Recently, our church has launched Open Windows – a continuity project for our church upkeep and improvement of our facilities and rooms. We can see that our church interiors have improved, but we still need help in completing this project that we have started.
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.
What does Open Windows mean? These words point to a picture of so much abundance that we imagine that God opens up the windows of heaven to pour out His blessings to us. Imagine a cup filled to the brim, a pipe bursting with water, a barn overflowing with grain. He sees our generosity and He gives it back in abundance.
We have worked so hard to gain wealth in this world, but let us remember that God gave us the ability to earn wealth. God gave us our talents, gifts, and resources to be able to generate wealth – not just for our own needs, but to be able to support His work and His people.
Open Windows means that we need to open our hearts and hands to experience God's overflow in our lives. What happens when we give back to the Lord? God promises us that “there will not be enough room to receive it.” His cup fills us to overflow - spiritually, emotionally, and financially.
We cannot keep all this to ourselves – we need to share this with others. What happens when water gets stuck in one place? It becomes stagnant, becomes smelly and devoid of life. That’s where the Dead Sea got its name – because water only comes in and doesn’t have an outlet to get out, it becomes useless and DEAD.
We know that money is a necessity to survive. It is our means to reach our dreams, goals and visions, which the Lord also knows. For instance, if you want to become a pilot (goal), then you will study for years and you will need financial assistance (means) for you to achieve your dream.
Now the question is, if God knows that I lack, sometimes short in cash, and in need, why should I still give to Him?
To answer, we do not give because God needs anything from us. Instead, we give out of the overflow of the blessings that God gives us when he blesses us each day with everything we need and more.
We offer our tithes to the Lord because:
1. We want to expand His Kingdom here on earth.
2. We acknowledge that everything that we have was because of Him and everything is His.
Colossians 1:15-17
God is the owner of all that we have and we are merely the stewards of it and that’s where tithing comes in.
3. This is our way of showing obedience and trust in Him.
How is this obedient behavior? Giving is hard and sacrificial because the scripture tells us. It requires us to give less from ourselves and more to Him.
According to the Old Testament law, God required the Israelites to give him 10% of their property to fund and maintain the priestly order.
In contrast, Jesus commanded His disciples in the New Testament to give abundantly in proportion to how we would like God to be kind toward us.
Giving is a matter of confidence as well. The more you give, the more you will come to trust that God will provide for your necessities while yet leaving you with enough to spare.
4. Tithing helps us to set our priorities.
Giving tithes is another way we can glorify God. It creates a habit of putting God first above all else.
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
What happens when put the Lord to the test and give sacrificially? God says "See if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams."
God can provide our daily bread, but God can also grant our heart's desires. We cannot imagine what form of blessing He can give, because He can bless us in many ways in the form of safety, protection, healing, and restoration for yourself and your family. But we can see how God wants us to take the first step, take action and open our hearts and hands for Him to move.
We can never be able to outgive God. When we limit our giving, we do not realize that we also limit how God can bless us with so much more -- pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing.
(Luke 6:38)
Finally, even with our limited financial resources, we still need to honor the Lord by managing them wisely. Let us remember that we are only stewards on this earth of what God has entrusted to us for a short while. Let us be thankful and be wise in how we handle our finances.
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