God calls us out in Malachi 3:8-12 when He tells us that we rob Him in tithes and offerings. 

The tithe is first ten percent or tenth of your salary or increase and not the surplus or leftover. God commands us to tithe; it is neither an option nor is it negotiable. In the Old Testament, Abraham gives a tenth to Melchizedek, King of Salem (Genesis 14:20). In the New Testament, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees about tithing but neglecting matters of righteousness (Matthew 23:23). In Malachi, we also learn that the tithe must come to the storehouse which is your local church.

Offering is any amount of money in excess of the tithe. It is given to the church but not limited to the church. It must extend outside the walls of the church to those in need (Deuteronomy 12:11; Matthew 25:40)

There is a lot of questions around tithing and giving offerings but God never asks us to do something without a purpose. His ways are higher than our ways, and so are His thoughts.

When we don’t tithe and give offerings, we rob God:

1. The chance to bless us (Malachi 3:10) – we don’t rob God money, we steal from Him the chance to pour out abundant blessings that He desires to bestow on us. When we don’t obey His command of tithing and giving offerings, its almost like we tie God’s hands.

2. The chance to protect our resources (Malachi 3:11) – Tithing and giving offerings enables the promise of God’s protection on our sources of income. He assures us that we will see our harvest that we have sown and He will drive the enemy away and keep him from destroying the fruit of our labour.

3. The chance to show off in our lives (Malachi 3:12) – When we walk in obedience and honour God by tithing and giving offerings, it gives God an opportunity to show His glory in our lives. He will bless you so much that not only will you enjoy the blessing or take delight in it, but you will become the envy of others. In spite of economic fluctuations, challenges and difficulties, people will see the blessing of God in your life.

God doesn’t ask us to give tithes and offerings because He is broke. He is simply giving us a chance to walk in obedience and receive the fulfilment of his promise!