Uncontainable Blessings
ICS Daily Devotions
Malachi 3:10 (NKJV) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”.
As Christians, we need to make God the source of our provision by tithing and giving freewill offerings. If we have never trusted Him to provide for us incrementally, God is only an emergency button that we press in dire situations. However, it does not work that way. We need to act on God’s Word because God does not act apart from His Word, and it is always on His and not our terms!
Though there is a promise that God will open the window of heaven to bless us, we need to tithe out of a heart of worship and thanksgiving, and not view it as a get-rich-quick attempt. Our hearts must be in the right place when we tithe, or else bitterness may creep in.
Many people are either afraid of or rebellious about tithing. Because they don’t see God as their source, they’re unwilling to part with their money, thinking “If I tithe, I’m going to be set back by this amount. How then can I meet all my needs?” Their trust is in the uncertain riches. It is a challenge to tithe, but we need to come to a point where we make God our source, and by tithing, we are declaring: “God you are my source of provision and I am honouring you and being obedient to your Word.”
The storehouse is the church, the house of God. Therefore, the tithe goes to the church where you are receiving the Word, pastoral care, and the work of the ministry. God wants His servants to be adequately provided for. In the Old Testament, the Levites were not allocated land and so they relied on the tithe by the rest of the 12 tribes. Similarly, in the New Testament, full-time church workers have given up their income from this world. Those who labour for the Gospel should live from the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14).
In the opening passage, God asked the tither to try Him if He would not open for them the windows of heaven. The opening of the windows of heaven is only mentioned twice in Scripture: in the days of Noah when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights until water covered the face of the earth, and when you tithe. That should give us an idea of the abundance that is being poured out upon the tither. God promised to pour out such a blessing that there won’t be enough room to receive it. In other words, we will be in a position of prosperity where not only do we have more than enough for our needs, but also to meet the needs of others. If you are a tither, that’s where you have positioned yourself.
Sermon Series: A Steady Walk of Faith with God
