God is not an ATM

I remember, in the first church I attended after being saved, a woman I will call Jessica. She was not a member of the church, because she had not surrendered her life to Christ, and she almost never came to services. But she tithed faithfully, sending a check with her sister who attended every week. Why? Jessica had been raised in a Christian home and believed Malachi 3:10; she had found God to be faithful to His word. 

I left when the Air Force reassigned me out of state. Years later, I was back visiting old friends and learned that Jessica had accepted Christ. In retrospect, I realized that God takes His word and His actions seriously. He is not an ATM or an investment advisor. He is the creator and Lord of the universe. Jessica had engaged God in the first role, but He is so much more than we can imagine. His presence must be taken seriously. If we engage Him at any level, He engages us to grow the depth of our relationship. 

The presence of God was manifested in various places in the Old Testament, and also in Jesus the Messiah. But God is also present when we trust His word.  He will honor His word, and watches over it to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) It is a fundamental error to confuse the promises with the person making them, but God will clear that up. Jessica opened the door and learned the Truth, that the blessing of knowing Christ far exceeds mere financial rewards. (Revelation 3:20) 

God takes His word seriously, but in the Ten Commandments, He warned us to take His name seriously. Orthodox Jews therefore do not say His name at all, to avoid violating the third commandment, but instead say”the name” (Hashem). They believe that thereby they will avoid inadvertently taking His name in vain. But God’s real intent is that we should invoke His name appropriately. He has given us many names for Himself, such as Jehovah Rapha - the God who heals, Jehovah Jireh - the God who provides, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai, and many others. In the Trinity, as Jesus taught us, there are three persons.

• YHWH AB - our Eternal Father, whom we are privileged to call ABBA - daddy.

• Yeshua Hamashiach - Savior and Anointed one

• Ruach HaKodesh - divine breath of the Holy Spirit

He wants us to speak His name to bring life, salvation, healing, and relationship to a lost and dying world. Not frivolously, not to manipulate, but to bring the blessing of His presence. 

Jessica recognized God’s power and character, believing that He would faithfully repay her tithing. He showed her His forgiveness, which she received, because participation in His kingdom can begin with little things like tithing, but He will bless greatly when we respond to His overtures.