Christmas, in the eyes of many, is a time of giving. We give gifts, baked goodies, volunteered time; we give a lot. When many read Malachi 3 they find a chapter about giving. It is not a chapter about us giving... it is a chapter about us stealing.
Verses 8-9 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse... the whole nation of you... because you are robbing me."
See our tithing (giving 10% of what we have) is not a gift to God. No, it is owed to God. Think of it this way, God lets us keep 90% of what is his. If you do not tithe you rob God. You are "The Grinch Who Robbed God".
When we don't rob God he wishes to bless us. Read verse 10.
"Bring the whole tithe in the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this', says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
When we trust God enough (and that's what tithing is) to tithe he promises to bless us. He dares us to tithe. He says he will not be outdone. He rewards trust with blessing. Isn't this prosperity gospel? No. This doesn't mean you necessarily will be rich, but you will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.
A final point about tithing. Tithing is not giving... we must go above and beyond tithing to be in the giving category.
Finally, verse 16.
"Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name."
My friend Carl says this is just another verse that reminds us to meet together and talk about God. Sounds simple because it is.
So, don't rob God. Tithe and spend time with your brothers and sisters today.
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