Money, Money, Money
October 28,
2012
Malachi 3:6-12
“I am the LORD, and I do not
change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you
have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will
return to you,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we
return when we have never gone away?’
“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What
do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes
and offerings due to me. You are under a
curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so
there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing
so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the
test! Your crops will be abundant, for I
will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the
vine before they are ripe,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for
your land will be such a delight,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
The Lord does not change.
He asks for obedience. He makes
clear what obedience looks like. He
promises a healthier and more meaningful life to those who obey and live as He
directs. Yet people have always
struggled to do this. Despite
generations of evidence proving God’s promises are true, we still disobey.
“Return to me” says the Lord. The people ask “How”. The Lord’s simple answer is “stop cheating me”. This is strong language from the Lord. Does God need money? No! Do
we need God? Yes! So why does God care about what we do with
the money we have? Money and wealth can
become idols. If we are not careful, we
will serve money rather than the Lord.
We cannot do both. The tithe
exists for our benefit. It puts life
together in a healthy and proper manner.
All we have comes from the Lord.
When we honor God through obedience we experience blessing. God meets our need. “Put me to the test” says the Lord. Are we?
Will we trust God?
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