I can't get Malachi 3:10 off my mind...
I know what you are thinking, not the typical verse to have running through your mind. Its kinda like saying I have Leviticus 4:19 on the mind, but really the book is amazing!
You should stop and read it right now if you never have! (its only four chapters, one of those books that makes you feel real accomplished because you can read it in like 20 minutes, and then you are like, hey I just read a whole book of the Bible..in the unboastful sort of way of course!)
Anyways, Malachi 3:10 says "Bring the WHOLE tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows."
WOW! Did yall know that was in this Book! I feel like God is just constantly putting in front of me pictures of the sacrifices He desires. I emphasized WHOLE because God doesn't want a part of your offering, He wants the whole. He doesn't want part of your life, He wants the whole. God is a total kinda God.
For those of you who were at breakaway the week Ben talked about Cain and Able know that God also desires our sacrifices to be our first fruits. I have been challenged to ask the Lord what are my "first fruits"? He has shown me that praying at night right before I get in bed, after I have checked my email 3 times, made sure I don't have a message on facebook, checked the blogs for new posts, washed my face, brushed my teeth, talked to my roommate, and checked the weather for tomorrow is not my first fruits. When I put Him behind all those frivolous things, that is giving him the wimpy vegetables. I am giving Him the bruised apples. But I have also learned that "first" doesn't mean the first thing you do in a day. I used to try and do my quiet time first thing when I got up...I thought that was my first fruit, but again sleep was conquering me. I was like "Lord...what is wrong, I am trying to sacrifice for you." Then He showed me if I would just take a shower first I would be so ready to meet with Him. My first fruits then were when I was most attentive and awake enough to hear from His Spirit.
Its not just about sacrificing our time...i mean as an extremely wealthy compared to others but think I am "poor" college student I would much rather give God my time than to sacrifice my money. But I think this Malachi verse is specifically talking about our things. I mean it could apply to a multitude of things, but it has really convicted me about money. God says bring the whole tithe into my house and TEST ME...see if I don't provide for you! This is the one time in the Bible God asks us to test Him. He is begging us to just test Him in our giving. We should not be scared to bring the first fruits and whole sacrifice, we should desire to test him in this.
The reason we should not be scared is that God says He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing...WHOA...that's a lot better than opening the window at McDonald's drive thru and having them pour out your food on you...God wants to open the windows of heaven! Do we not get to see the windows of heaven because we would rather rely on ourselves and settle for the McDonald windows?
I dont know about yall but I would much rather see the windows of heaven open than this drive thru window open with a woman in a visor reeking of french fries smell asking you if you want ketchup to go with your fries. It just blows me away that our God is a God would desires to open up blessing for us. He does not ask us to give of these sacrifices so we can be empty handed and live without. He is desperately crying out to us to test Him to see the kind of blessings we can only see when we give in such a way that we cant rely on ourselves to provide. I know I have a lot to learn about sacrifice. I am still holding on to part...I have a hard time giving the whole, I still give Him the extra fruit I have lying around, but God is at work. And I hope to one day live in the freedom of constant dependence on Him testing Him in my giving. He is worthy of that test...
