"Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me." - Malachi 3:8-9
Yesterday we smashed the golden calf—the invisible idols enthroned in the secret corners of our hearts. But where idols fall, a new Master must be enthroned—or another idol will rush in to claim the vacant seat.
So who truly rules your heart—God, or wealth? Jesus was unequivocal: no one can serve God and money at the same time. After smashing our idols, the unavoidable next question is this: "Do I master money—or does money master me?"
Can a Rich Man Enter Heaven?
A wealthy ruler ran to Jesus and asked how to inherit eternal life. Note that he ran—this was no casual inquiry. From youth he had kept the commandments. His moral résumé was impeccable. He tithed, he prayed, he observed every religious duty. Yet a thirst remained that law-keeping could not quench. Something was missing, and he sensed it.
Jesus looked into his eyes—past the fine robes, past the religious credentials, past the public reputation—and put His finger on the tumor embedded in his heart:
"One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Mark 10:21
This was not a blanket command for all wealthy people. It was a surgeon's scalpel—an exact prescription for this man's particular disease. Why did Jesus demand this of him? Because wealth was not merely something this man had—it was something that had him. His true master was not God but Mammon.
The man's response revealed everything: he chose wealth over eternal life and went away sorrowful. Notice—he did not go away angry or defiant. He went away sad. He knew Jesus was right. He felt the pull of truth. But the chains of Mammon were stronger than his desire for God.
How many believers today are living in this exact condition? They know the truth. They feel the tug of the Holy Spirit. But they cannot let go of their golden chain.
"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle." - Mark 10:24-25
Tradition says Jerusalem's wall had a tiny gate nicknamed "the needle's eye." To enter, a camel had to be completely unloaded—every bag of goods stripped away—and then it had to kneel to squeeze through. The picture is plain: to enter God's kingdom, the wealthy must lay down pride and attachment to riches and approach God on their knees, stripped of everything they trusted in besides Him.
Change Your Master
The issue is not ownership but Lordship. Scripture does not condemn wealth itself—Abraham was wealthy, Job was wealthy, David was wealthy. The question that determines salvation or judgment is this: Whom do you serve?
"The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." - 1 Timothy 6:10
Money never satisfies. Like seawater, the more you drink, the thirstier you become. The millionaire wants to be a billionaire. The homeowner wants a bigger house. The investor wants a higher return. There is no finish line in the race for wealth—only an ever-receding horizon that promises satisfaction but never delivers it.
But the economy of God's kingdom runs opposite the world. The world says, "Accumulate." The Lord says, "Give."
"Give, and it will be given to you—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap." - Luke 6:38
Those who live by this law taste a secret the world's rich do not know:
"The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it." - Proverbs 10:22
Do not make money your god. Whoever fails to master it will be mastered by it—and will turn from Christ with a sorrowful face, just as that rich young ruler did two thousand years ago.
A Brother Under Discipline
The sin of serving money often hides even in the life of an apparently faithful believer. A brother who had labored with us for fifteen years was cheerful and outwardly exemplary, yet his life carried a strange "blockage," like a lovely house with cracks in its foundation. No matter how hard he worked, blessing seemed to leak out as fast as it flowed in.
Burdened to pray, I sought the Lord. His whisper came with chilling clarity: "It is discipline. He has been stealing what belongs to Me."
I asked, trembling, what discipline had been allowed. The Lord showed three visions:
First, his son weeping in distress. In fact, the boy had long suffered with ADHD. The Lord showed how the father's disobedience had touched his child. The sins of the father were casting a shadow over the next generation.
Second, a swelling on the father's right cheekbone—a sign of the chronic illness he had battled since youth. It was no trivial matter; it was connected to his spiritual condition.
Third, a faucet slowing to a trickle—his business shrinking from plenty to scarcity. What once flowed freely had been choked to a drip.
All three disciplines were at work simultaneously. His son's suffering, his own illness, his failing business—none of these were random misfortune. They were the fruit of one hidden sin: stealing what belongs to God.
"How can he be restored?" I asked. The Lord's answer was firm and unmistakable: "He must repent and make restitution. He must return the full amount."
Holy Things and Common Things
"A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord." - Leviticus 27:30
The tithe was never ours. It is sacred from the outset. To use it for ourselves violates God's sovereignty; it is theft. When one has stolen God's property, the curse lifts only when the full amount is restored.
The Spirit once taught me something profound about offerings. When God's people present tithes and offerings, the moment of dedication transforms that money into a radiant sacred object. It is no longer human currency; it has become the Lord's possession—a holy thing.
The same holds for objects set apart for God's house. In the Old Testament, to lay hands carelessly on temple vessels was to invite immediate judgment. Today, those who handle church finances as if offerings were "just money," using them for personal convenience, invite a curse upon themselves.
Stealing from a person is grave. Stealing holy things from God is infinitely worse. Holy and common cannot be mingled. Once given to the Lord, offerings pass beyond human control. They are not "money" but sacred gifts set before His throne. To steal or defile them is to strike at the sovereignty of the Almighty.
A Testimony from Hell Concerning the Tithe
This is no mere earthly matter; it touches eternity. Angelica Zambrano's vision of hell bears a sobering witness:
"The Lord took me into a cell. In the flames a soul cried out, 'Lord, have mercy on me now! I stole what was Yours. I will never do it again!' I asked, 'Why are you here?' He wept, 'I was a leader who served the Lord for twenty years. All that time I thought tithes and offerings were simply funds pastors used. Now I see—they were never man's, but God's. That is why I cry that I stole from Him… But I was proud, and though I knew the truth, I refused to obey.'"
What destroyed him was not ignorance but pride. He knew the Word yet trusted his own reasoning more. His sin was not merely neglecting to give; it was stealing what God had set apart as His own.
The question comes to us: Is there any place I know the truth but refuse to obey? Have I taken what is consecrated to God and used it as I pleased while rationalizing my disobedience?
Do not touch what belongs to God. This is not "just money," but a realm God has marked as holy with His own sovereignty. Those who honor Him with the firstfruits will taste His blessing. Those who rob Him will bear the curse—not because God is cruel, but because there are some boundaries that even grace does not erase without repentance.
- Truth Rock Ministry
Get new posts by email
No comments:
Post a Comment