ICS Daily Devotions
God Will Open the Windows of Heaven for You
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 out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
God says He would open the windows of heaven to the tither. Did you know that the opening of the windows of heaven is only ever mentioned twice in God’s Word, in the days of Noah when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights and water covered the face of the earth, and upon the tither?
He will open the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be enough room to contain it. The abundance being poured out upon you as a tither is to the point of overflowing and you just can’t keep it all to your little selfish means—you will receive more than enough for your own needs and to meet the needs of other people.
The term “tithe” simply means a tenth of the whole. Tithing gives God His tenth. It is 10% of our gross income, 10% of the sales of our property, and 10% of the profit that we make. Tithing is one way that we can worship, obey His Word and honour God.
Tithing makes God your source because through it you are essentially saying, “God, I recognise You are my source of supply, and with You as my source, I can do more with the 90% than I could with the 100% left to my own devices and my own plans”.
The people used to tithe to the temple where the storehouse was found. The Levites and the priests were God’s servants who lived off the tithes because they were not allocated land like the other tribes of Israel. Today, the storehouse is the church where the Word of God is administered, and pastoral care takes place. The church is where the Lord has placed you during the season of your life.
Some people ask whether they should tithe to the church, or if they can give to a designated project where they will know where the money goes and can determine what is right. The 10% tithe should go to the church, while the rest of the freewill offering can be given at their discretion. Some people might also wonder if their church already has a good reserve, what is the point of tithing? The point is to obey His Word and give to the storehouse. Obedience to give 10% to the church is better than sacrifices.
Whatever we give to support other ministries as individuals to help missionaries will be out of our freewill offering, but it does not replace our tithe because the tithe belongs to the storehouse.
Sermon Series: Reflections
