Devotional Thought: Test the Tithe
Malachi 3:8-10
[8]“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. [9]You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. [10] 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 through the prophet Malachi reminds the people of Judah that he has not changed in his love for them as his covenantal people. This is good news for Judah in view of their current status as rebellious, halfhearted and negligent worshippers of the One True God! However, it is not a new thing for their inconsistent faithfulness and disobedience…their behavior is reminiscent of the generation before them. Yet God is still calling them to return to Him…for he is faithful to keep his covenantal promises to his covenantal people ONLY if they return back to him.
Judah has become so engrossed in her unfaithful, hypocritical, corrupt and immoral actions concerning the ways of God, she has lost the ability to know how to turn back to God. Each decision to disobey the instruction of God’s Word is placing Judah on a slippery downward spiral of unrighteousness and ungodliness leading to the judgment and chastisement of God. Yet, opportunity to return continues to present itself in God’s confronting them with their REAL issue…robbery….from him! This heinous crime of robbing God has not been committed by just one…but the ENTIRE nation is GUILTY of robbing God (read Malachi 3:6-7). Because of his great mercy, love, and faithfulness to his Word, it is not his desire for them to remain under the curse…he calls them back to active obedience to his Word with the command to BRING the tithe to him and try him to see what he does as a result of their obedience. It is in their hand to receive from God….will they do it?
Are we in the 21st century Church any different from these ancient believers in God? Have we turned away from our covenant relationship with him in pursuit of doing it our own way? If we bear a likeness to them in our behavior with our tithe and offering….is God issuing the same call to us…compelling us to bring ALL the tithe…TRY me…and RECEIVE the blessings that are uncontainable!
During this month of November, how can we experience transformation concerning our tithe and offerings unto to God? Where in our lives have we turned away from him….robbed from him? Are there applicable spiritual principles to our individual and corporate response to God regarding our tithe and offerings? Can we unite through the power of agreement as the body of Christ to TRY God according to his Word and obey his standard concerning our tithe and offering?
