Giving to God

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

It is not just that the Israelites in Malachi's day were doing wrong things, they were also failing to do the right thing. In particular they were short-changing God with their offerings and deluding themselves that they could get away with it. The economy of God works differently to worldly systems. Wealth in God's realm is measured in generosity. The more we give the more we are blessed. That is counter-intuitive but it is the way life was created to function. Consider the natural order: plants and animals blossom and flourish through their profligate mating dances, displays of colourful plumage, extravagant aromas and so forth.

Transforming our tendency to hoard into an instinct to share requires faith because it involves reversing the habit of a lifetime. Through Malachi, God frames the prospect as both a challenge and a promise. The reassuring truth is that it comes with a guarantee underwritten by the Creator himself!