You Can’t Outgive God

From a small child I was always taught that my tithe was the first 10 percent. So, every week when I would get my allowance I would take out that small 10 percent, place it in an offering envelope and leave feeling pretty good about myself. Offering – check! Now the rest is all mine!

Only in recent years as I sat listening to a sermon did God open up my eyes to the truth that the first 10 percent is only giving back to God what was already his to begin with. It’s not until we go above and beyond that first 10 percent that we are truly giving an offering. I remember the pastor saying, “we can’t out give God.” I didn’t even know what that meant at the time but I did know that my “tithe” needed to be reevaluated. When God opened up my eyes to this, it was life-changing. I began actually giving an offering to the Lord, whether financially or in my service, and guess what? God has always out given me – every single time. I decide to increase my offering – I really shouldn’t, the world would look at my bills and say “no, save that extra for an emergency” – but I go against the “logic” the world has taught me and increase it anyway and within the same week my boss gives me a raise. I use a week of my vacation to go to youth camp – foolish, take a real vacation! – and I come home as a mentor to the girl no one thought took Christianity seriously.

Don’t get me wrong – this is NOT a prosperity gospel message. I am not a believer in that, but I do firmly believe that when you start to truly and faithfully trust God with all that He’s given you and return it to Him as an offering, He will entrust with you more and more. You can’t out give the ultimate Giver.