In the first 2 parts of this study we defined the sowing and purpose of the seed, as well as the purpose of the harvest. In the third part of this study I would like to talk about obedient giving and how God supernaturally increases our seed. Let’s start again with the words of Jesus.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. Because with the same measure with which you measure, it will be measured to you again.
And again using Young’s Translation of the Bible.
Luke 6:38 ‘Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, they will give into your bosom; for with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.’
I want to point out that this Scripture is definitely talking about monetary gain and not just spiritual gain. I believe the law of sowing and reaping applies to both, but in this case it is about monetary increase. In the King James translation it says that (men) will give at your breast and Young says, (they) will give at your breast. If this was talking about spiritual blessing it would definitely not have said (men) or (they) would give to our bosom. Because we know as James said… James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from on high, and descends from the Father of lights, in whom there is no change or shadow of variation.
This was talking about us giving and us receiving. You give to men as to God and you receive from men as from God, but God uses men to bless us in this natural world. It is not just about receiving, but receiving in such a way that it is truly more than we can handle. He says these blessings would be overflowing, not just overflowing but pressed down, shaken and then overflowing. This means that his basket will be so totally and completely full that it won’t be able to hold any more, and on top of that, it will keep spilling over the top. In other words, the blessing keeps coming even when all the space for receiving is exhausted. WOW!! I want to point something out here. Motives are important to God. If you give for impure motives of selfish gain, you will lose your blessing. The people you are giving to will be hurt, but not you. Let me show you what the Lord Jesus said about giving and why.
Mark 12:41 Now Jesus sat down in front of the treasury and saw how people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42. Then a poor widow came and put in two mites, which make a quadrant. 43. She then called her disciples and said to them: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who have put into the treasury; 44. Because everyone has put out of her abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had, all her livelihood.
God not only looked at the gift, but also at the reason for giving, right? I truly believe that our willingness to give is just as crucial as the gift itself. You can’t give much if you don’t have much to give, but your desire to be a blessing is irrelevant to the size of the gift when it comes to obedience. God won’t tell you to give something you don’t have, will he? We see throughout the Word of God that when we are obedient we will be blessed. There is a very good reason for this. Obedience brings God’s will to pass. Blessings must be God’s will if He wants us to be obedient in the first place, since the result of that obedience is blessings, not only financial but in all areas of our life. Our Father God wants us to be blessed or he wouldn’t have told us to be obedient in the first place, would he? If He wants us to be blessed, then we must desire those blessings that He has ordained for us. Have you ever thought about it in this light? If you don’t want his blessings then you don’t want his will in your life!
Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat of the good of the land;
When I was younger, I prayed for a promotion at work. In the natural there was no way. I was the most inexperienced person in the group I was with at this company. I had been praying for this promotion for several weeks when one day the Holy Spirit spoke this Scripture to me and it just said so; the willing and obedient will eat of the good of the land.
I knew the Scripture, but when I heard it in my spirit I immediately knew what he was talking about. I had been very compliant in the way I handled myself at work, literally outperforming everyone around me, however I had developed a bad attitude about something that had happened there. Actually, something had happened that was out of my control that put me in a bad light, and I had been unfairly associated with the group that had actually been involved. Haven’t we all been there to one degree or another? In this case it was not about my obedience but my willingness to work. I immediately repented and realized that the Lord had provided this job, and it was He who was taking care of me. I look to Him as my source, and because I see Him as my source, I need to have a grateful attitude and do a good job in my workplace. The next day they told me that I had gotten the promotion. Looking back on this experience, I realize that this promotion set me on a different path that changed my life. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I would not have received that promotion if I had not repented and made an adjustment in my attitude. God was preparing me to receive a blessing, and to receive it, I had to have my basket clean and not filled with the kind of mess that will prevent God-ordained blessings from coming. Our motives and attitude will definitely block our blessings. Both our willingness and our obedience will be considered just as the prophet Isaiah said. Let’s look at another Scripture that shows this type of blessing.
