“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” — Malachi 3:10
Human beings naturally like being in charge. We are also naturally selfish. Little children do not have to be taught to hoard their things and not to share. Children are not naturally generous and giving. They must be taught to be generous. Once we become adults, apart from the work of God in our lives, we do not suddenly become willing to share our money and time freely with others. True generosity and mercy are a gift from God.
1 Chronicles 29:14 tells us that “all things come from God” and all things belong to Him. But it doesn’t stop here. The Apostle Paul says that we belong to God. We are His possession and He is the sustainer of our lives. Recognizing God’s Lordship over our lives is a basic, fundamental principle every Christian needs to learn. We are created to glorify God.
Returning our tithe is not only a matter of faith, but also an acknowledgement of Him as our Creator. God promises that He will bless those who give so much that they won’t have enough room to receive it. Do we have faith to believe that God will take care of our needs?
We need to make the conscious decision to give to God on a regular basis. It is not because God needs our possessions — at the end of the day, everything we own belongs to Him — but because we need a constant reminder of His ownership. Giving back with a “cheerful” heart is a great reminder to everyone that we “are not our own” and we are “temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).