me in this...." (Mal 3:10). God is inviting us to test His promise
of giving and receiving. Start out by using what prosperity you have to
give to another ministry, not with yourself. If you really believe the giving/receiving
principle you'd give it all away. Personally, I haven't reached that level
of faith, though I believe it mentally. There will be opposition from satan;
"some thirty, some sixty, some hundred fold" has to do, in part, with the
amount of faith you exert, how good your soil is, if you relented to satan's
pressures, or the cares of the world (no water), etc., etc.
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