The Storehouse is Empty
July 20th, 2008Will a man rob God? The common response to this specific call for tithes and offerings, made by the pastor of the traditional African American church is “Not Today”. Nevertheless, it is quite obvious to those that see with their spiritual eye, that something is wrong in the world. This feeling of imbalance is not only experienced in the material world, it is being experienced in the realm of the spirit. That is why people at times state that “something just doesn’t feel right…although I can’t put my finger on it.” Meaning, with all of my worldly understanding, I can’t clearly define the core problem. Yet, something deep down on the inside tells me that all is not well. The inner voice that we all hear springs from the spirit of God. The question still remains, “Will a man rob God?” My answer is YES, and we’re still doing it!
The concept of the spiritual “Storehouse” is not new. In both the Old and New Testament of the Bible, we can find references to storehouses, treasures and treasuries. The book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 28, verse 12 states “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure…and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shall not borrow.” The Book of Job, Chapter 38, verse 22 states, “Hast thou entered into the treasurer of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasurer of the hail?” Finally, early in the New Testament, the Book of Matthew, Chapter 3, verse 12 makes reference to John the Baptist and his belief in the one, who has yet to come, will “gather his wheat into the garner (storehouse); but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Have you stored away your wheat? Has the church stored away their wheat? If so, then what purpose does the stored wheat serve if not to feed those that are hungry? Further, if one has entered the “winter” of their life, and has not stored sufficiently, is it not our responsibility to feed them and supply them with feed enough for the duration of their season of winter?
If we say “YES” to these questions, then I say, “What happened to our responsibility to the victims of Hurricane Katrina?” Have we met our obligations to create a better life for our collective community of children? Are we adequately addressing the well documented needs of the poor and elderly? Are we working towards peace in a time of War? Is the Storehouse empty? Wait, we as African Americans have a combined buying in excess of $700 Billion, and we by and large subscribe to the notion of Tithing to our church ten percent (10%) of our first fruit. That means, if only one percent (1%) of the $700 Billion is earned by tithing people, then we are operating with a base of $7 Billion. Out of $7 Billion, if ten percent (10%) is tithed to the church, then we have a starting point of $700 Million placed in the spiritual storehouse of the church…that’s $700 Million per year…EVERY YEAR. What are we doing with the money? A few questions come to mind:
1. Are you putting away 10% for your season of winter?
2. Are we following God’s law by tithing what we should?
3. If so, then what is the church doing with the money?
These may be hard questions to ask of ourselves and the church. Moreover, the answer may be painful. We must also ask ourselves, what are we saving and investing for, if not to assist others in a time of need? Have we become so selfish and arrogant to really believe that our worldly blessings are the result of our labor alone? If we have experienced the blessings of God, then we are duty bound to bless others with our assistance. Then and only then will we be able to walk side by side with righteousness. By experiencing the blessing of giving, God will pour out additional blessings for each of us.
With $700 Million, we could have initiated the healing process for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As previously referenced in the Book of Deuteronomy, 28th chapter verse 12, “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure…and shalt lend to many nations and thou shall not borrow.” Meaning, God has blessed us so much that in our storehouse, there exist enough money and resources to lend to others WHILE at the same time providing enough to meet our personal needs! Remember the statement of John the Baptist, “…he will gather the wheat in the garner…and burn the chaff…” Which one are you? Are you the wheat, which provides sustenance for the kingdom of God, or are you the chaff, which is useless and slated for destruction? Is the storehouse empty? Is there another harvest on the horizon?
I have my answer to the question, “Will a man rob God?” – Not Anymore! How about you?
