Trusting God Through Tithing and Radical Generosity

Psalm 40 gives the picture for a life that trusts God: He hears the cry, lifts people out of the slimy pit and miry clay, sets their feet on the Rock, and puts a new song in their mouth. God’s faithfulness turns even a bad place into a testimony, because the same God who pulls somebody out of the pit can put them in front of people who need to hear how good He is.

Tithing is not a prosperity gimmick or a way for anybody to get rich off God’s people. Malachi 3 calls the tithe back into God’s house and dares believers to prove the Lord, trusting Him to open heaven’s provision and rebuke what devours the crop. Seed cannot bring a harvest while it stays in the hand. Giving declares that finances are not gone when placed in God’s hands, but planted for kingdom fruit.

Proverbs 3 ties trusting the Lord with all the heart to honoring Him with wealth and firstfruits. Trust cannot stop at words, worship songs, or church attendance. Tithing puts trust where bills, fears, desires, and “stinking thinking” live. God owns it all anyway: breath, time, children, homes, cars, health, work, money, and every ability to gain wealth. Believers are not owners but stewards.

Tithing provides for God’s house, tells God, “I trust You,” declares God first, and becomes part of worship. Giving breaks greed, self-reliance, and the illusion of control. God, not a job, hustle, investment strategy, or economy, remains the source. Work itself receives eternal significance when income becomes a vehicle for worship, missions, food ministry, outreach, and the redemptive work of God.

Genesis 4 exposes the difference between Cain and Abel. Cain brought “some” of the fruit in the course of time, while Abel brought the fat portions and the firstborn, his first and best. God did not reject Cain because Cain worked the soil; God rejected leftovers that did not trust Him with the first. God gave His best in Jesus Christ, the sinless Lamb, and hearts rescued from the pit should want to give Him their best.

Generosity must also show up beyond the offering plate. Christ’s people should not be known as the worst tippers or as people who withhold love over small inconveniences. Giving can become a witness that makes somebody ask where such love comes from. Obedience in tithes and offerings makes room for ministry, blesses people in need, and declares before heaven and earth that the heart belongs to God.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. God is the source, not money. Tithing resets the heart when fear tries to make a paycheck, a job, or an economy look like the provider. God gives strength, skill, health, and opportunity to gain wealth, so no person can claim independence from Him. Trust becomes real when giving says that God can still take care of His people if everything around them shakes. [65:25]
• 2. Firstfruits reveal what trust really means. Cain gave some of his crop, but Abel gave the firstborn and fat portions. The issue was not whether soil was less spiritual than sheep; the issue was whether God received the first and best or the leftovers. Firstfruits tell God, “You come before the bills, before the wants, and before my fear.” [79:18]
• 3. Giving is worship that costs something. David would not give God an offering that cost him nothing, because worship is more than singing with the mouth. Tithes and offerings place the fruit of labor before God as an act of honor. A surrendered gift declares that every good thing already belongs to Him. [63:40]
• 4. Work becomes ministry through kingdom giving. A nine-to-five becomes bigger than deadlines and paychecks when its fruit helps feed people, send missionaries, and strengthen God’s house. Integrity at work also becomes a witness when believers show up, refuse constant complaining, and work unto the Lord. God can use ordinary labor for eternal significance. [70:25]
• 5. Generosity should look like Christ. Christian generosity must reach restaurants, neighborhoods, widows, struggling families, and people carrying unseen pain. A generous response can interrupt somebody’s assumptions about church and reveal the love of Jesus in a practical way. Love should not be stingy when Christ gave everything.
  
  ## [74:47]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [46:31] - Lifted From the Miry Clay
• [49:07] - Vision and Spiritual DNA
• [50:36] - Why Giving Is Not a Gimmick
• [51:26] - Malachi 3 and the Tithe
• [54:54] - Trust God With All Your Heart
• [57:29] - Tithes, Offerings, and God’s House
• [59:52] - Tithing Declares Trust
• [63:40] - Giving as Worship
• [65:25] - God Is the Source
• [67:40] - Kingdom Purpose and Eternal Work
• [70:42] - Naming the Seed
• [73:18] - Obedience and Radical Generosity
• [76:38] - Cain, Abel, and Firstfruits
• [84:40] - The Ninety Day Challenge
• [89:58] - Prayer for Trust and Salvation

Bible Reading

Malachi 3:10
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” [51:26]

Proverbs 3:9-10
“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” [54:54]

Genesis 4:3-5
“In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.” [01:16:38]

Observation questions

1. In Malachi 3:10, what was the purpose of bringing the full tithe into the storehouse, and what did God invite His people to do?
2. What two words in Genesis 4:3-5 describe the difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering—Cain bringing “some” fruit and Abel bringing the “firstborn” and “fat portions”? [01:19:01]
3. According to Proverbs 3:9-10, what is believers’ wealth meant to do before it is connected to barns being filled and vats overflowing?
4. What are some ways giving was described as reaching beyond money, including serving, helping a widow, supporting ministry, and caring for people in need? [57:44]

Interpretation questions

1. Malachi says the tithe was to provide “food in my house.” What does this show about the connection between giving and the practical ministry of God’s people? [59:52]
2. Proverbs connects trusting the Lord with honoring Him through wealth and firstfruits. Why might finances reveal whether a believer is trusting God more clearly than words alone? [01:00:22]
3. Genesis does not say Cain’s work in the soil was wrong. What does the contrast between “some” of Cain’s fruit and Abel’s firstborn and fat portions suggest about the heart behind an offering? [01:19:18]
4. If God is the true source of strength, health, skill, work, and opportunity, how should that change the way a believer views a job, paycheck, investment, or personal ability? [01:04:14]

Application questions

1. When financial pressure rises, what does your heart most naturally look to for security: God, a paycheck, savings, extra work, an investment, or something else? What would it look like to place that fear before the Lord? [01:05:19]
2. In what area might you be tempted to give God what is left over—money, time, energy, attention, or service—rather than offering Him your first and best?
3. What is one practical way you could honor God with what He has placed in your hands this week, whether through faithful giving, serving someone, meeting a need, or supporting kingdom work? [57:44]
4. How could your work become more than a way to pay bills? What would change if you approached your job this week as worship and ministry to the Lord? [01:10:25]
5. Is there a habit of greed, self-reliance, or trying to control everything that generosity could help loosen in your life? What small, concrete step could help you practice dependence on God? [01:05:58]
6. Think about the people you meet in ordinary places—restaurants, stores, workplaces, and neighborhoods. How could generosity and patience make the love of Jesus visible to someone carrying pain you cannot see? [01:14:32]
7. Psalm 40 pictures God lifting people from the pit, setting their feet on the Rock, and putting a new song in their mouths. Where has God been faithful to you, and how might your testimony lead someone else to trust Him? [48:34]