“Will a Man Rob God?”
Malachi 3:8–9
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
President Spencer W. Kimball said:
“If the earth is the Lord’s, then we are merely tenants and owe our landlord an accounting. The scripture says: ‘Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s.’ What percentage of our increase do we pay Caesar? And what percent to God? . . .
“Would you steal a dollar from your friend? a tire from your neighbor’s car? Would you borrow a widow’s insurance money with no intent to pay? Do you rob banks? You are shocked at such suggestions. Then, would you rob your God, your Lord, who has made such generous arrangements with you?
“Do you have a right to appropriate the funds of your employer with which to pay your debts, to buy a car, to clothe your family, to feed your children, to build your home?
“Would you take from your neighbor’s funds to send your children to college or on a mission? Would you help relatives or friends with funds not your own? Some people get their standards mixed, their ideals out of line. Would you take tithes to pay your building fund or ward maintenance contribution? Would you supply gifts to the poor with someone else’s money? The Lord’s money?”
(Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 283, 289–90.)
