What God Expects From UsSample

Trust God with Your Finances

Malachi 3 is a hard-hitting passage, perhaps the strongest on giving in the entire Bible. God is a bit like a mother bird pushing us off the limb so that we can experience the joys of flying. 

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.” (Mal. 3:8). If we do not return the first tenth of our income to God, God looks at that as robbing Him. We are not robbing the church or the pastors. We are robbing God. “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you” (Mal. 3:8). God simply will not pour out His favor and blessing upon us if we will not trust Him with our tithe. When we steal from God, we forfeit the blessing of God. No one cheats God without cheating themselves in the process. Which would you choose: living on 100 percent of your income without God’s blessing on your life, or living on 90 percent of your income and having God’s favor on your life? I guess the better question is: which do you choose?

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” This is an unusual challenge, found only here in the Bible. God is saying, “Try it. Test me. Bring the first tithe of your income and see if I will not open the windows of heaven.” There is something special about giving. It is the test of the heart. Are we serving God or money? Are we trusting God or money? Who is our real master? This brief life is your only opportunity to trust God with your finances. Don’t miss your only opportunity to fly.