Bible, Giving, God's Will, Offering, Scripture, Tithe

WINDOWS OF HEAVEN

MALACHI 3:10

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and put Me to the test now in this,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘if I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.’”

My wife and I have tried our best to follow the words of this verse in our giving. I remember one time we were down to our last few dollars and our tithe was due. We, for some reason, had not been able to give it earlier. So, we gave it. Lo and behold, the next day we got a check in the mail that more than covered our tithe. Actually, this kind of blessing has happened to us more than once. God is truly a rewarding God.

The Lord promises blessings from heaven if they are obedient to give as He has instructed. He tells them in today’s verse to bring in the tithe which belongs to the Levites. This gift allowed them to spend their time in ministry and not have to return to their farms to survive (as we saw in an earlier time). The “windows of heaven” imply the blessing of rains needed to water their crops and provide for their livestock. And He closes this with the promise that it will overflow.

APPLICATION

The Pulpit Commentary defines the phrase “open for you the windows of heaven” this way, “The expression implies not only the removal of drought by copious showers of rain, but the diffusion of heavenly blessing in large abundance.” I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good. Who doesn’t want “heavenly blessing in large abundance”?

But we do not give to get. Never forget that. We give out of obedience and because we love to bless our Lord. Maybe it’s time you take a look at what you are giving and why. We should also remember that as New Testament believers, the tithe (10%) is the starting point. 2 Corinthians 8:3-4 is a great example. Paul is sharing about the Macedonian churches’ desire to give. “3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,…”

Perhaps, like the Macedonians, you give generously to missions. That is great. Bless you. But don’t forget your local church. I pray you are plugged into a body of believers weekly. That body has needs also that you can help meet by your giving. However and to whomever you choose to give, give generously and watch the Lord bless you.

Lord, I know You are not a “blab it and grab it” kind of God. But I believe You are a faithful God who will bless our obedience.

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Bible, Blessing, Curses, Obedience, Offering, Scripture

BLESSING OR CURSE

MALACHI 3:9

“‘You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the entire nation of you!’”

I have had the privilege to travel a good bit the past few years with our ministry, Every Man A Warrior. As I have made friends and ministry partners in these countries, I have often received a parting blessing. Words cannot express how much that has meant to me. I also know that there are others in these countries who are actively cursing our ministry because they are under the influence of the evil one. I had much rather have the blessings.

And so, God speaks again to the people and tells them they are cursed because they are robbing Him of His tithes and offerings. Don’t misunderstand this. God isn’t an irritated and spiteful overlord who demands what is His. No! He wants them to be obedient and give so He can bless them. They are already suffering under this curse through poverty and famine. They are suffering physical want because they have not blessed the Lord with the first fruits of their labor.

APPLICATION

You may be suffering want yourself right now. Ask yourself if you are being obedient to the Lord in giving to Him as He demands. God wants to see us obedient so He can bless us beyond our wildest imaginations. We need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, “so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:6b-7)

God’s cursing His children really is more about withdrawing His hand of blessing. God isn’t floating around on a cloud looking for people to zap with a thunderbolt. When we are disobedient and not walking with Him, we wander outside His umbrella of protection. We open ourselves up to the attacks of the evil one. That applies to any disobedience, not just in being unfaithful in our giving.

First and foremost, God does not need our tithes and offerings. He isn’t dependent on them. He wants you to give in order to receive. He wants you to give out of love for Him so He can bless you so you can give again and again. This is NOT all about money. Don’t forget that. Tomorrow’s verse is one of the most quoted verses out there concerning our tithes. Come back and see what the Lord has for us.

Father, help me to give to others with no expectation of receiving anything back. Your pleasure is all I seek.

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Abundance, Bible, Giving, Offering, Scripture, Tithe

ARE YOU A ROBBER?

MALACHI 3:8

“‘Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, “How have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings.”’”

I have never been called a robber. Have you? I have never seen myself that way either. How about you? To be considered a robber you have to take something that isn’t yours. You have to keep it for yourself. You have to withhold from someone something that really should be in their possession. Let’s see what God says about this.

