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"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,"
Says the LORD of hosts,
"If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it."
(Malachi 3:10)
The Bible has much to say about giving and stewardship. God owns everything and only asks us to give back a tenth of what we earn. Why is that? Does God need our gifts? No, He does not. He does not need anything because He owns everything. Psalm 50:10-12 states:
"For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness."
I believe God commands us to give so that we will trust Him. If we trust him with our money and hard-earned income, then we truly trust Him. Jesus said we can know what is truly important to us based on where we put our money: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) Dr. Stanley taught that we own nothing; we are simply stewards or managers, but God owns the world and everything in it. We are to be caretakers of what He gives. We get in trouble when we think that what we have is actually ours. In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus taught powerful lessons on money in His parable of the rich man. This man hoarded what he had, and as a result, he became greedy with his possessions. Instead of being generous toward God and mankind, he only focused on himself. Eleven times he refers to himself when he speaks. God owns it all and has the right to tell us how much He wants back from us. Live a godly life and God will never allow you to give more than He will give to you in return.
Malachi 3:8-12 teaches us how we are to steward what we have. The Israelites were to bring a tenth of their income to the Temple, and we are to do the same today to our local churches. Notice in verse 10 what God does on behalf of the one who obeys God and gives his tithe. God does not crack the door, only opening it slightly; rather, He opens wide the door and windows and pours out blessings until they overflow. God blesses us in abundance when we give generously and with a cheerful heart.
Do you believe God is telling you the truth? You may reply that of course you believe God is telling the truth, for God cannot lie. Let me ask you another question: Are you obeying the truth? Do you give your tithes to your church and generously pour out blessings on others? I wish I could persuade you to be generous, because I know the blessings that would flow to you if you were.
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