"Will a man rob God?  Yet ye have robbed me.
But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings." - Malachi 3:8

Imagine for a minute a rather strange scene playing out before your very eyes...

You see the Lord Jesus standing up preaching the Gospel to the masses.  And, as He is standing there bringing the Word to life in front of the people, someone slips up behind Him very quietly and...

...picks His pocket!

Yep, picks His pocket.  They reach in and take His wallet.   Then, quickly and quietly, they walk away without anyone every noticing their thievery.

Or, maybe Jesus is in the midst of the sick and afflicted and is healing them of their ailments.    Somewhere between healing a lame man and restoring sight to a blind woman, someone slips up quietly behind Him and...

...picks His pocket!

Again, Jesus was robbed of His wallet.

Perhaps you can imagine this same scene playing out on the cross as Jesus hangs there in agony.  And at the very time He is lovingly giving His life to pay for the sins of all mankind, someone quietly slips out of the crowd, walks up to Jesus and...

...picks His pocket!

Are you kidding me?  Who could possibly steal from the man who came from Heaven to teach us the Word of God as an example?  Who could rob Christ, the healer, restorer and sustainer of health and life?  Who in their right mind could ever pick-pocket the One who died on the cross to bring forgiveness for sin?

ANYONE who doesn't give their tithes and offerings.  Did you catch that?  ANYONE who doesn't give their tithes and offerings is STEALING from God.  God's own Word says that they are robbing Him.

They are, in a manner of speaking, picking Jesus' pocket.

What a shame for someone to take from the Lord Jesus, the loving Savior who is so compassionate to us and loves us and gives so much to us. What a tragedy for someone to steal from the very hand that provides every penny that is ever given to them.  What a disgrace for someone to steal a measly 10% when the Lord so graciously gives us 90% to hold on to.

Christian, every church service the Lord gets pick-pocketed.  Every church service there are those who rob God by holding back money that is rightly His.  In Malachi 3:8 God tells us that those who withhold tithes and offerings are robbing Him.  It's a sterm reminder and reprimand to be faithful to give Him what is due Him.

And I like what He goes on to tell us in Malachi when we DO give... 

10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Enough said.

Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!