Here are a few additional resources to guide your quiet time this week:
Watch the replay of Dine and Dash by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.
Use this small group guide with family, friends, and co-workers.
Join us for our 6 AM Prayer Call, Monday through Friday (EST)
Day 1
Spiritual Dine and Dash
Based off the message: Dine and Dash by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw
Scripture
Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. -Malachi 3:8
Devotional
There is genuine delight in sitting down at a well-run restaurant. From the moment you enter, someone greets you warmly, guides you past ambient dining spaces, and pulls out a chair at a prepared table. You browse a carefully curated menu featuring farm-to-table entrees, crafted appetizers, and refreshing drinks. You laugh with companions, savor every bite, and enjoy the full investment of hospitality, kitchen labor, and ambiance that makes the evening effortless. Yet everyone seated around that table knows a simple rule of civic integrity: when the meal concludes, the leather bill folder arrives, and the tab must be settled. Walking out into the evening breeze without handling the bill is fraud.
Human nature, however, often looks for ways to rationalize avoiding costs. Some people quietly hope a generous friend will pick up the tab; others scan the crowded room and convince themselves that a thriving establishment will never miss their portion. They don't consider how an unpaid dining bill impacts the livelihood of the chef and the dishwasher.
This dynamic mirrors how many approach the house of God. We readily receive the spiritual appetizers of prayer and worship, consume the rich spiritual nourishment of the Word, enjoy safe environments for our families, and lean on community connections that foster personal and professional growth. Yet spiritual dining and dashing occurs when we consume continuous spiritual labor, pastoral care, and church resources while withholding the tangible support necessary to sustain the storehouse.
In Malachi 3:8, God confronted His people with the question: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings." God is not in heaven waiting on a direct deposit; however, He has established a covenant community through the household of faith. Our tithes and offerings support His Kingdom agenda through the local church.
An honest person wouldn't dare leave a restaurant without paying their tab. Likewise, a mature believer feels compelled to financially support the house that is feeding their soul.
"In the natural, we wouldn't dare walk out of a restaurant without doing our part. Yet week after week, people reap the benefit of spiritual community and feel no conviction to reciprocate." - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw
Reflection Question
In what ways have we treated the local church like a commercial buffet where we consume freely, while resisting our responsibility to sustain the table?
Prayer
Father, forgive us for the seasons where we have gladly received Your spiritual nourishment and community care while withholding our financial support. We confess that our hearts often drift into entitlement, expecting others to carry the costs of the house that feeds us. Teach us true spiritual integrity, and grant us generous hearts that eagerly honor You and sustain the ministry of Your house. In Jesus name, Amen.