This morning I opened my Bible to book of Zachariah and continued reading until I read through Malachi.   Many scriptures stood out to me, but this one in particular:

Malachi 3:8-10
“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.  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 there will not be room enough to store it.”

I have read this scripture many times, but I have never noticed that the whole NATION was cursed because people were robbing God.

Hmmmm.

I will be the first to proclaim that I believe America was formed as a Christian nation.   I will also admit that this country as a whole has compromised.    We have entertained false religions and false gods.  We have welcomed every kind of filth and immoral behavior and dared anyone to speak against it because that would be HATE.   Yep, I would say our nation has lost its moral compass (for now).

But I have never considered before right now that perhaps part of what has happened in our nation involved thievery.   Sure, the scripture in Malachi has a lot to do with food and blessed crops — but think about the droughts and then the floods that American farmers have been experiencing.

Robbing God?

Where are the tithes?

Malachi was preaching to a nation that had grown indifferent toward God.    Wouldn’t that describe a large portion of America as well?   Don’t get me wrong, I am SO GRATEFUL that this country has many Christians — and contrary to our current president’s beliefs, I do still call it a Christian nation, but INDIFFERENT would be a good word to describe the hearts of so many.

Do you tithe?   What do you and your family do with your first fruits?   In today’s language:  What do you do with the best of what you earn?

Our time can also be given to the Lord.  I go through seasons where I give God my mornings — the first fruits of my day, but then busyness and life just get in the way sometimes and I get off track.

I don’t want to rob God and I certainly don’t want to sow into a curse by keeping what actually belongs to Him anyway.

I pray God opens our eyes to ways that we steal from Him.   I would never want to grieve the Holy Spirit or steal from my Abba Father!

And oh how I pray for God to have mercy on America.  I won’t share today what the scriptures said about the lands who come against Jerusalem.  (I read that this morning too.)

Thank you for visiting me this morning!