Friday, May 12, 2006

God’s Way of Multiplication

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous. (Genesis 26:12-13)

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God…

Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks…

The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you…

And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, n the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 4, 8, 11-12)

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
  And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty
  And your vats will overflow with new wine.
(Proverbs 3:9.10)

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.
(Proverbs 10:22)

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
  That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,” says the LORD of Hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
  And pour out such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
  Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of Hosts;
  “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,
  Says the LORD of Hosts.
(Malachi 3:10-12)

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23)

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife, or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)

Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:7-8)

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all thins, may have an abundance for every good work … Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10).

Let him who is taught in the word share in all good things with him who teachers. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:6-8)

Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account … And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:15-17, 19)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.(3 John 2)
God has many ways of multiplying us in every good thing. This includes material things as well as spiritual.

  • Obeying Him and receiving His blessing will bring increase and multiplication.
  • Honoring Him with our possessions and increase will bring even more increase and abundance.
  • God honors the tithe with more than enough increase, and He will rebuke the devourer for out sakes.
  • Receiving the Word of God and letting take deep root in us brings increase. It is the increase that comes by faith, for faith pleases God and comes by receiving His Word (Romans 10:17).
  • Giving for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel brings hundredfold increase now in this life. This includes houses and lands as well as spiritual blessing. This promise of multiplication is so embarrassing for some Christians, they feel that must explain it away.
  • What we give will be given back to us in greater measure, according to the measure with which we have given. What we measure out with our little hand, God measures out with His big hand.
  • Abide in Jesus and letting His Word abide in us brings much fruit as we ask in His name. This glorifies God.
  • When we give bountifully, we reap bountifully, and God supplies more than we need so we have abundance for every good work. So the circle of giving keeps increasing and multiplying.
  • When we sow to the Spirit, sharing in the ministry of the Gospel, we reap a harvest of things that pertain to everlasting life. What a mighty multiplication that is.
  • Paul uses the language of accounting — giving and receiving — to talk about the abundance of harvest that comes to those who give into God’s kingdom.
  • The multiplication of prosperity has very much to do with the prosperity of our souls—obedience to God, honoring Him with our possession, abiding in Jesus and receiving His Word, and the willingness of our giving.
Want to experience the joy of God’s multiplication in your life? How is your soul prospering?

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:01 AM

    Thank you. May you be blessed and prosper as your reward for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete