The Bible doesn’t restrict us from withholding cash. It warns rather about withholding more than is meet. This means withholding more than is right or what is DUE.
Recently, I was earning a lot on a daily, and being a Proverbs 11:24-25 disciple, I thought my generosity was on track until the Holy Spirit nudged me — scratch that — rebuked me.
You see, I once talked about seed and bread on these streets: That when a farmer harvests, part is needed to be re-sown, and the other to be sold or consumed.
In this context, I was either re-sowing everything to a point where I had nothing left in my storehouse, or consuming the entire harvest, which would lead to a deficiency of seed for the next season.
That wasn’t wise!
The fruit of the Holy Spirit — particularly self-control — not only stepped in; God Himself had to speak and tell me not to spend foolishly;
“Yes, you haven’t withheld more than is needed. You’ve been generous enough. Now take the rest of that cash to the investment group, and take this to this store house (a particular bank account) and stay the urge to give recklessly.”
This is what it means when Deuteronomy 30:10 said, “He (God) found him (Jacob) in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.”
You can clearly see that even in the generosity that Proverbs 11 encouraged, and Paul cheered in 2 Corinthians 8, we still need the INSTRUCTION on how to give and how much. Yes God loves a cheerful giver, but it’s Him to define the degree of cheer — which is the degree of how generous we should be at that particular point depending on our resources.
He’d ask you to give you more than you have; That could be an issue of the heart but let’s not forget that He won’t give you more than you can bear. His instruction comes to redeem, for I once received much and spent it all towards ‘good causes’, and soon, I was lacking and almost asking it back from the people. It wasn’t actually ‘good causes.’ I fell prey to lies of people in need of cash, and I’d even give more than they asked for…
The conclusion of the whole matter is; even if the Bible encourages radical generosity, we must be careful not to give to a point where we begin begging others to help us financially. Striking the balance becomes hard, thus, the best alternative we have is to incline our ears to Him, to let us know how much we can give, not going below the limit of ‘due’. What is due must go. If it’s tithe, it’s not ours. It mustn’t be withheld. if God says ‘give it’, then it must not be withheld. We must therefore be His sheep. His sheep know His voice…
Knowing what to give and what to withhold requires God’s leading. Just like He alone led Jacob in verse 11 of Deuteronomy 30. Just like He was the psalmist’s shepherd, who led him to the still waters, and made him lie down in green pastures.
Sometimes the instructions from our church altars demand we give. And even in that moment, because the congregation is at different bearings; some people might need God to prove that He’s able to supply the need of the request. Other times we simply must pray not to be manipulated…
But this was particularly addressing moments where squandering masquerades as holiness. Where the enemy comes dressed like a sheep, yet it’s a wolf saying, “if you’re indeed a son of God, didn’t He say the generous soul shall be made fat…?”, or “if you’re indeed a king and priest to the High God, aren’t kings generous? Remember Solomon? Sacrificed 20000 bulls in one day? Can’t you do better or the same? Didn’t Isaiah say you’ll devise generous things? And that by generosity you’ll stand?”…
Just like Jesus was being tempted to prove a point, the devil could be tempting you to prove how generous you are! And if you are not discerning enough, if you were Jesus in the wilderness, you would have turned the stones to bread, or cast yourself off the highest point just to prove that the angels would ensure you don’t dash your foot against the stone.
May your ears hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it. (This is how much you should give. Give it.) Whenever you turn to the right hand (in regards to sowing seed) Or whenever you turn to the left (in regards to eating bread).” (Isaiah 30:21)
Amen.
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