Malachi 3:8-12 · 5-day study

What Does Trust Cost?

Going deeper on Robby Gallaty's sermon at Long Hollow (Hendersonville, TN).

Week of Oct 11, 2026

The big idea

Give a full tenth to honor God and support his work, trusting him with what remains while trusting Jesus alone for salvation.

Day 1 · FreeMalachi 3:8-12

First Impressions

Start with the question behind the money

Money can make a room go quiet. It pays for groceries, keeps the lights on, and gives us some sense of safety. So when God asks his people in Malachi, ‘Will a man rob God?’ it may be tempting to shut down. Stay with the conversation a little longer. God is speaking to people who belong to him. They answer his question with one of their own: How have we robbed you? His answer is about the tithe, a tenth of what they received. They had stopped bringing it to the place where it supported worship and helped provide for people who served there. This was about more than a missed payment. Their giving showed something about their relationship with God and their care for their neighbors.

Read verses 8 through 12 slowly. Notice that God says ‘my house’ and promises there will be food in it. Picture an actual community that needs people to show up for one another. Then notice his invitation: ‘Test me in this way.’ He calls them to bring the full tithe and see whether he will provide. That is a striking thing for God to say. But the passage does not hand us a formula for getting rich. It asks whether people who depend on God can trust him with what they have. That question reaches beyond an offering. It touches the way we spend, save, share, and worry. It also touches the reasons we give. Are we trying to buy a blessing, keep up appearances, or take part in the good God is doing?

You may have heard Sunday's message and felt ready to give. You may have felt nervous because money is tight. You may even have felt angry because someone has used a Bible verse about giving to pressure you. Bring that honest response with you. You do not need to pretend your budget is easy or your past experiences do not matter. For today, simply look at what the passage says and what it stirs up in you. The God speaking here wants his people to return to him, as verse 7 says just before this passage begins. He is calling them into a life of trust that shows up in real choices. What might it look like to listen before you reach for a calculator or a defense?

Sit with this

  1. 1What feeling comes up first when you read God's question about giving?

Journal prompt

Write down your first honest reaction to Malachi 3:8-12. Name one money decision this week that may be shaping that reaction.

Days 2–5 are in the app

Carry Robby Gallaty's sermon through the whole week.

  1. 2

    Look Closer

    What a tenth was meant to say

  2. 3

    What It Meant Then

    A storehouse full of food meant a community could keep going

  3. 4

    The Hard Question

    Let your budget tell the truth

  4. 5

    Carry It Forward

    Give from what you have received

Start this study free

Free while in beta. Journal and ask questions as you go.

Where the passage connects

  • Malachi 3:8-12

    God calls his people to bring the whole tenth into the storehouse and invites them to trust his provision.

  • Genesis 14:18-20; Galatians 3:8

    Kendall points to Abraham's gift before Moses' law to frame tithing as a grateful response to God.

  • Matthew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

    Jesus affirms tithing while challenging the Pharisees' priorities, and Paul calls believers to set aside gifts in keeping with their means.

  • 1 Samuel 2:30; Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 9:6

    These passages ground Kendall's hope that God honors trust and blesses generous giving, without setting a promised dollar return.

  • Luke 21:1-4; Acts 5:1-11

    Jesus notices the widow's small gift, while the account of Ananias and Sapphira warns against pretending to give more than one has.

“most Christians don't tithe because they haven't been taught”

R.T. Kendall

“I'm telling you it's a sermon on how to please God.”

R.T. Kendall

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This study is an original devotional inspired by Robby Gallaty's message “Tithing | R.T. Kendall | Malachi 3” at Long Hollow. Watch the original sermon.