Hard truth can be tough to take and difficult to digest. Hard truth is a-lot like medicine – we don’t like it and it doesn’t always taste good, but it is good for us. That’s the kind of truth God has for us in Malachi 3:8-12. This passage provides us with the 7th way that we can honor God according to the book of Malachi, and that is: by giving our tithes and offerings properly.
Now, before we go any farther, please let me offer you a disclaimer: this is not a cleverly devised financial pitch or fund-raising appeal because the church wants more money or because I want a bigger paycheck…last time I checked, my name is not Oral Roberts or Jim Baker! One reason why I’m writing this post is because the concept of giving to support God’s work by giving our tithes and offerings to the local church properly is a Biblical principle that is emphasized repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. In fact, God talks about tithing more than 60 different times in the Bible. Now if God says something one time, He means it. If He says something more than once, He really means it. So if God goes out of His way to talk about giving tithes more than 60 different times in the Bible, I’d say He’s pretty serious about it, wouldn’t you? Another reason why I’m writing this post is because it’s the mission of our church and it’s my job as a Pastor to clearly teach you the entirety of God’s truth in the Bible from cover-to-cover. And like it or not, the giving of tithes and offerings is a subject that is certainly included. So, with that in mind, take a deep breath, and then fasten your seat-belts, ‘cause here we go . . .
One of the most profound principles that God’s Word teaches is that if you want God to bless you in your finances, then you’ve got to learn how to give God’s way. Giving God’s way involves 3 key things:
1. Giving God’s Way Means Giving Correctly – We need to have the right outlook, the right perspective on money and possessions in our lives. The Bible indicates that we are not owners, we are managers. Scripture says that God owns everything, and He gives us the responsibility of being managers or “stewards” of His money and His materials during our lifetime (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). In Psalm 24:1 it says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” And in Haggai 2:8 God speaks and says, “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of hosts.” So if God owns everything – all the money and possessions – that we have, and if we are just managers, then He has every right to tell us what to do and where to send and how to spend His money. And when we recognize that and do that, then we are giving correctly.
2. Giving God’s Way Means Giving Obediently – The word “tithe” means 10% and it refers to the Biblical command for God’s people to give 10% of their gross household income to the funding and support of ministry (an “offering” is any amount given over and above and in addition to the tithe). Specifically, in our day and age, that means that we give our tithes to the local church. The church is God’s plan for world outreach and for carrying out the work of Biblical ministry (Matthew 16:18, 28:18-20). The way that the local church gets funded for ministry is by the tithes of the people who go there. So if the people don’t go and don’t give, then God’s work doesn’t get funded or accomplished, and that goes directly against God’s plan and intention for ministry. That is exactly what was happening at the time when the book of Malachi was written. God’s people were not tithing obediently. They were not giving God’s money to support God’s ministry work, which is why God called them thieves, told them they were stealing from Him, and rebuked them in Malachi 3:8-12. Sadly, the exact same situation is still taking place in many of God’s churches in our day and age as well. Stealing from God is not honoring Him. That’s why God highlights this principle in the book of Malachi, and that’s why it’s so important for us as His people to tithe.
3. Giving God’s Way Means Giving With Priority – Giving with priority means giving to God first! In Proverbs 3:9, it says “Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce.” In the God’s Word Translation is says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income.” Some folks have the idea that we get our paycheck, pay our bills, take care of expenses and investments, and whatever needs to be done, and then – if we have anything left – we will give something to God. But when do that, we end up giving God our leftovers, when the Bible says that we’re to give to God first. In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Jesus Himself said that we are to give to God first - before we pay any bills, before we take care of expenses, before we pad our investments – and then, God will see to it that we are taken care of just fine. People have told me that this doesn’t make any sense to them; they don’t understand how this works? They can barely live on 100% of what they make, how in the world can they give 10% gross to God and expect to live on just 90%? The way that it works is by faith, the word faith means trust. When we trust God, and give to Him first, then He will make sure that somehow, someway, 90% of our income will go farther for us with His blessing for obedience, than 100% will when we disobey Him. In fact, God is so serious about this promise, that He tells us to go ahead and test Him and see if it’s true. Malachi 3:10 is the one and only time that God permits His people to go ahead and test Him.
Give correctly, give obediently, give with priority, and see if God won’t take care of your needs and bless you financially. Dare to honor God by giving your tithes and offerings properly, and watch what God does! [Posted 2/25/10]
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