I had an interesting conversation with my eight-year-old grandson this week. He asked me what I was writing, and I told him it was an article called “Building Treasure in Heaven.” He wanted to know why I would want to build treasure in Heaven. The rest of the conversation went kind of like this.
Me: “How long do you think you will live on earth?”
Grandson: “Maybe 100 years.”
Me: “How long will you live in Heaven?”
Grandson: “Millions and millions of years.”
Me: “So would it be better to be rich on earth or rich in Heaven?”
Grandson: “Can you do both?”
Me: “Yes, you can. God promised in the Bible, in the book of Malachi, that He will pour out riches on those who give tithes to the church. And we can build treasure in Heaven by giving more than our tithes to share the gospel.”
Grandson: “You should write a book about that.”
Me: “Actually, I have.”
My grandson is learning how to build true wealth, and my goal is to help many other people to come to this same knowledge.
In Malachi 3: 8 – 10, we read, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
God commands that His people pay tithe. In Biblical times, the tithe could be paid money, animals, or grain. Animals and grain that were tithed provided food for the priests, and money met the other needs of running the temple and supporting the Levites. God told His people through Malachi that they were being cursed because they had neglected to bring their tithes to His house. In the next breath, He promised great blessings to those who do pay their tithe.
When we obediently and cheerfully give back ten percent of the resources that God blesses us with, He promises to bless us extravagantly. In fact, He promises blessings so great that we will not have room enough to receive it. These blessings are promised to us while we are on Earth.
As we faithfully steward all the resources He gives us, we build riches in Heaven. These resources include our time, our talents, and our money. Ask God how you can be faithful to steward the resources He entrusts to you, so that you will be blessed on Earth and build treasure in Heaven.
My book, “Honoring God with Your Money,” will lead you through a study of what the Bible says about money. It discusses the purpose of money, appropriate attitudes about money, stewardship of money, paying off debt, and creating budgets. This is a great resource if you would like to become a better steward of the resources which God has entrusted to you.
Susan's Reflections 