“Bring the whole tithe into the store house, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty “and see if I will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
There are three words in this verse you must understand to be financially whole: tithe, test and blessing. The word tithe means 10%. I don’t know why God tells us to give 10%; he could’ve said 50% or 30% or 90%. I do know that what we give is an act of trust and worship. Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 23:23 as he taught that we should tithe. When the Father says it and Jesus affirms it, it’s a no brained that we are to do it.
God obviously knew this would be hard for us, so he said “Put me to the test.“ This is the only place in all of scripture where God tells us to put him to the test. He knows that as he shows himself to be faithful, our heart for giving will only increase.
To be financially healthy you also need to understand God‘s idea of blessing. A blessing is not a purchase, it is a gift. If you only give to God in order to get exactly what you want, you are thinking too small. You were cheating yourself out of all that God wants to give you. God does give material blessings on earth, no doubt. But beyond that, he gives the blessing of being able to give to others, of growth and change in your own life, and of investing your life now in ways that make a difference for eternity. God’s blessings will not always be what you expect, they will be more than you could have imagined.
Next Steps. Write down your answers to these questions.
148. What did you hear?
149. What do you think?
150. What will you do?
151. Now talk to God...
Work Cited
Warren, R. (2014). Daily devotions: Transformed: How God Changes Us. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA: Saddleback Church.
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