More Blessed

We’ve been exploring the topic of giving and how it relates to worship. We’ve seen how giving reveals our heart, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Luke 12:34).

We’ve seen how the manner in which we give, what we give, and even when we give matters to God. We give honor to God first, with our best.

We also looked at the tithe and how returning the tithe to God lifts the curse and redeems the rest (Malachi 3:10-11). When the curse is removed and God redeems the rest, then we are in position to be blessed.

Remember tithing is not giving. It is returning. And, anything over the tithe is not a tithe, it is an offering.

Illustration: Pr. Robert Morris’ story about challenging the pastor at a church over how he didn’t want to see his people blessed.

Giving releases blessing. How do we know this? Jesus tells us.

Acts 20:32–35 NKJV

32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Paul was leaving the Ephesians and about to take the journey to Jerusalem. He was going to face imprisonment for the testimony of Jesus. And as he is leaving he is leaving them a principle: it is more blessed to give than receive.

The Blessing

It Is Blessed to Receive

In saying this, Jesus was saying first, it is blessed to receive.

In the Bible, the words translated for blessing usually means “a bestowal of good, usually conceived of as material.” The blessing is contrasted often with the curse. Sometimes the blessing is declared or pronounced. In the New Testament the word includes these ideas and also adds the idea of spiritual blessings (NBD, “Blessing”).

John 1:16 GNB

Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.

There are people who over-emphasize the blessing of God…and there are people who never speak of it, or those who over-emphasize poverty and suffering.

The Bible teaches us to expect both blessing and suffering. But it is important for us to see that God, out of His goodness and His grace, blesses us.

It Is More Blessed to Give

As good as it is to receive, Jesus said that it is more blessed to give. Your blessing has a purpose.

Genesis 12:2 NKJV

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

We’ve been blessed so that we can be a blessing. But when we are a blessing to others, we discover the blessing is ours.

If You Are Willing

When it comes to giving offerings it is about being willing. This is a choice you or I make.

2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

But when you choose generosity, you are choosing blessing. It is more blessed to give than to to receive.

There is a story in the Old Testament that gives us a picture of what this looks like in action.

Exodus 35:4–10 NKJV

4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: 5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 7 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 9 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 10 ‘All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded:

This offering was for the building of the Tabernacle. It was for God’s house and something that He wanted to do.

In this passage, Moses is speaking to the people, but it is the LORD who is commanding an offering.

But notice that He said, take an offering from whoever is of a willing heart.

This seems like an odd thing for God to say. He didn’t say everyone. He said, whoever is willing.

God invited people to join into a blessing. But only if they wanted to.

Not only that, there were a lot of ways they could give: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, scarlet thread, linen, goat’s hair, oil, spices, gems, etc. The gifted artisans were called to come and give their talents to take what people brought and make the tabernacle.

Not everyone gave gold, or silver, etc. But those who were willing gave what they could give.

The artisans gave their talents and their time.

The three things of life that we can give are our time, talent, and treasure. And God knows what you are able to give.

Each of these people gave what they were willing.

Exodus 35:20–29 NKJV

20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every man, with whom was found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, goats’ hair, red skins of rams, and badger skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze brought the Lord’s offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25 All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 26 And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair. 27 The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, 28 and spices and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.

The people went home after the call for an offering. They prayed about it. Then, those who had a willing heart, came back and gave a freewill offering to the LORD.

Exodus 36:5 NKJV

and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.”

And the result of the people’s willingness was that there was more than enough to do what God wanted to do.

God never needed 100% of people to give to do His work. Then He would be dependent upon them. But when God’s people choose to give, there is never lack in His house to do His will.

Conclusion

Proverbs 13:22 NKJV

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

God’s way of seeing blessing is multi-generational. God doesn’t want to simply bless you, He wants to bless you to the point where you are able to bless your children and their children.

This requires a new perspective on giving.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 NKJV

As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

This gift of God is a blessing to us. But if we want to step into the realm of more blessing we need to become generous. We have been blessed so that we can be a blessing.

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Look for ways to share what you have been blessed with, whether it be time, talent, or treasure so that you can go from being blessed to being more blessed.

Pray: that God would give us a fresh vision of what it means to be blessed and that He would give us faith to move beyond the tithe, to being blessed, to being more blessed.