Page 001 - Are You Robbing God?
*Verses from NIV
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "in tithes and offerings. You are under a curse---the whole nation of you---because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (NIV: Malachi 3:8-10)
Every year we need to stop and consider our priorities. God would ask each one of us to list what are the most important matters in your life. Does God rank in your top five? If you say, I think He should be #1. Then God will ask, "Have you been robbing me?" as He asked Israel long ago?
The Israelites were requested to tithe one-tenth of all they earned (Deuteronomy 12:11-14; 14:22). Yet, this was the bare minimum. Besides their tithing, they brought burnt offerings, sacrifices, special gifts, and all the choice possessions that they had vowed to the Lord. What else could we give besides our money? How about our time or use of some skill?
The Lord knew that it would be easy to say that He has the first place in our hearts so He puts what we have to the test. It actually comes down to whether or not we will trust God when we give in abundance to Him.
The Apostle Paul says it this way:
"Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (NIV: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7)