Can a person out-give God if they give with the right attitude and by faith?
No. When giving is done with the right attitude and by faith, a person cannot out-give God. This is not a name-it-and-claim-it formula promising a set financial return, but God is able to respond, and He can spare believers expenses they might otherwise incur.
Les explains that this is not the name-it-and-claim-it teaching. He does not claim that giving $1,000 a year means God will pour back $3,000; the Bible does not teach that. Yet because God is so great, if we give with the right attitude and by faith, we cannot out-give God. Les also warns that there is a fine line between faith and fantasy. By faith a person can do certain things and expect God to respond, but fantasy says, "I will give that ministry $500 because I feel God will give me $50,000." That is not how it works. Giving does not always have to return immediately in kind. Les points out that God can spare potential expenses because of liberal giving—an old car may go another 50,000 miles, or a person may avoid large medical costs. He calls that the payback. The whole matter must be viewed in the big picture, not as "If I give $100, will I get $500 back?" Verse 7 is the foundation for giving.