The Whole Tithe

 Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: 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.

O - OBSERVATION: In the previous verse 9, the Lord says the whole nation is under a curse, because the people have been robbing Him, they have been withholding their full tithes. Interestingly, I just finished reading a story about the seriousness of long term drought in the Southwestern portions of our country. Of course “climate change” is the perceived culprit. Personally, I believe there are more demands on water in that area than ever before because of population growth; but it always makes one wonder when I read these words of Malachi 3,
if there are other reasons also. God is always in charge!

A - APPLICATION: So how do we respond to this verse? The answer is obvious, May we always be found bringing the full tithe into the Lord’s storehouse. Regarding drought, scripture says in Mathew 5:45; He maketh  the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, but from many years of farming the land I can tell you, summer rain is almost always a positive factor for a good crop, but sometimes the Lord can and does bless even when rain is scarce. He never ceases to amaze me! Our instructions from the Lord are to trust in Him and in faith, “bring the FULL TITHE into the storehouse.” 

P - PRAYER: Gracious Father, the lesson in this verse is really to TOTALLY trust YOU! Lord send Your Spirit into our hearts that we may always trust You in all things, rather than
ourselves. In Jesus Name, Amen

Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash