In the book of Malachi God poses a question to all his children “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings”. Not just tithe and offering, today in this lesson I am here to show you how we rob him daily of many things.
Num 20:9-12
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” NIV
What was Moses’ and Aaron’s mistake you may ask? They presented the power of God as their own. A lot of us run into the same error. When God has suddenly blessed you and that’s when you go around posing as the mastermind behind the success. You are making the same mistake that the Israelites made and the reason why their challenges never came to a standstill. God wrought so many things for them in the wilderness but their unbelief grew even worse. It’s because they were robbers never admitting nor acknowledging the power of God. God has put this plain in the scriptures.
John 15:5-6
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. NIV
I remember at one youth gathering we were discussing the challenges faced nowadays. We went from struggles with anxiety, depression, unemployment, and human abuse, to drug and substance abuse to mention a few but when a question was posed as to how these could be addressed to my surprise, the one appropriate answer I had in my mind was quickly dismissed. Someone had suggested seeking counsel from the pastors was the way to go and responding in line was the president of the youth club with the statement “The pastor knows doctrine only, let’s look elsewhere”. The leader failed to present God in the appropriate light.
James 5:14-15
14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him. NIV
Ps 55:22
22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. NIV
A friend of mine had a challenge dating girls from the same church. He came to me asking for help and I simply replied, “My friend you have to understand why God said people honour him with their lips only”. A pastor an elder or a parent may present bible facts to you that they do not practice in real life. A parent may present you with (Ps 139:14) “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, or (Zech 2:8) for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye; or (Jer 29:11-12) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future; but that does not mean you can instantly claim their daughter’s hand in marriage. They tell you God has a future for you verbally but in reality, they are looking at a futureless person.
I can go on and on but at the end of the day, we rob God of his power and place in our daily lives. There is a lot that he is doing for us on a daily basis yet we do not acknowledge nor appreciate it. We even rob God of his praise and honour in our society when we are reproached by unbelievers for our wrong dealings, actions, manners, and the way we carry ourselves around.
Heb 13:15-16
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. NIV
We should strive to present God in the light and power that he deserves. He has done so much for us and without him we are nothing. Our speech must reflect Christ. Our teachings must uplift the name of God. Our works should magnify his power. We should hide self behind the cross and let God’s name be praised and revered throughout. I pray that God gives you a heart open to his presence so you may acknowledge him daily and receive his peace.
Acts 17:28
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ NIV
God bless you and see you in the next lesson
If you liked this article be sure to share it with friends and family.