Test me on this!

God has thrown down the gauntlet in Malachi 3:10.  And the consequences are extreme! A curse or a blessing. I love this Scripture because it is the only place in the Bible where God tells us to test Him on what He says.

Now, this is something not many Christians like to talk about: Tithing. We do love our money, and believe me, in this economy, it's easy to anxiously want to hold onto whatever we have. But God understood our love for money and knew we could be more easily trapped by wealth than any other thing. Jesus often preached on the evils and deceitfulness of riches. More than anything God wants us to trust Him to take care of us. But do we?
Did you know that if you love money more than God and refuse to tithe your income, you are under a curse?

You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.  You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.  Malachi 3:9

Yikes, I don't want to be under a curse. Now hear the good news!
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 you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit

Not have enough room for all the blessings? Sign me up!  Now, I don't believe God is only talking about blessings of money. I believe He's speaking about many other kinds of blessings, both spiritual and physical.

God doesn't need our money. But He does want our hearts and our faith. And it often isn't until we give up our money to Him that we can truly put Him first and believe in His promises.
A personal testimony:  My husband and I have tested God on this. And I can assure you, He has thrown open the floodgates of heaven for us!

Go ahead, put God to the test and see what happens.