12.31.13

Malachi 3:10-12 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. Then your nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight, "says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
My Thoughts
I love these verses. Why? It is the one way that you can see what God will do in your life! It took us a while to get here! First we gave when we would go to Church on Sunday, we gave what we had, or thought that we could give up and still have what we wanted or needed. Then we gave ten percent of our bring home pay.... then one day when we had both been thinking on this giving thing Robby said we have to give a whole ten percent of all that we earn. I said, "I know I have been thinking about that!" Amazing things began to happen in our lives. We could see it. We had to be aware, but every time we talk about giving our ten percent, we get excited! God has protected our money like you can not imagine. We spend more than we ever have, yet we have more than we ever had. Do we still have to live within our means? Of course we do, that is what God expects. Romans 13:8 tells us to "Owe no one anything." Which to me means that I must live within my means. But if I live within my means and tithe, God takes care of the rest! Since we have started tithing it is not unusual for us to need something and find a check in the mail for almost exactly that amount.

If to give I hand to hold my money and have someone take it from my hand there would have been a point where I would have held a little tight to that money, having a hard time letting it go. Now, after seeing what God does when I give, I would instead have it laying in the palms of my hands, with my hands open wide. I love it now when they take up the offering at Church... dropping that envelope in the bag feels a deposit into our future. It makes me smile to give back to God. After all I am only giving God ten percent of what God gave me to begin with. God truly does bless the 90% when we give Him, His 10%.

If you have not learned to tithe, I encourage you to start out the new year making this your habit. God promises that if we do He will bless us! God keeps all of his promises!!