Malachi 3:10

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it ~ Malachi 3:10

 

Bring the whole tithe, the Lord says. What is a tithe? A tithe is 10% or a tenth of your income. It represents a minimum, not a maximum of your giving. The New Testament does not talk much about 10%. We are though, called to tithe and be generous, especially since Jesus was so generous to us. In Malachi, God validates the tithe. We cannot “out-give” God! We are invited to put Him to the test in this! In Matthew 23:23 Jesus corrects the Pharisees for how they were tithing and then redirects them toward generosity along with the tithe. This goes along with Paul’s conclusion in the verses of 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 to not give “reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Again here, it is emphasized God will bless you abundantly when you give in such a manner. Now, I want to ensure you are not thinking of this as “prosperity teaching” – give so you can get. Prosperity teaches “God owes it back to you if you are generous.” Wrong attitude. You give 10% because of all the Lord has done for you, you give 10% because you know God calls you to obedience and has asked it of you. You give 10% because you are committed and faithful as a follower of God and Jesus Christ. Our churches suffer because we do not follow this rule of God’s. How He will bless you is at His discretion, but know that He will. Will you have a yacht and a fancy house because you tithe? I don’t think so, but you will be blessed in ways you cannot imagine. Your first tithe should go to your local church, and donations above that are gifts. The church is the body God has set in place to accomplish His mission for the community. If you deprive your church, you deprive God of what He has given to you, for ALL you have has come from God. Throw open the windows and floodgates of heaven, Lord, I give you back what is yours!!

Pastor Julia

image: Annie Spratt


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