Malachi 3
"Test me in this..."
This is the only time in the bible that God says, "test me". One thing I that says to me is that tithing was as difficult in the days of Malachi as it is today. There have always been financial pressures and choices that make giving 10 percent of your income difficult. But I think there is a reason that God challenges us to tithe, it is a great blessing to our lives. If you are not tithing, I would challenge you to at least begin moving toward tithing. It may not be possible for you to make the jump from what you are giving now to 10 percent in one year. However, you can create a plan to move up several percentage points each year until you are tithing.
Another line that caught my attention was that in tithing "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land". In the book "The Hole in the Gospel", which I would encourage you to read, Richard Stearns pulls together some startling numbers. He writes that if just the Christians in America would tithe, and the church would use that money to help others, every child in the world could be fed and educated, every person in the world could have clean water, and many diseases would be eliminated. If just Christians in the United States would tithe. If that happened, can you imagine what the nations of the world would say about the United States?
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Tithing is a hard thing to do. While it is only 10%, it is 10%. That can be a lot to some people. Sometimes I become selfish with my money, keeping it for myself, not even to buy anything, just to have it. This passage made me think about what it was doing for me by just sitting in an account... it's not doing anything, for me or for God.
ReplyDeleteThe statistic given by Richard Stearns is amazing! Just the fact that hunger could end is incredible, and it would only take the Christians in the United States is even more mind-blowing. This makes me want to give my share so that we will be at least one step closer to feeding children and giving them an education, something I am passionate about.
My parents have instilled in me the idea that I should automatically deduct 10%, giving it to the church. This way I am not deceived by what I have. In today's world with automatic drafts and transfers, tithing can be an easy process. The hard part is making the commitment to give that 10% to God.