Giving God Our Best, Not Our Leftovers

Devotional

Day 1: When Gifts Reveal What We Value Most

A memorable gift requires intention, sacrifice, and love—not leftovers tossed to check a box. Like Malachi’s listeners bringing blind lambs to God, we often prioritize convenience over costly devotion. True stewardship begins by asking who truly owns our resources: the God who claims all creation as His. The story of the Stetson gift box—repeated, impersonal, and unneeded—mirrors how we sometimes treat God with thoughtless offerings. Every decision to give our best, not our scraps, realigns our hearts with His worthiness. [04:36]

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:8–10, ESV)

Reflection: What “Stetson gift box” have you given God out of habit rather than love? Where might your offerings reveal divided loyalties in your heart?

Day 2: Empty Mansions and Eternal Ownership

The Wentworth Mansion stands as a monument to human wealth—yet its builder is gone, his treasures left behind. Like Israel’s temple rebuilt but hearts unchanged, we confuse managing resources with surrendering ownership. Psalm 24 declares God’s claim over all things, yet we cling to illusions of control. Stewardship isn’t budgeting God’s cut from “our” money but managing what’s always been His. The test comes when His priorities disrupt our plans. [18:14]

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1, ESV)

Reflection: What possession, habit, or relationship feels hardest to hold open-handed before God? How might releasing it deepen your trust in His ownership?

Day 3: Leftovers for the King?

Imagine serving guests scraps after feasting yourself—this is how Israel treated God, keeping prime livestock while offering defective ones. Malachi exposes our tendency to prioritize bills, hobbies, and comforts before giving God leftovers. Tithing first fruits, not residual crumbs, reshapes our hearts to cherish His worth. Like the electric company demanding payment, God deserves first claim, not last-minute apologies. [27:53]

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (Proverbs 3:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step could ensure God receives your “first fruits” of time, energy, or resources before other demands claim them?

Day 4: The One Test God Invites

Unlike other biblical warnings against testing God, Malachi 3 dares us to “test me in this”—trusting His provision when we tithe. This isn’t a prosperity pact but a faith furnace: will we treat God as a needy creditor or a generous Father? The story of the cat waiting confidently for breakfast mirrors our call to trust without scheming. Every act of giving whispers, “I believe You’re better at providing than I am.” [34:19]

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

Reflection: Where does fear of scarcity most tempt you to withhold? How might stepping into God’s “test” expand your vision of His faithfulness?

Day 5: More Than Money—A Whole Life Audit

Stewardship isn’t a financial seminar but a discipleship X-ray. Israel’s poor offerings revealed cold hearts; our calendar conflicts, neglected gifts, and hurried prayers expose similar cracks. Jesus’ parable of the talents rewards faithfulness with greater responsibility, not larger bank accounts. The final question isn’t “How much did I give?” but “Did I live like it was all His?” [41:28]

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:21, ESV)

Reflection: Beyond finances, what overlooked area of stewardship (time, relationships, influence) does God want to reclaim for His glory this week?

Sermon Summary

Malachi presses on a question that goes way deeper than ten percent: what does God actually have in the heart? The people had come home from captivity, rebuilt the wall, rebuilt the temple, and restarted worship. But the people had also slipped into apathy. They brought blind, lame, sick animals while holding on to the best for themselves. The priests let it happen. The offerings kept moving, the boxes kept getting checked, but covenant faithfulness had cooled off.

God calls that cheating and robbing because the tithe belongs to Him. The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, which means the house, car, bank account, retirement account, time, gifts, health, kids, and opportunities are not possessions in the ultimate sense. God entrusts them to stewards. Ownership determines authority, and God owns all of it. The real question is not, “How much money do I have to give God?” The real question is, “God, what do You want me to do with Your money?”

The contrast between first fruits and leftovers exposes the issue. Leftovers say that God can have whatever remains after every other priority gets paid, planned, and protected. First fruits say that God is worthy of the best because Christ gave His best for salvation. Malachi refuses to let religious activity cover over divided loyalties. Giving, gathered worship, time, abilities, and influence all reveal what has risen to the place of greatest importance.

Malachi 3 also brings stewardship into the realm of faith. God usually forbids people from testing Him with unbelief and demands for proof. Yet God tells His people to test Him in their giving and see whether He will be faithful to provide. The question beneath financial anxiety is not simply, “Can I afford to give?” The deeper question is, “Can I trust God if I give?” God’s provision does not invite irresponsibility, but it does call His children to live like children of a Father who knows what they need.

The whole-life question reaches beyond the tithe. God cares about what is given, spent, said, owed, possessed, enjoyed, and left behind. Christ will one day call every manager to account for what was entrusted. The goal is not earthly accumulation but hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Open hands and tender hearts become the fitting response to a God who has already given so much.

