Promises For The Giver

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” (Pr 3:9-10 AV)

I read this morning of the lad who had five loaves and two fishes.  Have you ever asked yourself how Andrew found out about it?  Who was the one who knew this lad had five loaves and two fish?  Normally, one’s victuals would be concealed.  This lad more than likely had his meal wrapped up in something or had it in a pouch or satchel.  We almost always carry food that way.  I began to think of that lad.  I wonder if he offered it to Andrew as a means to solve a large problem.  This lad may have thought Jesus could feed the five thousand with the few offerings he had.  Perhaps it was the faith and generosity of this one young lad that fed the multitude.  Rarely does Jesus offer miracles without the presence of faith somewhere.  Could it be the faith of one young man fed 5,000?  What is truly encouraging in the passage above are the promises attached to the command.  The word of God says to honor the LORD with the substance of our firstfruits.  So, giving is honoring the LORD.  If we do not, it is a dishonor.  However, note the promises.  If we honor God with the firstfruits of our increase, then He turns around and blesses us.  Our barns will be filled with more than we need and our presses will burst forth with pleasures more than we can handle.  This is the promise to those who are generous.

Giving is a hard thing to do.  For several reasons.  In our passage and the mention of the lad who gave his five loaves and two fish, it is and was a matter of faith.  In my sermon this past Sunday morning, I shared a hard lesson my wife and I learned early in our young married life.  When we got married, I had gotten a new job about six weeks prior.  Before that, I was out of work for about six months.  When we got married, we didn’t have a penny to our name and I had gotten behind on several debts.  Unfortunately, when that happens, tithing is usually the first thing that goes.  For the first eight months or so, we didn’t tithe.  During those eight months, we had car trouble more frequently than most.  I had to work off repairs by waxing and buffing a repair shop’s floors.  It was during this time we survived on WIC assistance and also had our utilities cut off a time or two.  We were really struggling. Then we decided if we were going to go down, we might as well trust the LORD and walk in obedience.  That is when the LORD began to turn things around for us.  We didn’t get wealthy.  The LORD did not send Publishers Clearinghouse to us.  But, we could breathe a bit easier.  We were still living hand to mouth.  But at least we were not going backward.  Over the years we have learned to trust the LORD a little bit more each year.  Paul refers to giving as a grace.  He challenges the Corinthian church to be ahead from the last year.  Giving by faith is a work in progress.

Many of God’s commands have promises attached.  One might say they all do.  When the LORD tells us to do something, there are almost always blessings that come with it.  Giving is no less the case.  We are not asked to give everything and trust the LORD to meet the bills.  This is neither rational nor biblical.  When the lad gave his five loaves and two fish, he knew he was going to get something in return.  He knew the Messiah was going to feed all.  This wasn’t a give-it-all meeting.  This was a calculated gift based on a need with an expectation the Savior was going to meet all needs.  Including the one, he created for himself.  Giving is a joy.  But it does take faith.  The promise above is upon which we hand our faith.  If we are generous with what the LORD has blessed us with, He will reciprocate that generosity with the means to meet our needs.  Giving is an investment in our survival and happiness.