Are You Robbing God?

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8).

Are you convicted by this verse?

Are you ranting that this is the Old Testament and no longer applies?

Hmmmm…Perhaps, this is a good time for a heart check. No, not with the stethoscope. I’m talking about your conviction radar; the pinprick the Holy Spirit uses to get your attention about sin in your life.

From personal experience, those who are the guiltiest; thus consumed by sin, usually talk first, and defend their actions the loudest.

When one thinks of tithes and offerings, most limit it to the scope of a physical church. However, in this verse, I will go out on a limb and acknowledge that the tithe can extend to anything and anyone doing the service of God, for God’s glory; as well as, those who are living Christ-centered lives and may have a need.

It never ceases to amaze me how a rare few pastors, one is too many, will use the pulpit as an excuse to drive a Bentley, purchased primarily by minimum-waged earners; especially, because I’m reminded that during Jesus’ time on earth, He walked and most notably, borrowed a donkey the Sunday before His Crucifixion.

So, as not to digress, God says that we rob Him every time He gifts us with a job income, a gift, or any other abundance He sends our way; and we in greedful lust fail to give a tiny 10 percent to one of His many causes.

As an example:

If your take home pay is $5K a month, by golly what’s a measly $125 a week to distribute to causes working on behalf of Christ. Some people write one check to one church; but, I think people should trust God with the details and be more thoughtful of allotting the tithe into more than one basket.

Imho, we would not need the Feds to issue monthly government food subsidies if Christians worldwide would practice the principle of the ten percent.

Failing to tithe is equivalent to working with holes in one’s pockets; because, beloved, God will not allow Himself to be robbed. Let’s just put it crassly: He will get His (Haggai 1:6).

Imagine this:

What if children were taught as early as age four or five that they had to give/share ten percent of everything they ever receive. Let’s say you gift them a dollar allowance weekly. That’s ten dimes. Teach them to put one of those dimes in a jar to put in the church basket on Sunday, or save up to buy a gift for a charitable cause.

I’m reminded of the verse:

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

I do believe it’s because most adults don’t learn this practice at an early age which makes it difficult to maintain a budget in their adult years.

Simply put, it’s easier to mentally deduct the top ten percent of one’s net income, and set the budget from that point on.

I serve a God Who cannot fail. And; I can attest, that regarding the tithe, He’s been more than faithful in the blessings department.

I end with what God says to and about those who rob Him:

Ye are cursed with a curse. (Malachi 3:9)

Could this explain a lot of the financial devastation associated with the U.S. trillion-dollar debt?

Lastly, He admonishes that if everyone brought their tithes to the storehouse, a safe place for disbursement, He would open up a blessing so large, it would be an uncontainable overflow. And, furthermore, He promises to rebuke the devourer and protect the fruits of your harvest. (Malachi 3: 10-11).

But, in too many instances, instead of giving that ten percent off the top, we spend it on bills and frivolities. Thus, many live in a debtor’s prison of which they can’t ever seem to dig their way out; because, they never apply the principle of giving to God what belongs to God.

Jesus teaches, too, that we should render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, aka, in the U.S. the IRS. I assure you, Caesar will get what’s his; even if it means the rarity of leaving you with the dime while he collects the 90%. This explains why Christians and atheists alike show up on tax day to pay Caesar; translated in the U.S., the tax man cometh. (Matthew 22:21).

Peace.