And one of the things that God will ask me is if I taught the church about money. He will want to know if I taught the church about giving. Frankly speaking, for the first couple of years here I was shy to talk about money. I didnt want to step on anyones toes or turn anyone off. Yet, as I open Gods word, giving is the focus of Christianity. The Bible is a book of love. Love is mentioned 714 times. The word give is mentioned 2,162 times. One out of every six verses in the gospels talks about giving. Half the parables Jesus used talk about giving. So I have got to teach you. I cannot neglect telling you about this blessing and opportunity.
Group three, though, is made up of people who kind of throw pocket change at God. You tip God now and then. And some dont even give at all. Nothing. Zero. I have got two words of challenge, offered in a loving way; test God. Test God if you are in group three. Listen very carefully as I read a section of scripture from the book of Malachi. Malachi 3:8. Group three. Will a man rob God, yet you rob me. But you ask, how do we rob you. In tithes and offerings. The word tithe means ten. We are to give at least ten percent of everything we make to the local church. In the New Testament the word tithe is understood. It is a given. Most committed Christians gave between 30 and 40 and sometimes gave 50 percent of their income to the church. Malachi 3:10 says, Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Test me in this says the Lord 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.
We have two options as Christians. We can either be a reservoir or a river. It is your choice. It is my choice. A reservoir is someone who is blessed by God. They collect all this stuff. Let me stop right here. Everything you have, whether you know it or not, is from God. Everything. Every car, every stitch of clothing, every piece of jewelry, everything we have is of God. A lot of us have a reservoir mentality. We collect all this stuff.
Ed Young Pastor says we build a giant dam around our lives and say, This is mine. I am a self-made man. I am a self-made woman.
