LIGHTHOUSE DAILY DEVOTION
(Sent daily except Sunday)
(Some of the Devotions are original, some are adapted)
April 21, 2021
BLESSINGS POURED OUT
Malachi 3:10 - “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
God wants to bless His own. We are firmly convinced of this. The Bible also makes it clear that He places certain conditions on those who want to see His blessings. Here is a great example of this. God is presenting to His people an opportunity to trust Him and see what He can do for them. He says, “…prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.”
The verses previous to our text tell us that God’s people were guilty of robbing God and were thus, “cursed with a curse” (Malachi 3:9). Instead of having God’s blessings on their lives, they were experiencing just the opposite; His hand of blessing was removed. Therefore, He challenged His people to correct their behavior and see if He would not demonstrate His power to meet their needs and send abundant blessings.
What conditions did God affix to this great promise? The first one is obedience. They had been guilty of withholding their tithes and offerings from the Lord. In this way, they were robbing God. God cannot bless disobedience. This is one of Satan’s favorite temptations. The devil wants to make us believe that we can get by with disobedience. It may not surface immediately, but in time, it will become apparent that God’s blessings are being withheld. To experience His blessings, we must obey Him.
The other condition is faith. The phrase “prove me now herewith” is an invitation to trust God. God wants to prove Himself. He wants to show Himself strong in the lives of those who will trust Him and obey Him. These two attributes go together. When we obey Him, it is an exercise of our faith. God’s Word is true and it can be trusted.
As we trust and obey, He promises that He will bless. As a result, His Word says that He will “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” God blesses those who trust and obey Him.
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Wit and Wisdom – Nothing is more harmful to the Christian than disobeying God.
Point to Ponder – The nail did not hold Christ to the cross, it was His love for us.
