"I Dare You"

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Malachi 3:10: [God is saying to Malachi,] "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."

There are a couple of clarifications that I need to make as we read this passage. 

This is NOT about you:
It is not written to you, an individual person. This is not about you being blessed as an individual person. God is NOT saying, "You, John Smith, put me to the test." God is talking to the collective nation of Israel. The pronoun, "You" here is plural, not singular. We cannot use this to say, "If I give one tenth of my income to the Church, God with bless me in more ways than I can imagine."

This IS About you:
At the same time, the passage is about the nation of Israel. God is referring to the nation, the collective of people, NOT individuals. So God IS saying, "You, Church of God, put me to the test." So we can say, "When we, the Church, give to God, one tenth of our collective incomes, then He will bless the Church to take care of those in need until there is no more need."

"I Dare You:"
Now, God is telling you, as a person, "I dare you, John Smith. Put your faith into practice. Trust me for your very life. I have never left you. I will never leave you. Trust me and not yourself. Give to me the opportunity to show you what I will do through you. Give to me one tenth of what I have given to you."

God is also telling, us the Church, "I dare you, Church. Put your faith into practice. Trust me to support all you do with all that you need. I have never left you. I will never leave you. Trust me and I will bless you with all that you need. Give to me one tenth of what I have given to you."

Let's watch what God will do, when we, as individuals and the Church, trust Him with one tenth of what He has blessed us with.

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