Did you know? While the Bible tells us not to test God, there is one area where God actually encourages us to test Him: That’s the test of generosity. It may feel awkward to talk about managing money in the church, but the truth is that Scripture shows us that there is a blessing to living generously.
TEST ME IN THIS
Take Malachi 3:10 for example. The verse says this: ”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.”
This verse in Malachi 3 is a picture of abundance, blessing and overflow. God promises that the people of Israel would be blessed by obeying God and practicing tithing. A tithe, which means “tenth,” is defined as the first 10% of a person’s income that is returned to God through the local church. Tithing is a biblical principle that invites God’s blessing on our lives and families as we put Him first in our finances.
If you actually back up in Malachi 3 to verses 8-9, you actually see Scripture says the people of Israel were robbing God because they did not give back to God the tithe out of what He had entrusted to them. It says there was a curse upon them because they were close-fisted with the blessings that God had already given them.
Like the ancient Israelites, many people live small, selfish lives– hands closed, clutching to what they have. But the Bible says the world of the generous grows larger and larger as we open our hands to share with others and honor God first. If you suffer from a scarcity mindset, let this Scripture in Malachi 3 help you discover the joy and freedom that comes from an abundance mentality and generous living.
When you trust God with your finances and through generosity, He says He will bless the rest. Generous living stems from a grateful heart. Honestly, it's a joy to honor Jesus with our finances when we understand what He did for us. Generosity is in God's nature!
90-DAY TITHE CHALLENGE
So, what would it be like for you to take God at His word in the area of generosity? Are you ready to put God first in your finances?
To help you put the Scripture from Malachi 3 into action, we invite you to take part in the 90-Day Tithe Challenge at Liquid Church. It's easy to get started - and when you sign-up for the challenge, we'll send you a free copy of Randy Alcorn's book "The Treasure Principle: Unlocking The Secret Of Joyful Giving." Just click here to sign-up today and remember: When we give our first and best back to God, He promises to bless the rest!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For additional content from Liquid Church, check out the resources below:
- MESSAGE: For the full message from Liquid Church's Generous Livin' Series Part 1, click here.
- ARTICLE: The Gift Of Supernatural Generosity - While God calls all of us to generosity, there is also a gift of supernatural generosity. Click here to read the full article on The Liquid Blog.