tithes and offerings | Timothy Burt

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

As I looked through a photo album, a recent picture triggered an old memory that made me laugh. When my kids were young, our life was crazy busy. To ensure we’d get a break for us and the kids, we’d all (kids included) save our change and coupon savings money for a weekend getaway in a hotel with a pool. The kids would swim and play all weekend and love it more than going to Disney! On the drive to where we were going, we’d stop at a grocery store or gas station, and I’d let each of my four children pick out three candy treats that I paid for! They’d all look up at me with a big smile and, in harmony, say, “THANK YOU, DAD!” They knew this moment was coming, and it was one of the highlight moments of their trip! They’d dig into their first treat the second we were back in the car. It was at this point that I strategically tested their giving nature. I’d put my hand out and say, “Can I have a couple of those?” Two of them would easily share. One of them was more hesitant but did. And the other one didn’t want to share. He’d look at me and say, “Dad, you just bought these for us. Why didn’t you buy one for yourself?” I’d say, “I didn’t want to buy a whole box or bag of candy and was just hoping you’d share a couple with me.” I’d continue, “I bought those for you, and yet you won’t share a couple with me?” Sometimes he did but grudgingly, and sometimes he didn’t. This opened the door for a discussion on learning to be a generous giver!

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” This verse reveals that God wants us to become those who learn to give generously and cheerfully. People don’t because they think they will have less and be deprived of something by sharing what they have. God’s Word reveals the opposite. It indicates over and over that the supernatural power of God is most involved with those who have learned to give cheerfully and by faith so that when they do, God will become involved in meeting their needs. Look at these two verses and see if you can see it.

Proverbs 11:24 (NIV) says, “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly but comes to poverty.” Imagine that! You give more freely (because you trust God and have become a generous giver) and end up with more. Mr. Stingy doesn’t provide, and he ends up with less. Hmm!

And in Luke 6:38 (NLT), Jesus said, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

God also teaches us in Psalm 112 about the character of “the righteous person,” meaning, in this case, one with godly character developed within them in the area of giving. Psalms 112:9 (NLT) says, “They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.”

When trying to teach my children the importance of sharing and giving, I wanted to help them understand a difficult concept. You wouldn’t think it would be difficult, but it was. I tried to help them know that I could always supply them with more when they shared with me. If they ran out, that was something I could help with because I had the resources to do so. The stingy would think, “If you have the resources, why don’t you get your own?” The generous would think, “He blessed us, and I will bless him back. He is always kind to give to me!”

If you ask God about this, the Lord would reveal that this same truth is also actual when we give tithes and offerings to God and the needs of others because we feel compelled to by the Lord. We begin to live in His supernatural economy when we understand that God is our Heavenly Father and loves a cheerful giver. We don’t give to get. We provide with the pure motive of being cheerful givers, knowing that when we offer, we give to the one in need and in our heart, making it a sacrifice to God, knowing He meets all our needs. This is the kind of heart God blesses over and over again. In the story of the widow’s mite, in Luke chapter 21, she gave the little that she had. Why? Because she trusted God and knew that anything she had came from God anyway. 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NLT2) reveals this truth: “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

The gifts we are to scatter generously are not limited to monetary or material things. Each of us has a deep well of riches—talents, skills, time and help, enlightenment, a listening ear, and more within us. As we liberally share resources and gifts with those around us, God transforms us into cheerful, generous, spontaneous givers who produce “a great harvest of generosity…” In this exercise of faith, we learn the revelation of Proverbs 11:25 (NIV): “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

My children are all highly successful adults who have become generous and cheerful givers. They have learned the blessing of sacrificially giving to God and others and have been blessed for practicing it all their lives! As we know this, it will help shape our hearts to be like God’s—the ultimate giver who gave the greatest of all gifts, Jesus!

Romans 8:32 (NIV) “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

If today’s Fresh Manna was a blessing to you, please hit the “LIKE” button below! And if you’d like to tell me why, I’d love to hear from you! Click here: FreshMannaFeedback

If your heart has been touched by God’s love through Fresh Manna, would you like to help Pastor Tim reach others also? Please prayerfully consider donating. No gift is too small.

If you liked this, please share it with someone!

Like this: