Preventative Maintenance for the Soul

Malachi 3:6-8
6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. 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.”

Who knew? I saw a car that was in the shop for repairs, and all the mechanics were standing around looking at it. I went over to see what all the excitement was. I looked and saw a Honda Accord with the valve covers off. Looking closely at it, the oil, normally liquid-like, was crystallized and formed a coat of hardened oil that looked like the inside of the valve covers. I asked what was wrong. The mechanic said, “She didn’t change her oil in 40,000 miles, and now the engine is toast.”

An interesting daisy chain of questions and answers in Malachi appears in the verses above. The question is, “How are we to return?” A simple question but not a simple answer. The Lord replies with a question of His own, “Will a mere mortal rob God?” The answer for “How do we return to the Lord?” is the Lord telling His people to make sure they tithe.

Just like the Honda Accord that did not change the oil, the Lord is pointing out that tithing is a huge step in returning to Him. You have to change the oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles so the car will run well, they call it preventative maintenance. Your spiritual health depends upon your tithing. It goes on to say that the whole nation of you is cursed because you have not tithed.

The Lord does not change (vs. 6), so we can say that this truth crosses over to the New Testament and is true for us today. It is a cause and effect argument, and sometimes we respond, “I cannot afford to tithe,” or, “There is more month than money, so I choose to eat.”

We have all made that argument in our head not to give money to the church. So today, let me lay it out in a different way. You are asking, “How do I return to the Lord?” like the Israelites were asking. In order for your spiritual growth and effectiveness to increase, you must be a tither. If you do not, then verse nine says you are under a curse. What is the curse? All of your efforts seem to never be enough. Your car will not last very long without changing the oil, and you will not last very long being effective for the Lord without tithing.

You might be saying, “I do not want to tithe, and I do not have to because you never know where it is going.” The Lord says in verse 10 to test Him in this, and He goes on to say that He will rebuke the devourer and cause your storehouses to be full, but if you do not tithe, you give room for the devourer to wreak havoc on your life.

I always say that money should be a welcome conversation, not something to avoid. Tithing should also be the same. Go ahead and test God, He wants you to. He asks you to, so do it, become a tither, and see how the Lord will work in your life. But that is not the main focus. No! The main focus needs to be tithing so you can get close to the Lord. “How are we to return?” Start tithing. Deposit your money in the bank of the Lord and watch your tuppence increase in value (Mary Poppins reference).

Prayer: Father, help us to tithe to our local church. Help us to do this regularly and to honor the Lord with the first fruits of our labor. I pray that we honor the Lord in the tithe, and we declare that the devourer will be rebuked and our storehouses will be overflowing from the hand of the Lord. I thank You, Father, for blessing everything we put our hands to, especially the money we make and the tithe we joyfully give to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.