“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me!” — Malachi 3:8, NKJV

“You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation.” — Malachi 3:9, NKJV

 

Many of the world’s problems could be avoided if only God’s people would stop robbing Him and be obedient to His word. If we take this, and all other Scripture seriously, then we know that we are cursed because of our disobedience, because of our lack of trust in God, particularly where money is concerned.

Not trusting God with money reveals a more ominous condition, we don’t trust God! Oh, we say that we trust Him, but do we? It is generally not a problem for us to be obedient to God’s word as it pertains to the little things in life. We are willing to allow Him to watch over us in these little things where there is no risk factor; where our money is concerned we are not so sure that He will deliver.

Most of us don’t understand that tithing is not simply about money — it’s about faith and trust. Do we really trust in what God has said? If we do we will tithe, and we will then give over and above the tithe as God continues to bless us.

There are two arguments that are often used by those who refuse to tithe. One says I don’t have enough money to tithe, another says that a tithe of what I have is too much to give. Both are wrong. The poor need to trust God with their little, and the arrogant need to realize that it was God who enabled them to accumulate wealth. The poor should tithe and trust God to increase their blessing. The rich should tithe willingly as thanksgiving for His great blessings. Both need to read the rest of this passage (Malachi 3:8-12) before the curse on their lives worsens.

Malachi 3:8-12 contains the only place in Scripture where God gives us permission to “try” Him. Take advantage of this if you do not tithe, put Him to the test and see if He won’t bring such blessings on your life that you will not be able to contain them. As Christians, we serve a God of “exceedingly abundantly above all that that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

Trust God and tithe, and watch what He does with your trust.