Am I Guaranteed to be Blessed by Tithing?

Are you guaranteed to be blessed by tithing? Are you going to receive a winning lottery ticket or an automatic bonus at work just by giving 10% of your income to the Lord?

I do believe in guaranteed blessings when you give—just not financially. If any preacher or pastor tells you so, run out the door because he’s preaching the prosperity gospel, not the real Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I say God’s going to bless you for giving, I’m referring to the guarantee of the blessing of a closer walk with Christ. But have I witnessed those who are givers be blessed financially? Yes. Have I witnessed those material possessions that they did possess last a little longer than expected? I sure have. Have I witnessed those who—because of their obedience and discipline—carried those same traits into their spending and investing and reaped the rewards? Certainly.

Let’s look at what the Bible says about the blessings of giving.

Blessing of Provision

One of the blessings of generosity is awareness of God’s provision. God is the one who provides for us to be generous:

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:10-11)

Paul’s audience was very familiar with the principle of sowing and reaping, so he uses this agricultural metaphor for giving. If you plant a few seeds, you’ll reap a small harvest. If you plant bucketfuls of seeds, you’re going to have a large harvest. But where is the seed going to come from? From God. It says God will supply your seed to give generously. You already have the seeds. All you need to do is go out and give out of what God has already given you.

Paul can say, “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way” because God’s provision is not a past action. It’s a future action, a continual action. Giving is the only place where the Scriptures say to test God (Malachi 3:10). He is the one who constantly supplies what your every need—not your every want—and will enrich you spiritually as you make giving a habit, a lifestyle.

Blessing of a Closer Walk with God

Generosity and tithing also bring the blessing of a deeper relationship with Christ.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul is writing to churches who were undergoing persecution for their faith, yet he’s imploring them to be generous despite those difficult trials. Why? Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Scripture contains over two thousand verses about giving, money, and stewardship.^[1] This is because where your money goes shows what your heart loves. Being obedient in tithing is an act of your love for God. I’ve personally experienced that the more I obey God’s Word, the more my love for him grows. The more I sow my resources, talents, words, time, and platform to spread the Gospel and invest in my church, the more my desire for God grows and the closer I feel to him. There are no hoarders in the kingdom of God, but only those who give freely and sacrificially in love out of what they have.

Blessing of Community

No Christian is an island. Generosity requires community. Your tithe fuels church ministry and allows you to invest in the lives of other believers. When you give, you participate in the work of God’s global church.

Paul says, “For the ministry of this service [the church’s generosity] is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God” (2 Cor. 9:12). Others will be blessed and praise God because of the good works that come from your willingness to tithe.

I say it all the time, but your tithe is just the floor, not the ceiling, of your giving. Generosity is meeting the needs of others. This can be as simple as taking a meal, paying a utility bill for someone in need, or even giving a gift. But in order to meet the needs of those around you, you first have to know what they are. This means you’re plugged into a local church where you can experience life-on-life discipleship with others.

It’s sad that the average churchgoer now attends services only one Sunday per month.^[2] Once a month! That’s not going to cut it. Attending church should be a spiritual discipline in your life where you’re tithing out of your love for Christ. And then your heart should be like Christ’s, open to meet needs as you encounter them both inside and outside the church.

Summary

The blessings of tithing and giving include God’s provision, a closer walk with him, and investing in a church community.

Pray that God would change your heart not to yearn for more and more money—but to be satisfied in him alone. That’s true joy, true satisfaction. We’re never going to find it in an overflowing bank account, and we’re never going to find it in things. It’s so freeing to hold this life loosely and give freely. I encourage you to tithe and then be generous beyond your tithe—and you’ll find God multiplies your seed for sowing so that you can be a blessing to those in need.

[1] https://voices.lifeway.com/bible-theology/4-basic-principles-of-giving/

[2] https://churchanswers.com/blog/the-once-a-month-churchgoers-are-becoming-more-common/