The Blessing

Luke 9:¹⁶ “Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them.”

To multiply, the first thing Jesus teaches us from the example in Luke 9:12-17 is to organize. The second thing we see from this scripture is it has to be blessed before it can multiply. God does not bless things that are disorganized, so you have to be organized first but it has to be blessed. Luke 9:¹⁶ “Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them.” (emphasis added). Jesus blessed them but they had to first give Him the five loaves and two fish.

For us, the truth is, when we give God our first, He blesses the rest. Hesed, the word translated blessed means Him from whom I deserve to receive nothing has given me everything. When God blesses you, it is usually beyond what you deserve. The blessing is the blessing because it is far and beyond what you deserve. Every form of multiplication that is not preceded by or does not lead to financial [or resource] multiplication will only lead to frustration.

When we bring our first to God, He blesses the rest. Then we will be able to achieve with the rest what we could not have achieved with all because it is blessed. We bring our first to God by tithing. Your tithe is the first ten percent. You bring your first to God and God blesses it. I am aware of all the tithe arguments going on. Guess what? There are also salvation arguments as well as arguments about whether there is God or not. If you listen to such arguments long enough, you will question your faith? Are you built on the Rock which is the Word of God? When we give God our first, He blesses the rest. For us, New Testament Christians, do you know that when we bring our tithe, we are actually tithing to Jesus? It is in the Bible. Talking about Melchizedek, a type of Christ, no beginning, no ending, and the priesthood of Jesus Christ which does not expire. Heb.7:^6-8 “But this man, who does not belong to their ancestry, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, tithes are received by those who are mortal; in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.” (NRSV, emphasis added).

While I was playing golf with a Pastor of a very big church in Nigeria, he was complaining about the tithe arguments and how it has affected his church’s income. But I kept quiet, and I did not say anything. Then he asked if it had affected our church’s income and I said no that in fact, our income had gone up, to the glory of God. He asked, how do you do it? Did you address the tithe arguments? I said, no. I hardly preach about tithing, and I am not saying it is wrong or that it is not important. He said, ‘so do you just ignore it?’ I said, ‘no, I just preach the Word and my people respond to the Word’. He was amazed. You cannot mudsling with a pig. When the pig is in mud, it is in its natural habitat. And it can do to you things you cannot do to it.

Prayer: Father, as I organize my finances and I bring my first to You, bless the rest and cause it to multiply beyond what I deserve, in Jesus Name. Amen!