In today’s verse, the Lord is still talking and calls the people robbers because they have withheld the tithes and offerings that belong to Him. In the next few verses (9-12) we will look at the next few days, God continues to address this issue. There were several categories of tithes and offerings which they were, by Law, required to give:

  1. the first fruits
  2. the annual half-shekel Exodus 30:13-15;
  3. the offerings made for the tabernacle and the second temple at its first erection; it is used of ordinary offerings;
  4. of the tithes of their own tithes, which the Levites paid to the priests Numbers 18:26, 28-29;
  5. of the portions of the sacrifice which accrued to the priests Leviticus 7:14.

APPLICATION

So, how does this apply to us as New Testament believers? We are not told specifically to tithe, but we are told to give. 1 Timothy 6:18-19 tells us, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” What a great passage. God promises blessings as we give.

How about the very words of Jesus in Luke 6:38? “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Again, as we give, God blesses us. What a deal, right?

I have often said I wish I had millions of dollars to bless others with. I don’t and probably won’t. I can, however, ask those who can give in that way to give so that others can hear the gospel and come to Jesus. Will you give as you are able this season to bless at least one other person? God will bless you for that.

Father, send Your resources on us so that we can bless others.

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Abiding, Bible, Following, Home, Return, Safety, Scripture

HOW DO I GET HOME?

MALACHI 3:7

“‘From the days of your fathers you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of armies. ‘But you say, “How shall we return?”’”

Sometimes we get lost, don’t we? When was the last time you got lost on a trip? I know, with GPS systems and Google Maps, it is harder to get lost. Even when you get off course, those systems will reroute you and bring you home. But back in the days of paper maps, you might have had a harder time finding the right path back home.

The Lord says as much to the people in that last sentence of today’s verse. “But you say, ‘How shall we return.’” The people were truly off course. They didn’t have a GPS to bring them back into alignment with their God. They had strayed so far away that they had forgotten how to return, much less which way to go. Their fathers had strayed, and so had they.

APPLICATION

I have discovered a little secret to prevent getting lost and not knowing how to return. Stay home! Now, I don’t mean you can’t ever leave your house. I mean stay home with Jesus. Stay close! Continue to have your daily quiet times. Talk to Him daily. Spend time listening for His voice. Follow Him wherever He leads you.

I will let you in on another little secret. If He is leading you somewhere, you can bet that He is not lost. He knows exactly where He is going and leading you. I love that old hymn that says, “Where He leads me I will follow, Where He leads me I will follow, Where He leads me I will follow, I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.”

Can you say that? Can you avoid that return trip home by staying close to Him? The first half of James 4:8 says, “Come close to God and He will come close to you.” It’s interesting that the Greek word for “come close” means immediate imminence. It almost has the idea of “it is here.” That’s where I want to be with Jesus. How about you?

I truly want to be wherever You are, Lord. I will follow!

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Bible, Change, Dependence, Faithfulness, God's Will, Immutable, Scripture, Security

I DO NOT CHANGE

MALACHI 3:6

“‘For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.’”

Immutability – that’s a big word. What does it mean? The Miriam-Webster dictionary says it is something that is incapable of change. What do you know that is like that? I bet nothing. Weather changes. Nature changes. Economies change. Everything changes – except one thing. We see that today in our text.

God says very clearly, “For I, the Lord, do not change.” Period! Exclamation mark! Why is that important? Because if God could change, He would not be God. His whole character rests on His unchangeableness. Listen to what MacLauren says about this. “But the unchangeableness of God is the negation of all imperfection, it is the negation of all dependence on circumstances, it is the negation of all possibility of decay or exhaustion, it is the negation of all caprice.” And because God does not change, Jacob will not be consumed, according to our verse today.

APPLICATION

God loves you and will forever love you. That will not change. His decision to bring you to heaven based on your decision to follow Christ will not change. Salvation is sure and unchangeable. His covenant with us will never cease, just as His with Jacob did not. Psalm 102:27 says, “But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.”

I love what James says in his letter. In James 1:17 we read, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” No variation! No shifting shadow! God is the one constant you can depend on. When He says He will do something, He does it.

You may be thinking, “But Carl, aren’t there some verses about God changing His mind?” Yes, you are right. But those verses are conditional on man’s response, not God’s. God is consistent in season and out. You can depend on His faithfulness and steadfastness. When all else fails you, God will not. Lean on Him.

Lord, I know I can depend on You when everything around me is falling apart. Thank You, Jesus.

