THE TEST OF TREASURES

» ‘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).

We will talk a little bit about the stewardship of treasures on the Sabbaths of this month. It is the only area in which God invites us to try Him in the Bible. It is interesting that the invitation to try God is precisely on the subject on which we may be most tested. From any point of view, this exchange that is offered to us is totally to our benefit and totally unequal. However, how little we are willing to invest our part. We are stingy and foolish partners who lose unnecessarily.

Imagine our two bills folded and kept in an envelope, compared to an open door through which blessings are poured. No, definitely something we do not understand if we do not give tithe.

However, before we talk about what we need to give, let us focus on who God is as Creator and Owner of everything. «The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein» said the Psalmist (Psalm 24•.1). ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts» (Haggai 2:8).

Giving constitutes an act of faith and, with difficulty, we will do so cheerfully if we do not first know whom we claim to obey. We need to know His authority and wealth so that giving is a sign of worship, not a mere fulfillment of a command or a selfish part of a deal; in order to recognize that there is a blessing in the simple act of obeying, not necessarily in the economic prosperity that may or may not come with it.

We give it back to God because He is. Because He the Owner of everything, because He is our Provider and Sustainer.

I do not know if you currently have a salary that you manage freely and personally, or if your parents give you a certain amount each month.

The principles we are going to see are applicable to every situation and income, and I encourage you to think, from now on, that when it comes to your treasures, God is the first One who is interested in blessing you according to your need and for His glory.

There is no way to lose in our partnership with him. Cheer up and go over the provisions of the contract. I recommend that you get the book When Steward Behold God by Leonard A. Johnson to read along with this.