This morning, I finished the Old Testament in Malachi. One of God’s biggest condemnations of the people is that their offerings are blind, lame, and sick. He even says “Give that to one of your governors, see if he accepts it.” God then argues that their tithes are not coming in to the Temple Storehouse, and that they complain because they are not receiving His blessing. Make no mistake, God did not need their offerings, but God understands something about our nature: we become like what we worship. We can surmise, therefore, that we WILL worship something, and to worship the work of our hands, as Israel did in Malachi’s time, is to diminish us, whereas we only grow if we worship God. And what we prioritize will definitely show how we feel about Him.
When the people gave their left-overs, their blind, lame and sick offerings, and when they did not give the tithes required to maintain the Temple, they were showing where their trust lay. As Abel gave his first and best from his flocks, and Cain gave what was left from his produce, God sees how we trust Him by how loose or tight the grip is on our possessions, wages, and talents. Michaelene and I give tithes from our checks (Gross, not net), and continue to give to the ministries we’ve decided to support, even if it means we go without something that month. We’ve discovered that when giving to God, and I think Scripture will support this, to give from the first and best is to say to God “I trust you with the rest. You’re my master, not this money.”
So here’s the big question: are you giving God your best, or your left-overs? Are you being stingy with your time, treasures and talents, because “you already give enough?” Are you worshipping the work of your hands, while giving to God what is blind, lame and poor? We all need to ask that. We need to check our hearts, and realize that our investment is not in this world, but in Christ. And we become what we worship, and we all worship something, so choose wisely.
2 Corinthians 9
Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
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