“Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

— Proverbs 3:9–10

God offers us blessings in many different forms. He blesses us with peace, joy, love of family and friends, emotional stability, and a host of other things. But God also promises to provide for all our material needs “out of His riches in glory.” We don’t provide for ourselves from our paychecks, our abilities to make money, or our bank accounts; rather, God takes care of our needs from His riches in glory.

Have you (excuse the pun) banked on this promise? So many people worry about paying their bills, but God has promised to make ends meet for us. Yet because they lack faith, many people hold on tightly to what God gives them, and as a result, they rob God of their tithes and offerings. They don’t honor the Lord with their substance by giving as God has instructed. Instead, they withhold from Him the “firstfruits” of their income. Therefore, God withholds His blessing from them. Hear what God says through His prophet Haggai to the ancient Israelites who neglected to tithe: “You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Haggai 1:6, NIV).

God doesn’t want us to tithe so He can have our money. He has all He needs. But He wants us to honor Him in this area of our lives. When we give tithes and offerings to God, we exhibit recognition that the Lord has given us everything we have. We give to Him because we’re grateful for all His blessings. Most of all, we give because He has commanded us to do so. We submit ourselves to His will by giving to Him first.

God promises to bless those who give faithfully (see Malachi 3:10) and invites us to test Him in this. If you haven’t already, give a tithe of your income, even if you believe you can’t afford it. As you obey Him by tithing, God will pour out His blessings upon you.

“Religion begat prosperity …”
Rev. Cotton Mather