Why Give? What Does Scripture Say?

Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

8“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10Bring 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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3)

Thoughts: If you feel far from God, this passage indicates one way to get back to God is to be generous.  Faith in many ways shows itself when we are willing to give up stuff to honor God.  Giving is a matter of trust.  If you can trust in God and give to others, then  you can experience God.
       All that we have belongs to God . But God gives us everything and asks for 10% back as a way that we recognize He is the One who gives us our blessing.  When we hold back what we know God wants we are in effect robbing God.  Now, if we held back from the IRS we would get in real trouble- with interest and penalty.  We may think we can take God's share without any blink or consequence, but it separates us from God.  So God asks us to come back- return to Him.  If we return to Him, He will return to us.  

Prayer: Lord, return to us.  Help us to be a generous people.  Keep us from going more and more into debt for stuff, titles, or degrees.  Help us to always put you first.