Discipleship to Jesus is a process of giving more and more of ourselves to God. It is a lifelong process and everytime we think we have given it all, the Holy Spirit gently points out another area of our lives that needs transformation. One of the areas that we often struggle with is that of being generous to God with our financial resources. Studies show that only 2 percent of those who call themselves Christians tithe. 

There is a remarkable passage in the last book of the Old Testament - Malachi - where God challenges the people to come back to Him and not to rob Him. Those are strong words, but you remember what Jesus said when He spoke of how we invest our money: Where your treasure is that is where your heart is. So ultimately, for God, our generosity to Him is about our hearts. This is a topic that we often don’t want to talk about but it is one of those areas of Christian discipleship that matters to God.

Here are Malachi’s words. “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 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. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:6-12

This is the only passage in the Bible where we are encouraged to test God. He is asking us to test Him and see if he does not “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” That is an amazing statement. How would you like to be the recipient of so much blessing in your life that there isn’t room for it all. It may or may not be material blessing but God’s blessings are the best one can have. 

What is so amazing here is that God truly wants to bless us. He wants to provide for us. He wants to drown us in His blessings but there is a correlation between our discipleship to Him and His blessing. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul says this about giving. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 

God’s goodness to His followers who are generous with Him is ironic in that the reason we withhold from Him is that we are afraid that we will not have enough. In fact the opposite is true. Test God in this and see if He does not respond as He promised.

Father it is hard for me to wrap my head around your generosity and blessing but I am very thankful. Would you help me to develop a generous heart toward you? Calm me fears of not having enough and help my heart to be with you - and my treasures as well. Amen