Read: Malachi 3:8-12

What does the Bible say about the tithe?  What does tithing mean? How much does the Bible tell us to tithe?  These are all questions that Christians often ask as they think about their giving, generosity, and supporting the work of the Lord.  The answer to some of those questions will depend on who you ask or how they interpret the command to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” as it says in Malachi 3:10.

Pastor David Jeremiah recently wrote a daily devotional about this scripture and titled it “Robbing God.”  These verses actually mention that idea. Dr. Jeremiah writes, “The final book of the Old Testament, the last of the Hebrew prophets urged the Israelites – those who had returned from Babylon to restore the nation of Judah – to make some improvements.  The people were lapsing into complacency and apathy. One area that needed changing – their personal giving patterns. They failed to consistently give a tenth of their income to the Lord. Malachi put it as sharply as he knew how. They were robbing God!”

In verse 10 Malachi says, “Bring the whole tithe into 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 there will not be room enough to store it.” (Malachi 3:10)  Dr. Jeremiah suggests that this is the only time in scripture that we are invited to test or try God.

Giving generously to the work of the Lord through the church and other ministries is an important part of our stewardship as followers of Jesus.  The giving of money, time, and attention is what allows the church and other Christian based ministries to continue the work laid out for us in the gospels. We are called to spread the good news of Jesus, help the needy and destitute, and love others.  When we are generous in those endeavors the floodgates of blessing will come raining down.

Make it Personal:  How is your generosity toward God and his ministry in the world going these days?  How can you do better? What changes need to take place in your heart or in your finances to make this possible.  Remember the words of scripture, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)