Wednesday 3 March 2021
TITHES AND OFFERINGS: GOD’S ORDINANCES
Opening Verse: Even
from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have
not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein
shall we return? Malachi 3:7
Bible Text: Malachi 3:7-12
More Texts: Gen
14:20, 28:22; Exod 18:18-22; Lev
18:4; Deut 9:7-8, 12-14,16, 19-21, 31:20, 27-29; Neh 9:17; Pr 3:9-10; Ezek
11:19-20; mal 1:8; Matt 23:23; Lk
1:6; 1Corint 9:7-14, 11:2, 16:2; Col 3:25
Message of the Day: God is a God in love with conversation with His children. God is a lover
and friend of men. We are the centre of His interest. Know today that God is
your friend and He wants to be in conversation with you. Abraham was a friend
of God; yes you are a friend of Christ and therefore of God. The covenant of
friendship is a covenant of keeping His commandment. Israel was a nation God so
much love. His love for them is a green light to the love He has for us. “Speak
on for thy servant heareth” should be our disposition as we cherish
conversation with God. What was the conversation with Israel in our text of
today? In the question and answer session, what were the key points? What can
we learn thereof? What can the Church of God learn thereof today? What are the
blessings of implementing the lessons we learn?
God told Israel bluntly that even
from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from my ordinances and have not
kept them. Rebellion is consistently a practice of Israel in their relationship
with God. For this, they reap sufferings in scales unimaginable. God told them
return unto me and I will return unto you. This is always the appeal from God.
Draw near unto Him and He will draw near unto you. In the conversation Israel
asked, “Wherein shall we return unto thee”? Then came the divine bombshell:
Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. Israel responded, wherein have we
robbed thee? The divine answer came: In Tithes and Offerings. It now became
clear that tithes and offerings are ordinances of God. Like righteousness by
faith they predated the Law and several other ordinances. God mentioning them
first among ordinances here, show them as top layer for obedience.
Until this day, the first thing
releases upon robbers are curses. God said you are cursed with a curse even
this whole nation. What then is the immediate remedy to escape curse and turn
curse into blessing unlimited? God said bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse that there will be meat in my house. Contemporarily, many houses of
God are dried of resources because of unfaithfulness in tithes and offerings.
No controversy, tithes and offerings bring reward in the Old Testament, how
much more faithfulness to this ordinances that predated the Law. Upon
faithfulness in these ordinances, God says prove me now if I will not open the
windows of heaven for unimaginable scale of blessings. What is more, devourers
shall be rebuked, destroyers shall be stopped and vine will not cast fruit
before time. Blessings shall be visible globally for ye shall be called a
delightsome land.
From You to God: Glorious God, let me never despise
the call to be obedient in your ordinances in Jesus name.
Application: Consider seriously faithfulness in
tithes and offerings.
Footnote: And they
were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances
of the Lord blameless.
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