60 Days of Reckless Tithing... Will the Blessing of Tithing Be Wealth?

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.  (Malachi 3:10)

God’s radical, reckless invitation to us is to give him 10% of our income…and he will use that giving to pour down overflowing blessings.  

But what does an overflow of blessings mean?

Some say it will make us financially rich.  Perhaps.  But that seems to cheapen the gift, doesn’t it?  If I give, God will give back?  That makes it all about me and getting more and more rather than about God—and his passion for changing my life.

God has something more profound in mind here, in my opinion.  Something deeper.  More significant.  More sacred.  More transformational.

The blessing is God’s faithfulness.  In your life.  No matter what your life looks like.  No matter what life throws your way.  

Here are some pictures of what that might look like:

1. Deeper trust.  We believe that controlling our own lives shapes our destiny.  God says grace shapes our destiny.  Surrender to his faithfulness sets the agenda of our lives.  More often than not life is out of our control.  And in those moments, as in all the moments of life good or bad, God shows himself faithful.  Living life trusting in God’s faithfulness is a blessing that gives life breadth and depth.
2. Gratitude. Giving, and more specifically, tithing, releases gratitude in us.  Tithing is an act of worship—a way of saying thanks to God for all of life’s gifts.  Cheerful givers are grateful givers.  They are far more attuned to the gifts of God.
3. Better financial management. When you give away 10% of what you earn, it makes you far more responsible for the 90% God invites you to use for living life.  And that, in part, is why some people will say God blesses them with more money.  In reality, many of them are using the same money more responsibly and wisely.
4. Being a part of a greater cause. Deep down we have a God-created need to do something good and noble.  Tithing is one powerful way to do that.  When your tithe is combined with the tithes of other Grace’rs, we’re able to accomplish far more than if we did something on our own.
5. Grace. Even when God asks something of us, like tithing, he always ends up having the final word—and that word is always a gift of grace.

Tithing is about life.  It’s where the tires of our lives hit the road of God’s grace.  It’s reckless.  It’s radical.  And it leads to a reckless, radical faith and trust in the One who gave his all for us in Jesus.