40 Day Daniel Fast Day 34

Malachi 3:7b-8  “Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions."

Praise God for how far we have come; we have returned to the Lord in our worship, service to Him, evangelism, and healing; now, we will return to the Lord in our stewardship!

Have you ever been given something of value? I remember I was given my first car - I loved the gift; it allowed me to be independent, get around without having to ask my parents for a ride, and I didn't have to sit in the back seat of my father's car. It was wonderful! But with this new freedom and this new sense of independence came some responsibility - I needed to pay for the gas and the insurance! Now, my dad wanted to teach me responsibility, so he would make me pay him for the insurance. This would have been the perfect time to show how much I appreciated this gift, but guess what happen? I didn't pay; here it is, I was given a car; I didn't have to work hard to get it, it was a gift, and all I was responsible for was paying my father the insurance. Here is the treacherous part, I had the money, but somehow I didn't think I needed to give it! Do you know what I was doing? Robbing my father and taking advantage of him. Can I ask you a question? Yes, you know I will ask it, are you robbing God?

You see, the prophet is asking an honest question, a question we need to ask ourselves today, "Will a man rob God"? The children of Israel forgot that although God gave them the land as their inheritance, he made it clear that it was a stewardship gift. The Lord tells them in Leviticus 25:23, just in case you forgot "the land is mine (the Lord) and you are strangers and sojourners with me." So how did they become robbers? Somewhere along the way, they did just like we do; forgot to stay connected, they disconnected the gift from the giver. Do me a favor and ask yourself some questions, who gave you the ability to earn money? Who gave you the ability to work? Who wakes you up every morning to earn? So, how have we forgotten and walked away from our stewardship and responsibility to what He (God) requires? You see, how the children of Israel regarded and treated the land would demonstrate whether they acknowledged His (God) Lordship over them. How you treat what you have in your bank account and what you spend your money on determines whether you recognize His Lordship over you! Can we say the same about you as the children of Israel? Are you robbing God?

Challenge
Have you been guilty of robbing God in your contributions to his bride? Have you stopped giving to your local church?