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Key Takeaways

1. God owns far more than ten percent. God’s ownership reaches into every corner of life, not merely into a giving category. Stewardship begins when possessions stop functioning as private territory and start being received as a trust. Faithfulness means asking God about calendars, abilities, resources, and influence before simply doing whatever feels right. [24:08]
2. First fruits reveal true priorities. Leftovers can still look like generosity while quietly protecting every other allegiance first. First fruits put God ahead of the things that feel urgent, necessary, and nonnegotiable. The difference is not merely the amount given but the place God holds in the heart. [29:25]
3. Giving tests trust, not God’s character. God’s invitation to “test Me” does not give permission for cynical demands. God invites His children to act in faith and discover that His provision is not theoretical. The real struggle is often whether God can be trusted with what feels too necessary to release. [35:20]
4. Stewardship is a whole-life accounting. God cares about money because money reveals the heart, but He also cares about time, energy, words, gifts, and opportunities. Every part of life sits under the care of a faithful manager. The final question will be what was done with what God placed in human hands.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - What Makes a Gift Meaningful
[02:23] - Why Regifting Is Easy
[06:36] - Malachi and Israel’s Halfhearted Worship
[09:36] - Giving God the Worst Instead of the Best
[11:38] - The Heart Behind Stewardship
[15:16] - Question One: What Do You Want Me To Do?
[20:14] - God Owns Everything
[24:47] - Question Two: Are You Content With Leftovers?
[32:19] - Question Three: What Does Giving Say About Faith?
[37:45] - Question Four: Honoring God With Everything
[40:36] - The Accounting Every Steward Will Give
[42:36] - God Wants the Heart

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Malachi 3:8-10
“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Observation questions

In Malachi 3:8–10, what specific ways were the people withholding from God, and what does God tell them to bring?
What pattern had developed in Israel’s worship after the temple was rebuilt, including the role the priests played in accepting poor offerings? [09:36]
What contrast is drawn between giving God “first fruits” and giving Him what is left after every other priority has been met? [28:18]
What areas of life, besides money, are included in the picture of stewardship? [38:30]

Interpretation questions

Why does God describe withheld tithes and offerings as robbery? How does God’s ownership of all things shape the meaning of that charge? [21:47]
What does the contrast between first fruits and leftovers reveal about a person’s loyalties and priorities, not just the amount they give? [29:00]
Malachi 3 invites God’s people to test Him through faithful giving. How is this different from demanding that God prove Himself before a person will obey? [32:57]
How does the promise of God’s provision speak to the fear that giving faithfully will leave a person without what is needed? [35:14]

Application questions

When you look honestly at your calendar, spending, energy, and attention, where are you most tempted to give God leftovers rather than your best? [29:21]
What would change if you began approaching decisions with the question, “God, what do You want me to do with what belongs to You?” Consider one financial decision and one time-related decision you are facing. [23:33]
Is there an area of your life that feels off limits to God—your savings, possessions, schedule, future plans, abilities, or relationships? What makes that area hard to hold with open hands? [22:39]
What fears rise up when you consider giving more faithfully or more generously? How could you take one wise, concrete step of trust without being irresponsible? [35:20]
What practical habits could help make giving and serving a “first” priority rather than something considered only at the end of the month or after the schedule fills up? [31:15]
God cares about what is done with time, words, gifts, opportunities, and influence as well as money. Which of those areas needs the most intentional stewardship in this season, and what is one action you could take this week? [38:52]
When you think about giving an account for what God has entrusted to you, what kind of faithfulness do you hope will mark your life? What needs to be realigned now rather than later? [40:36]

Sermon Clips

36s

#FaithAndStewardship

“And that tells us that tithing and really all aspects of stewardship are ultimately an issue of faith. And so the question before us when we when we come to Malachi is this. It isn't, can I afford to give? The truth is, of course, we all can. The deeper question is, can I trust god if I give? That's really what's in play in your heart if you're wrestling. Can I trust God if I give?”

43s

#OpenHandedLiving

“Listen, it is ultimately about God having our hearts. And this is what God desires for each and every one of us. My prayer this day and this coming week is to take all that I am and all that I have and keep it open handed before the Lord available to use it as he leads and guides over the course of my life for his glory. And if we all pursue that together, we'll all have the equal opportunity to hear. Well done. Well done.”

34s

#GodsAuthority

“And that helps us understand this principle that we find in God's word that ownership determines authority over everything in our life. And because God is sovereign and owns everything about me, all the way down to how he made me and the talents I possess, he has the authority because I belong to him in Christ to instruct me on how it is that he wants me to manage what he has entrusted to me. And the same is true for each of you.”

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