Coming Home to Freedom: Test me in this...

Devotional Reading:  Malachi 3:6-12

What does it mean to have reverence for God?  I often wonder about this and what it means for a pastor to help his or her congregation have reverence for God. I wish it was just contagious. I wish one could learn from osmosis.  And yet, sometimes I feel like that is the exact way that we learn reverence for God - by learning from each other's example.

When I read the last few chapters of the Old Testament, I find myself feeling reverent. This is a God worthy of respect.  This is a God worthy of personal sacrifice.  This is a God worthy of my full trust.

I don't know how you have heard the promise of Malachi 3:10 interpreted in the past.  Nor do I know how you will hear it interpreted in the future. What I do know is that I believe it still means something today. My personal experience has been that in giving God at least a tithe (10%), God hasn't failed me yet.  And I'm still waiting for the story of the person who decided they would experiment with tithing and regretted it.  So far, I've only heard positive stories of how tithing worked out.  No, we don't give to God in order to receive from God, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't give back. God blesses those who honor Him.  It is that simple.  Whether it be financially, spiritually, or verbally - it seems that God honors those who honor Him.

"Test me in this... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe."

Why not give it a try?


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