Malachi 3:8-9, “8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”

The people in Malachi were blessed by God to enjoy His blessing and in addition bless other people.  In the previous verses we learn that the people in Malachi are doing just the opposite.  The are neglecting the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant.  In response the Lord says, “You are robbing Me!”

Therefore, lets draw out a few observations for what this means for us today:

First, the God of Scripture is generous. Do you see His generosity in your life?  Do you see the life, relationships, gifts, talents and blessings He has brought into your life.  I know we tend to think, “But I earned these things.” But, you need to pause and ask yourself, “Did I really earn these gifts in my life?” Did I earn those talents? Did I knit my DNA together in the womb of my mother?

James 1, “17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

The purpose of His blessings in our life are to be enjoyed in our lives, and shared with others.  When we hold on to those blessings we are robbing God of being able to bless other people.

Second, financial giving is an indicator of our faith. Listen to me, our financial giving isn’t the only indicator of our faith, but it is worthy of our time to examine our financial budget and ask ourselves, “Where is my faith showing up in my budget?”

Matthew 6, “Where is your treasure is, you will find your heart.” James 2, “Faith without works is dead.”

If you don’t see your faith showing up in your financial budget, there is probably a problem.

Third, feelings follow obedience. This is true in every part of our spiritual life. We tend to think, “I will obey God’s Word when I feel like obeying God’s Word.” I will read the Scriptures when I feel like reading the Scriptures. I will serve others when I feel like serving others.

Feelings are great, but my feelings lead my astray all the time. When you hear yourself say the phrase, “I just feel like…” you should use that as a verbal reminder to stop, and ask, “Holy Spirit is this feeling true? Help me understand.  Help me obey Your truth.”