Revolution--Commitment

There are four ingredients for a revolution:

• Cause
• Company
• Commitment
• Concentration

Of the four, commitment is the least glamorous. Fighting for the cause and joining up with the company excite the heart, commitment can lull us to sleep. It's more exciting to fire the rifle than pay for the rifle, but someone has to commit the resources for the revolution to be successful.

God gives us a way to finance the revolution that we desire in our city, our church, and our families. It's called tithing. In Malachi 3, the nation of Israel weren't' leading a revolution and they weren't tithing. God takes them up on this all throughout the last book of the Old Testament.

The Purpose

God gives us the purpose of the tithe throughout the book. The tithe exists to demonstrate our commitment to God. That's the point--God wants to know that we are committed to him--all the way down to our wallets. Our money is often the last thing we give to God. It was true in the days of Malachi and it's true in our time as well.

The Problem

The primary problem is that they weren't putting God first in their sacrifice, their family, or their money. They had strayed from God. When we stray from God several things happen:

• We don't know how to return
• We grow insensitive about it
• We leave a tangible trail
• Our talk is better than our walk

The Proposal

In Malachi 3, God challenges the people to test him! He invites them into a partnership.

My Part

• Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse
• Test God's faithfulness

God's Part

• personally provide for my needs
• Personally protect my possessions

What's amazing is that God asks us to test him and allow him to prove that he will partner with us. It's like the Pepsi Challenge, only it's the tithe challenge. Test him and you'll know that with God, $10-$1=$10+.