Malachi 3:8 “Can a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In titles and offerings. 9. You are cursed with a curse, because you have despoiled Me, this whole nation. 10. Bring all titles to the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this. , says Jehovah of hosts , if I will not open the windows of heaven for you, and pour out upon you such a blessing, that there will be no place to receive it. vine in the field, says the Lord of hosts; 12.” And all the nations will call upon you wounded, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts.
Many will dispute the legitimacy of tithing in the New Testament, but that is not the purpose of this study. For my part, I strongly believe in it. For now, we are looking at obedience in giving. It is not just about titles, but about titles and offerings as we just read. God must think this is very serious because he said we are stealing from him if we don’t give. God is throwing us a challenge, He said, test me now in this, that is, in the delivery of titles and offerings. You can’t prove it if you’re not willing to give in the first place, right? Again we see that He will radically bless us if we give. He said that he would pour out a blessing that we would not have enough space to receive. Let me ask you a question. Why would God give us a blessing that we are not capable of receiving? Because he loves to do a lot of damage. It is not his fault if we are not able to receive great blessings from him. You see that only a great giver can be a great receiver. God will not shower a blessing on you if you are stingy. You will only prove that his Word is true, but this will be the negative side of it. You see the exact opposite of blessings will happen when you steal from God. He will not rebuke the devourer for you, the fruit of your land will be destroyed, your vines will not bear fruit in the field, and all nations will not call you wounded. But that’s not the way he has to be with us, is it? No.
This reminds me of a true story I heard a minister tell once. He said that a certain farmer in his congregation had called him and told him that the Lord had specifically spoken to him and instructed him to choose a certain calf and kill it. The pastor said that he was fine and when it was time for the farmer to bring the prepared meat, the pastor realized that he did not have a freezer big enough to handle everything. Later he went to the Lord in prayer about it and said, Lord, why would you make that farmer slaughter that calf and give it to me when you knew I didn’t have room for all that meat? The Lord answered him and in essence said, it’s not my fault you don’t have a big enough freezer. I think we need to take the time to come before the Lord and get His plans because when the increase comes and it will if we are willing and obedient, we need to be in a place where we are able to receive it. The Lord was teaching this pastor a very big lesson. It should be a lesson for all of us. I have seen Christians who say they believe that God does not want to bless us financially, but these same people will work like crazy and do all sorts of things to gain wealth. I could tell you some very true stories in this regard. If you really believe that God does not want you to be blessed financially, then you should also stop trying to get riches from the world. Why go to the wealth of the world if you think it is not God’s will for you to be prosperous in the first place? Wouldn’t that be contrary to God’s will and purpose? I can honestly say, thank goodness it isn’t! I’m not trying to be sarcastic on this, but rather to make us think about our true motives in these areas. Do we really believe this way or are we just using it as an excuse to be stingy?
God’s will for His children is that they be blessed and that His children be a blessing. You can’t be much of a blessing if you’re not blessed yourself, that goes for both spiritual and monetary blessings, doesn’t it? Let me close with this.
2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or out of necessity; because God loves a cheerful giver.
Let us purpose in our hearts to be the joyful givers that God has called us to be, and also be ready to reap bountifully because of it. I really hope that you now see these Scriptures in a new light.
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says: “…and whoever comes to me, I will not cast out”. (John 6:37),
So I know you won’t cast me out, but take me in, and I thank you. You said in your Word: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I call on your name, so now I know that you have saved me, you also said: “…that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, because with the heart one believes in justice, but with the mouth one confesses for salvation.” (Romans 10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe he rose from the dead for my justification. And I confess it now as my Lord, because Your Word says: “… with the heart one believes in justice…” and I believe with my heart, now I have become the justice of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21),
And I’m saved! Thank my Lord!
Now I can truly say that I see myself as a born again child of God! Glory to God