If Jesus Taught It, We Can’t Ignore It
I haven’t seen many people teach on this topic lately. In fact, when we start speaking about it, most people shut down and get ready to throw stones. And I understand why — it’s been horribly abused over the years. But what we can’t do is throw the baby out with the bathwater. If Jesus taught it, then it’s worth looking through the abuse and learning to handle His teaching rightly.
We can’t call Jesus our Lord and Master but then refuse to obey what He clearly said just because others have twisted it. I’m speaking of sowing and reaping. So as you read this, let your guard down for a moment and let’s simply look at what the Bible teaches, acknowledge the abuse, and hold on to what is good.
The Abuse
The abuse I’m talking about comes from countless televangelists who used the Bible’s teaching on sowing and reaping for personal gain. They preached that if you give a “financial seed” to their ministry, then God will move in your life. “Give $1 000 and God will answer your prayers,” or even worse, “Give $1 000 and He’ll heal your child.”
That’s obviously manipulation, not Scripture. Jesus never sold miracles. The gospel is free, and God’s answers are not based on a financial contribution to a man’s ministry but on faith in Christ alone.
Still, we must be careful not to fall for the enemy’s trap of thinking that any teaching on giving is manipulation. Jesus and Paul both spoke strongly about generosity — not for personal benefit, but to reveal God’s heart. So if all that abuse isn’t what they meant, what did they mean?
What the Bible Actually Teaches
The Bible often speaks of money as seed that can be sown. Even financial experts talk about money like that. Scripture teaches that when we sow into a field, we can expect a harvest accordingly. If a farmer only plants half his land, he shouldn’t expect a full harvest.
Yet when Scripture connects that same principle to finances, we often shut down. The truth is, we’d rather sow our money into comfort or “financial freedom” than into God’s kingdom.
But let’s look at what the Bible actually says so we can build our understanding on truth and not just what sounds wise.
2 Corinthians 9:6–11 — God Multiplies What You Sow
“The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously… Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Paul isn’t writing about tithing here but about giving beyond the tithe — specifically to help the church in Jerusalem. To us, it might look like giving to a building fund or helping those in need. He also says we shouldn’t give out of compulsion; the choice is ours.
Paul’s point is that when we sow generously, from faith and not guilt, God promises to supply and multiply our seed — not necessarily to make us rich, but so we can be more useful to God’s kingdom.
Proverbs 3:9–10
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”
The point this Scripture makes is that we should prioritize giving and not just see what’s left at month-end. God is saying that after we put Him first in our finances, He ensures that what’s left fills our barns. It’s us saying it’s not our salary that is our source — God is our source.
And just in case we think that principle only applies in the Old Testament, Jesus Himself takes it even further.
Luke 6:38 — The Measure You Give Is the Measure You Receive
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Here Jesus is teaching about generosity in a broader sense, not just finances. But the point is the same: the measure we use in our giving is the measure God uses back to us. When we give generously, God gives generously. When we round down our amount, God rounds down His amount. When there is an opportunity to give and we look for the way to give the bare minimum, that same measure will be used.
Proverbs 11:24–25 — Generosity Multiplies, Hoarding Shrinks
“One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water.”
The world teaches, hold on tightly to what you have and build wealth and financial freedom, but God teaches, live with an open hand, and He will fill it again. This Scripture teaches us that the generous person doesn’t lose — they gain.
The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee both have the same source. The Sea of Galilee has an outflow and is filled with life; the Dead Sea has no outflow and has no life. Likewise, hoarding is a sure way to drown out the life in our finances and cut off God’s provision in our lives.
But God doesn’t just promise to refill our hands here on earth — He also reminds us that what we do with money echoes into eternity.
Matthew 6:19–21 — Store Treasure in Heaven
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Here Jesus calls us to have an eternal mindset when it comes to our finances. Most financial advisors will stress the fact that you need to invest in a retirement fund that, when it pays out, will last you hopefully 15 years. Jesus calls us to invest into eternity — through sowing generously — which will last a whole lot longer than 15 years.
God Blesses Those Who Give to His House
It’s very clear when reading Scripture that God provides for those who give financially to His house. And while we acknowledge these teachings have been abused, we teach them anyway because they’re for your benefit.
Most people probably will never know where and when you give, but God does, and “…God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7)
We miss out on God’s financial favor when we stick our heads in the sand regarding this topic. Too many believers have made Jesus Lord of everything except their finances — and remember, Jesus said, “…You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matt 6:24)
A Personal Testimony
A while ago, I felt prompted to give something small — a microwave, of all things — to someone in our church who needed it. It wasn’t a massive sacrifice, but it did set me back financially.
The very next day, I got the opportunity to start renting a very nice house for the exact same price as the small flat we were staying in at the time. As of writing this article, the price of that microwave has been covered about 550 times by what we should have been paying.
We often expect the harvest to come in the form of random EFTs into our bank accounts or someone giving us a car. But often, God’s provision comes in the form of opportunities. When we look for it, we start to see God’s hand all over the generous believer’s life.
What If God Doesn’t Give?
You might give into God’s kingdom this week without seeing the harvest the Bible speaks about. And I believe this is often because God tests our hearts with these things. Will we still honour Him with our finances even if there’s nothing in it for us? Will we keep being generous even when God seems slow?
The point is not that God is some sort of ATM — sowing and reaping is not a transaction; it’s an invitation to trust a faithful and good God.
A Word of Caution
We sow into God’s kingdom, not just into any cause. One day I don’t want to stand before God and hear, “You gave, but not to Me.”
I would also caution you with this: remember to sow the seed, not the bread (2 Cor 9:10). We can’t be irresponsible with our finances and treat God as our bailout plan. Yet when we give our best — that which costs us dearly — it moves God’s heart, and we will reap what we sow.
So let’s not let the abuse silence the truth. Sowing and reaping is still a biblical truth.
Think 180 