"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 you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10
During all my christian walk the topic of tithe and offering was one of those I would go around. When I just got to know the church and my mom was extremely against of it, one of the acusement she would use, is that people from the church or the church at self would take my money. I knew that tithe and offering never have been an obligation in Calvary Chapel. And I would always hear the verse from II Corinthians 9:7: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"
So every time when this offering plate would come to me I felt kinda compulsion and so I decided no to give or to give well may be 10 or 20 rubles (less the 1$) just so that my conciseness wouldn’t bother me and my finance situation wouldn’t suffer, because I always had just enough. So I was thinking if I would take of from my just enough, I wouldn’t have enough anymore.
Then when I started to work, I still had just enough, but now I was more willing to bless someone in need if I felt God was leading me to. And if He did I obeyed believing that God would supply any way. But in this case I knew what my money were used for and I kinda liked it more. I lived like this for long time already, but…
Couple of days ago one brother in Christ from Honduras asked me a question without any foundation. He asked me if I tithe. Well….you know…I said. Well…not really. "You should do it, it’s God’s will for us" and then he quoted me this verse 10 from chapter 3 of Malachi. And another one 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ "In tithes and offerings"
Oo.. what does it mean? Have I’ve been robing God all these years or what? But God, way do You need all those money? All I have is Yours anyway…
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."
Food! Very practical need. Church needs finance to be able to run the ministry. God want to bless the church with that through it’s people. Every family has to have a family budget to be able to eat, cover the bills and do things. And if we as a part of the family won’t invest in this family we won’t be able to do many things as a family.
But more, God says: "
Test me in this", says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
God, You want me to test You? How come? You me to set apart some finance for your work in this World and this way see how You will bless me though that even more then I gave You? Wow.
Here is where I need wisdom. Because it’s not a deal with God. Ok God I’ll give You 10$, so You can give me 10 tomes more. But just give knowing that it all for Him, and about Him, all your life belongs to God, so don’t even worry that you wouldn’t have enough for yourself if you would give away. He knows your needs. Don’t depend on money, depend on God, when you in trust your life not to finance which rule in this world, but to God, You’ll se His miracles and His hand in Your life.
The accomplishment of my dreams to go to other countries to minister to people so much depends on finance, which makes me think but if I’ll make an offering to the church. I won’t have enough for my trips. But, if God wants you there, He’ll take you there even without all your money. He has all the treasure of this world.