God Multiplies Whatever You Give to Him
By Rick Warren
“‘Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn . . . Test me in this,’ says the Lord All-Powerful. ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need’” (Malachi 3:10 NCV).
If you give God your time, he multiplies it. If you give him your money or energy, he multiplies that, too. As I’ve mentioned here before, it’s like planting seeds. Farmers know that seeds must be sacrificed by being buried in the ground; they must be given away to do any good.
If you keep a seed in a sack, it accomplishes nothing, but if you plant it, it multiplies. For example, when you plant just one watermelon seed, you get a bunch of watermelons with hundreds of seeds in them. In the same way, God multiplies whatever you give him.
What’s the key ingredient in this seed planting? Faith.
But we have to understand the difference between faith and bargaining. Bargaining is when you say, “God, help me close this deal and I’ll give you part of it.” God doesn’t work that way. God asks for faith. He wants us to sacrifice in advance, without worrying about whether we’ll get anything in return; he wants us to let him figure out how to repay us.
One of the great lessons Kay and I have learned is that you cannot out-give God. Whatever you give God, he multiplies. Three different times in our marriage, God told us to give away our entire savings. Each time we obeyed, and each time, God restored our finances in greater ways than ever before.
Jesus makes us this promise in Luke 18:29-30: “Truly I tell you . . . no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life” (NIV).
And elsewhere in the Bible, we read this: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV).
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
Why is faith so important to giving?
How have you experienced God giving back more than you’ve given him?
Think of God’s other blessings in your life besides finances (such as your time, your talents, your family, your energy, or even your home). How would the principle of God multiplying whatever you give him apply to these things, too?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Put Jesus at the center of your Christmas!
Many people step into the Christmas season run down and worn out. And by the time January rolls around, they’re so exhausted that they’ve completely missed the real reason for the season.
But there’s really no better time to recalibrate your heart toward Jesus than during the holidays. And Pastor Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose of Christmas, can help you fill your Christmas with more of God’s love and peace by making Christ the center of your life.
This resource shows you . . .
• What Christmas means for your salvation
• How to surrender to God’s will
• Practical steps to overcome discouragement
• Why we celebrate Christmas at all
• How Christmas can be a time to make peace with others
The Purpose of Christmas is our way to thank you for your gift below to help more people learn, love, and live the Word – so request your copy when you give!
From all of us at Daily Hope, may you experience God’s peace and joy this holiday season!
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
