Trade by batter is an old form of trading that predates invention and use of money system as means of exchange. The system is based on mutual materials and articles exchange based on individual needs: I have tubers of Yam, but I need Rice; now I must find someone who is in need of Yam and also has Rice. Once I get such an individual, and we agree to exchange our articles, a deal is consummated and we go our separate ways. That is trade by batter in a nut shell. Trade by batter gives no considerations to article’s value or cost, only need! And once that need is met, other things don’t matter anymore.
Unfortunately, most Christians carry this practice and mentality into their relationship with God. This is so because quite a lot of preachers and religious leaders are of the opinion that: we must give to God before He can give to us, and if we want something big; we should offer something big! This view is warped and doesn’t reflect the true nature of God but that of men! Many preachers usually impress it on their congregants to give the highest currency denomination for offerings during church services so that God can give back the biggest blessings to them in return, but this is not true.
Of course, I know what Jesus said in Luke 8:38 which is the scripture used mostly to support this practice and teaching. ”Give, and it shall be giving unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” This scripture is usually quoted out of context in instances such as this, Jesus was speaking relative to the nature of men, the human nature gives back to where it receives, whereas the divine nature regards, honors and blesses the ‘love nature’ as an expression of our giving! Jesus was speaking about the human nature in the quoted scripture; it is man that will give you a gift so that you will also give him back at another time, and without this expectation; he will not give. But the divine nature gives liberally and not on a tit-for-tat basis! God is the ultimate source and he will not wait for you to give him before He gives to you. We tend to present God to people as a beggar in desperate need of our money!
Consider that Luke 6 from verse 27 and pay particular attention to verse 31. Now let us analyze verse 38 quoted above. Jesus said: ‘Give’. The question is: to whom? He didn’t say to himself or to God. (Check verse 31 of the same chapter) Again He says: ‘…shall men give into your bosom’. This Implies that when you give to men; men will give back to you as well.
I am not by any means implying that giving to God is wrong, as a matter of fact, there is nothing too big that we can’t give to God; what I am saying is that our motive for giving to God is wrong and grossly faulty if the reason for our giving to God is that he will give back to us in return. We should give to God on the basis of our love for Him and not solely because we want Him to give back to us in return on the basis of what we have given to Him. This is trade by batter! He (God) first loved us anyway (1 John 4:19), so he is not looking out for us to give to Him first before he gives to us. God expects us to give to him through our giving to humanity; to the poor, the less privileged people who do not even have the capacity to repay back. This is what lending to the Lord means (Proverbs 19:17). This is one kind of giving that the Lord promised to pay back!
Of course, you can also give to support your church, but never give with the mindset of ‘entitlement’! “I will drop $500 in the offering box; God should at least repay $5000 in the course of the week”. God can do much more than that; but never let that be your reason for giving to God. That mindset is wrong; that motive is wrong! Give to God and His work because you love God (the reason why the offering we give during Sunday worship services is called Sunday Love Offering) and most especially give to God through humanity. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shown towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” – Hebrews 6:10
“…Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” – Matthew 25:40
If your motive in giving to God is wrong; your giving is wrong!