Do You Trust God Enough to Give?

“‘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

 

PONDER THIS

You’d probably say, “Pastor, I want faith.” But do you really want faith? The truth is your faith will begin to grow when you start seeking growth in God. So, would you like for God to be real to you? Then, God says, “All right, you put me to the test. Prove me.” Being truly rich, however, has nothing to do with money—and everything to do with faith, love, spiritual power, and knowledge. But, if God can’t trust you with ten cents out of a dollar, what makes you think He can trust you with Holy Spirit power? If you haven’t been faithful in your finances, who will give you the true riches as a steward?

When you tithe, you’ll do more with ninety percent and God as a partner than you will ever do with one hundred percent by yourself. You say, “But, Pastor, I’m poor. I know you’re talking to wealthy people, but you’re not talking to the poor people today. Would you tell a little widow on a pension that she ought to tithe?” Of course! If there’s anybody who needs the blessing of God, it’s that little widow on a pension. God doesn’t want her money; He wants her. He wants to bless her. He says, “Come now and trust me. Prove me.” We all need to trust God enough to give to Him, then sit back and watch what He will do.

What does it look like to trust God with your finances?

Have you ever put God to the test with giving? What was that like?

PRACTICE THIS

Consider how you could be generous, investing in the kingdom of God today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Robbing God?

“‘Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But you said, “In what way shall we return?” Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. 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 3:7-10

 

PONDER THIS

When we talk about giving and tithing, we have to remember that God is not raising money; God is growing Christians. God wants us to grow in the grace, knowledge, and love of Him. So, first of all, there must be a personal return. Many of us say, “Well, Lord, if You want me to return, where shall I return?” God says, “I’m glad you asked.” They say in verse 7: “In what way shall we return?” Well, God says, “In tithes and offerings.”

One of the greatest signs that you have returned to God is not the songs you sing; it’s the matters that get to your heart when you stop robbing God. The repentance that does not reach the wallet has really not reached the heart. Many have tried to put things first and God second, but it never works that way. One of the greatest promises in the New Testament is Matthew 6:33. It says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” We often say, “I’ll seek things first, and then if I have time, I’ll seek God.” But that’s backward. Come to God. He will be in charge of adding the rest.

What is your giving to God like right now? Does it reflect your worship of Him? Explain.

What would it look like to seek the kingdom of God first in your finances?

PRACTICE THIS

Look at your budget and assess if your giving reflects your investment in the kingdom of God and pray about how you can seek the kingdom in your spending and giving.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Trusting Enough to Give?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Matthew 6:31-33

 

PONDER THIS

After our wedding, Joyce and I had about fifty or sixty dollars to begin our marriage. We took our honeymoon on that. We didn’t have anything. But we had each other and we had Jesus. I worked My way through school in all manner of jobs—packing fruit, selling automobiles, doing construction, working as a butcher, working in a department store. Even in that difficult time, when our finances were stretched thin, we gave beyond the tithe.

And I can tell you that through these years we’ve tithed, we’ve seen this verse to be true. God enabled us to give away amounts of money that I thought we’d never be able to give. He has proven to us that His Word is true. “Try me,” God says in Malachi 3:10. Put me to the test. See if it’s true. Would you trust God with your finances that way? Would you give generously to sit back and watch His provision?

When have you given generously for God’s glory even if it didn’t make sense on paper? What happened?

What are some fears that arise when you consider tithing generously?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You a Wise Financial Steward?

PRAY OVER THIS

“’Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me!’ But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ ‘In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. 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 3:8-10

 

PONDER THIS

A man was seen driving down the highway in a red Ferrari. On the back of that Ferrari was a bumper sticker that said, “He who has the most toys when he dies wins.” That’s wrong. If you want to know how wealthy you are, add up everything you have that money can’t buy and death can’t take away, then you’ll know. Or to put it another way, are the things you’re living for worth Christ dying for? Think about it. It’s not wrong to have possessions. As a matter of fact, God wants you to have possessions. God gives you possessions to make you a steward over them. But you can be financially in bondage as a poor person, and you can be financially in bondage as a wealthy person.

It’s about time we stop buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like. It’s about time we learn what God had to say about how to make money, how to use money, how to spend money, how to save money, and how to give money. God wants to open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing on you.

How do you use your possessions for God’s glory?

How does your faith affect how you make, use, and spend your money?

