May 22, 2022

Malachi 3: 8 (NIV)

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.”

It’s unhealthy to view tithing as a place to stop, but it can still be a good place to start.*

If you have ever been on a diet, perhaps you have struggled with some of the same issues that I do. Such as: shouldn't saying "no" to ice-cream burn a few calories? If I skip that brownie, will I wake up thin tomorrow? How is it fair that one day of indulgence can undo a week of righteous eating?

Through Malachi, God told his people that they were robbing him. This puzzled them. They hadn’t stolen anything from anyone. But similar to how saying no to a fattening treat doesn’t burn calories, withholding their tithe from God was the same as taking from him. A lack of action does not equal a positive action. Their lack of giving actually equaled a negative action: disobedience.

Are you robbing God? While tithing is not specifically commanded in the New Testament, we can find precedents and principles for giving a portion of our wealth to support the work of the church.  In 2 Corinthians 9: 7, Paul writes: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Here and now, I write: If you dare to ask God, “How much should I give,” I am positive that you will decide in your heart that 10% of your income is the least you can give. And if you determine to give more, you will find yourself becoming that cheerful giver that God loves.

If our question is, “How little can I give and still be pleasing to God?” our heart isn’t in the right place at all.*