24 August | EVERYONE
«‘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.’» Malachi 3: 10
Malachi is the prophet who presents God’s final call to a rebellious nation that had turned away from their Creator. After this call, four hundred years would pass in which God would no longer speak to the people. However, the Jewish nation continued to call itself “God’s people” simply because they performed the “ecclesiastical” ritual, without perceiving that their selfish heart was far from the Lord.
Again and again, Malachi addressed the Jewish nation in the name of God, saying, “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Mal. 3:7), but the people did not seem to understand the reason for this call, and answered, “In what way shall we return?” They ignored the fact that they were only in the temple in body, while their hearts were far from God.
Faced with the “incomprehension” of the Jews, the Lord demands tithes and offerings from them, because where your money is, your heart is. God did not need money. He never needed it. “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine” (Hag. 2:8), He declared through Haggai, and David confirmed, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps. 24:1).
To return the sacred tithe is simply to acknowledge that God is the owner and lord of all that exists in the vast universe and that we are only His stewards. One day, eventually, we will be held accountable for the life He entrusted to us.
Take Action
God expects 10% from you... and the remaining 90%. He does not want you to have a divided heart; He knows that does not do you any good. Have you given your whole heart and being to Him, or just your beliefs? Are you willing to manage your life according to His advice? Sing “Bring the Full Tithe” (if possible, with your family).