Beyond the Math

The prophet Malachi records a promise that God makes to those who are willing to put him first:

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 you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty (Mal 3:10-12).

Learning to give our money and resources to God is one of the most important things we will ever understand. It helps us to put God first in our lives because with each offering, we recognize that God is the owner of everything, and we are his stewards. It helps to let go of material things and see the value in eternal things. As we do this, God promises to bless us with material blessings and stop the devouring process and loss.

Accepting the challenge of giving your tithe and offerings without fear of running short is a challenge that God answers with “Test me in this!” God has a way of opening doors and pouring out blessings we could never have expected.

During the 1980s, when we were planting a church in Corrientes, Argentina, God made this real to a lady named Nélida Dominguez. She came to know Jesus genuinely. Soon Nélida was ready to put God first in every way. She gave her tithes and made a monthly commitment to missions, and then she added up how much that would be on an added machine that sat on her store counter. Then she added it up again and again. She doubted for a moment as she realized that she had overcommitted. She would never be able to give that much. Then God spoke to her and said, “Nélida, you can’t add my blessings up on an adding machine.” At the end of that year, she gave a testimony of God’s faithfulness—she had paid all her expenses and met all her commitments to God. Giving to God goes beyond the math.

(Parenting with a Long View)  https://boydbrooks.com/