PRACTICE THIS

Look up different passages about money and ask God where you could grow in stewardship for His glory.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Really Believe God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water…the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.” Joshua 3:14-15a, 17

 

PONDER THIS

Why is it that some of us don’t follow God? Why don’t we get into the Jordan? We don’t believe God. I’ll give you an illustration. The reason some people don’t tithe is that they don’t really believe God. Malachi 3:10 says “‘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.’” Now, if a person believed that verse, would he tithe? Sure, who wouldn’t want God to open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing so great he couldn’t even receive it? Do you know why we never get into Jordan or whatever it may be that God commands us to do? It’s because we really don’t trust God. And you know why we don’t trust God? Because we don’t know God. You can’t trust someone you don’t know.

What is difficult for you when it comes to trusting God?

In what ways would you say you know God well? In what ways would you say you don’t know God well?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out some areas where you need to place your trust in God this year.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Being Good Stewards Part II

PRAY OVER THIS

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Malachi 3:8

 

READ THIS

Yesterday, we looked at part one of the stewardship principle, today we will consider part two.

God is not raising money; God is growing Christians. God wants us to grow in grace and knowledge and to love Him.

By biblical definition, tithing is ten percent given to the temple of God (church), for the work of the temple. Giving to charities or ministries is good, but it is not a replacement for our tithes.

When we learn to give back to God freely, there will be a spiritual renewal. God will renew our faith, rebuke our foes, and restore our fruitfulness. Our offerings are like seeds for a crop—when we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully.

CONSIDER THIS

In what way is giving to the Church like sowing a crop?

How does the way we spend our money impact our spiritual growth? Think of some examples.

DO THIS

This week, take time to consider how you regularly give to the church. Is there anything that needs to change?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Being Good Stewards | Part I

PRAY OVER THIS

“Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’” Malachi 3:7

 

READ THIS

At its core definition, stewardship is our relationship with money: how we obtain, save, invest, spend, and give our wealth. God is interested in this relationship, as is Satan—our enemy who would love to keep us in financial bondage.

If money increases our worries, or if we have plenty in the bank but we have no treasure in Heaven, we are in financial bondage. We all want to be free from the curse of debt, but freedom is only found when we are faithful in stewardship.

In order to obtain financial freedom, we must first personally return to God; He does not need our money, but He wants our fellowship. When we remember tithing is God’s way of revealing our priorities to ourselves, we will see tithing as a great blessing. It is our privilege to show God that He is first in our lives and everything else is second.

CONSIDER THIS

Why might Satan be interested in how we spend our money?

How can we bring God glory in the way we spend our money?

DO THIS

Do something concrete regarding your giving this week to show that God is your first priority.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do you have a generous heart? Or a stingy one?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. John 12:25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Two men were discussing the issue of tithing. The first one asked, “How do you figure your tithe? Before taxes or after taxes?” The second answered, “Oh, I figure my tithe before taxes.” “Why do you figure it that way?” he asked. His friend responded, “Because the Lord gets more that way.”

That’s the kind of man who is going to get a blessing from the Lord. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said the Pharisees were so bound up in being sure they gave God one-tenth—but not a penny more—that they even tithed from the mint plants and small herbs. They would have an herb in their hand and count out each leaf one by one to give their exact tithe to the Lord—just enough, yet not too much. How precise they were! Yet there was poverty of heart.

ACTION POINT:

Oh God, give us men and women who say, “Dear God, I’m going for You with all that I am. I’m getting out of the boat with both feet. If You tell me to hit the ground, I’m going to hit it until You tell me to stop.”

 LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Guess what your wallet reveals?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You can say all you want about getting right with God, but if you don’t get right with God in your finances, you are not right with God. The kind of repentance that does not reach the bank account has never reached the heart.

In Malachi 3:7, God says, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you.” And the people said, “Wherein shall we return?” God’s answer in verse 8 reveals that they were to return in tithes and offerings. The point of return is the point of departure. If you’re going to come back to God and renew your fellowship, you’re going to have to begin with your wallet.

ACTION POINT:

How are you doing in the area of your tithes and offerings to the Lord? If you want an accurate reading, this is a good barometer.

It’s time to put the good book to the checkbook!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Proving God in Finances

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You can say all you want about getting right with God, but if you don’t get right with God in your finances, you are not right with God. The kind of repentance that does not reach the bank account, has never reached the heart. 

In Malachi 3:7, God says, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you.”

And the people said, “Wherein shall we return?” 

God’s answer in verse 8 reveals that they were to return in tithes and offerings. The point of return is the point of departure. If you’re going to come back to God and if you’re going to renew your fellowship, you’re going to have to begin with the tithe.

How are you doing in the area of your tithes and offerings to the Lord? 

ACTION POINT:

It’s time to put the good book to the checkbook! 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers