Christian Stewardship by D. James Kennedy

Today’s devotional reading for: WEDNESDAY, SEP 14, 2016

Christian Stewardship

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, 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 such blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it.” —Malachi 3:10 Devotion: What an incredible promise we see here in Malachi. If you have never “tried” the Lord in this, you have missed probably the greatest temporal blessing you can know in this life . . . a deliverance from all anxiety and worry and concern about your own finances. All of those things are encapsulated in that marvelous promise and the provision for all of your needs. “My God shall supply your every need,” cried the Apostle Paul, “according to His riches in glory.” God owns all things—the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. He gives them to us as a stewardship to be used for His glory and our testing as to our faith. The tithe is not just God’s way of raising money for His work; it is also His way of raising Christians in His image. God commands that a tenth or the tithe, be returned unto Him. The word “tithe,” whether in Hebrew, Greek, old Anglo-Saxon, or modern English, means the same thing. It means a tenth—a tenth of our income is the tithe. And God says that it belongs to Him, and we are not to touch it, but to give generously. As we become more generous in all ways, including with our tithes and offerings, we become more like Jesus. Question to ponder: Are you pleased with the level of your giving to the Lord?