Are you robbing God?

​“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! ” You ask: “How do we rob You? ” “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.”

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/mal.3.8.HCSB

Number 3 in our series of Malachi’s “my name is feared among the nations” but not among my people.

Now we find the nation of Israel people robbing God. And the logical question is how were they robbing God? God owns the whole world, after all, he created it all. God even says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). But he has entrusted His possessions to mankind, to care for, to manage, and to invest! But we have done a poor job of doing so. 

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! ” You ask: “How do we rob You? ” “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.”

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/mal.3.8.HCSB

God has set up the priests to live off of the gifts to the temple. And today we are set up to do the same. We have honorable churches and non-profits that are doing His work and rely on the people of this nation to give and support through their tithes and contributions. They out doing the work of God and do not have the time to work a job that pays their bills. That is where we can stand beside them and offer our tithe in support. God commands us to live with 90% of our paycheck and to support His work with the other 10%. I have thought about asking for support from those who like what I do, but I do have a job that supports my family and therefore I do not ask you all for your support. But there are people we know that are supported by our giving, give to them.

“Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.”

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/mal.3.10.HCSB

This is the only time God has said to test Me! All the other times it is God testing man to see what is inside them. God says to bring the whole tithe. Here is my challenge and God’s too. He wants 10% of all your income. We argue do we pay 10% of our gross pay or net pay? The answer I have heard is do you want gross blessings or net blessings? We ration out that we are fairly making it from paycheck to paycheck and God wants us to give up what little we start with for His work? Yup! And He promises to give it back to us so in a way that we cannot contain in our “barns”.

“Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/pro.3.10.HCSB

“Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart — not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/2co.9.7-8.HCSB

“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over — will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/luk.6.38.HCSB

There were two stores in every Mall across America, Sears and J. C. Penny. But now only one is still standing in most malls, J.C. Penny! Why is that? Mr. James Cash Penny believed in giving back 10% of his earnings. And J.C. Penny still lives by that standard and that is why it has been able to keep its doors open for 121 years! So now my challenge to all the businesses and non-profits, are you giving away 10% of your profit or earnings? Which falls in the same question of giving away your gross or net income! We have worldly businesses living according to the Godly principles of giving yet how many Christian businesses live by them? 

“You are suffering under a curse, yet you — the whole nation — are still robbing Me. 

I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Hosts.”

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬, ‭11‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/mal.3.9-11.HCSB

Today we have a choice! Will we rob God and suffer under the curse or will we give to God and He will rebuke the devourer for us? That is up to each individual person, business, and non-profit. I choose to live under God’s plan and not under His curse.