Beloved Lake Country Alliance,

“‘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’” (Mal 3:10).

Giving to God and His “house” is an important financial practice we need to discuss…but I’m not sure I am the best one to preach on this.  It might come through during this Sunday’s message, as I am jazzed to inform you that Jesus and His Spirit will be speaking through our own beloved Michael Blackman!

I recently heard of a person whose financial advisor told him that in his giving 10% toward charitable giving, he was exceptionally more generous than the average Canadian.  I was alarmed.  I wonder to myself, “Do you mean people haven’t discovered that giving money ‘away’ is extremely wise and helpful for their own lives?” 

I love the Malachi passage quoted above.  Sure, the “tithe” part is from the Old Covenant, but something about what the LORD says here reveals the kind of generous God we worship today. 

I am not trying to stimulate you to give 10% to Lake Country Alliance Church.  Nope.  It’s not a bad benchmark, but it’s not some requirement.  Jesus’ call on all of us is that we give generously and even sacrificially.  For a few of us, 10% might be too sacrificial; for many, 10% is not sacrificial enough.  (That’s probably why NT teaching gives each of us the personal responsibility to decide what we are to give.)

Is giving to other “charities” good?  Of course!  The main question is this: Have you ever experienced God providing so much blessing that you didn’t have room for it!?  And wouldn’t it be awesome for us to be able to answer that emphatically, “Oh yeah.  Oh yeah.”

Let’s keep the faith,

Sandy