One of the most profound lessons I ever learned about giving was from teaching my children to tithe when they were young. I would show them how easy it was to give a dime out of a dollar, a dollar out of ten, and so on. I knew that if they built the habit early, it wouldn’t be difficult later in life when the amounts were much larger. But for those who never learned tithing and then found themselves facing the challenge of giving ten percent of a large sum, it often felt impossible. This is because giving is never just about money—it’s about trust.
God doesn’t ask for our tithe because He needs it. He asks for it because we need to remember that everything we have comes from Him. The tithe is our way of acknowledging His provision, our dependence on Him, and our willingness to trust Him for our future.
Malachi 3 paints a fascinating picture of two different kinds of people—the complainers—those who complain that serving God doesn’t seem to "pay off, " and the honorers—those who honor God despite what the circumstances seem in the moment.
We read about the complainers in Malachi 3:13-15, NKJV. God speaks directly to those who were grumbling against Him: "Your words have been harsh against Me,” says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’”
These people had convinced themselves that honoring God wasn’t worth it. They looked around and saw wicked people prospering and assumed that their own obedience was pointless. They had lost sight of the eternal and were only focused on immediate outcomes. The truth is, they would never be trustors of God!
How many people today feel the same way? "Why should I tithe when others don’t, and they seem just fine? We aren't under the Law! Why should I honor God when people who ignore Him seem to have just as much or more success?" This attitude blinds people to the long-term faithfulness of God and disables their ability to grow in trust! The truth is, God’s blessings and rewards often don’t come in the way we expect or on the timeline we demand. But He sees, He knows, and He always honors those who trust Him.
Then we read about the God-Fearing who give God honor through consistent tithing in Malachi 3:16-18, NKJV.. Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear (honor and reverence) the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him."
What a contrast! While the first group was complaining that serving God wasn’t worth it, this second group was encouraging one another in faithfulness. And God took notice! It says that a book of remembrance was written in heaven about those that honored Him. Imagine that—God personally recording the names and faithfulness of those who honor Him! God then declares that they are His jewels, His treasured possession. And in the day of judgment, the difference between the righteous and the wicked will be made clear.
Which Group Do We Belong To? Every believer faces this question at some point. Do we become discouraged and complain that bringing God the tithe and serving God isn’t worth it, or do we remain faithful, trusting that God honors those who honor Him?
Tithing is one of the clearest tests of this trust. It’s easy to give when we have plenty. It’s much harder when things are tight, when the world tells us to hold onto what we have, and when others who ignore God seem to be thriving. But faithfulness isn’t about what others are doing—it’s about trusting God at His Word and Malachi 3:10 gives a bold challenge from God Himself saying, "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." This is the only place in scripture where God says, “Test Me.”
God Still Notices Faithfulness today! The two groups in Malachi 3 exist today just as they did back then. Some will always complain that tithing and serving God doesn’t pay off. But others will remain faithful, knowing that God sees, remembers, and honors those who trust Him.When we tithe, we’re not following a rule. We are following God's instructions that help us learn to experience and ever-growing trust in Him while never losing sight that all provision of every good thing in life comes from Him! Tithing is the sacrifice, the worship, and the acknowledgment of our trust of the one and only loving God who has saved us through Jesus Christ our Lord. We’re demonstrating that we believe God is our provider. And just like in Malachi 3, He still takes notice of those who honor Him.
Malachi 3:10 NKJV "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 you will not have room enough for it."
In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt
