Malachi 3:7-12 One may ask, how can paying tithes (10% of my income) and bringing offerings bring blessing? How can God bless me with what I no longer have? There are several principles at work here. Perhaps the most important is that God is the source of our supply, not our own efforts. Everything that we think we own really belongs to Him including our very selves. He places these things in our keeping to use as He directs. His first direction is to bring the tithe into His house. This leads to the second principle, that of faith. As we give we are saying to God, I know that You love me because of the cross and the salvation that You have provided through the death of Your Son. Because of that, even though I don't understand, I choose to trust You that in some way you will supply all my needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19), that as I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous-ness, all these other things will be given to me. (Matt. 6:33). Faith is acting on God's Word before we see the results. the third principle we will consider is, that God desires to instill in His children His own character. Part of His character is love. Jesus said "love each other as I have loved you." Matt. 15:12. Companion to that is giving. God is a giving God. John 3:16 is a prime example "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..." Romans 8:32 tells us "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? " Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... '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.

A Door to Blessing!