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Accountability, Bible, Death, Fear, Reverence, Scripture, Sin

YOU DO NOT FEAR ME

MALACHI 3:5

“‘Then I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, those who oppress the wage earner in his wages or the widow or the orphan, and those who turn away the stranger from justice and do not fear Me,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Oh, how our sins pile up in the face of God’s truth. That’s why I start every day in my Quiet Time in a period of confession. I confess any and all sins I have committed and even ask for forgiveness of those I may have committed but was not aware of. That can happen, you know. But more than likely, I am well aware of my sins and confess those by name. Why do I do that? Because I fear my Lord, not in a cringing, bone-shaking way. I revere His authority in my life.

The Lord lays out a list of sins before the people in today’s verse. A couple of these (sorcery and adultery) were worthy of death but had been tolerated by the priests. They all boil down to the last thing the Lord says, you “do not fear Me.” This is the bottom line. One commentator says this, “The words, ‘and fear not me,’ point to the source from which all these sins flowed, and refer to all the sinners mentioned before.” (Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament)

APPLICATION

I did a quick google search (yes, I use Google sometimes) and found 100 verses on the fear of the Lord. Hmmm, that might be important, you think. One of my favorite verses on this topic is Proverbs 1:7. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” How about these words of Jesus in Matthew 10:28, “‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’” I could go on and on listing dozens of verses, but I think you get the picture. Do your own search of verses on this and spend some time just meditating on the verses.

One of my memory verses is on this subject. Psalm 86:11 reads, “Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name.” That’s why I spend time each morning confessing my sins before Him. I do fear His name. I want an undivided heart.

Do you have a healthy fear of God? Are you aware of His power to deal with your sins at a moment’s notice? Yes, as a believer in Jesus, your sins are forgiven, but that does not give you license to sin, as the priests and people were doing in Malachi’s time. We must own our sins and confess those in our fear of God, our holy God. Do that now.

O Lord, You are the One I fear. Cleanse me, Father, from all my sins. Wash away my iniquities today.

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Bible, Gifts, Offering, Purity, Scripture

A PLEASING OFFERING

MALACHI 3:4

“‘Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old, and as in former years.’”

I sometimes call people I really love “Sweetie.” It is a term of endearment. I don’t ever mean it to be condescending to a person. I have heard it used that way before (you know what I mean). For me, though, it is always used to reflect my love and care for someone.

That idea is reflected in the Hebrew word used in today’s verse for “will be pleasing.” Malachi, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, used the Hebrew word arab. It means to be sweet, pleasant. How did the offerings offered by the priest move from deplorable earlier in chapter 2 to pleasant in chapter 3? Through the purification of those priests in the previous verses. You see, the Lord desires pure gifts. They are pleasing to Him.

APPLICATION

Proverbs 3:24 uses the same word. “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Don’t you like that? And Jeremiah uses it, too. Jeremiah 31:26 says, “At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep had been pleasant to me.” Sweet sleep sounds good, right? But I am getting off track.

Jeremiah uses the same word back in Jeremiah 6:20, but in a negative sense. “‘For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.’” God demands that our motives be pure when we bring our offerings to Him.

What are our offerings today? We don’t bring lambs and goats anymore. Our offerings are our financial gifts, our time, our energy, our service. When we give anything to the Lord, it is an offering of ourselves. So, what is your purpose for giving your offerings? As you give, ask the Lord to bless those who receive it and pray for the purpose in giving.

Lord, bless what I bring to You. I want my offerings to be a sweet smell in Your nostrils.

If you want to make a gift to my ministry with Every Man A Warrior, you can do that at www.twr.org/carl-willis. Your gift helps us reach more men with the power of the Gospel. This is a great time of the year to bring your end of the year gifts to Him.

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Abiding, Appearance, Attitude, Bible, Reflection, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

HIS REFLECTION

MALACHI 3:3

“‘And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.’”

I have never watched a silversmith working, but I hear it is fascinating. The silver is melted to remove the impurities which are called dross. Like I said, I have never seen this process, but I have been told that the silversmith continues heating the silver and scooping off the dross until he can see his reflection in the melted silver.

The Lord intends to purify these priests and the people so they are worthy to present offerings to Him again. Again, think back to the process I described above. God wants to see His reflection in the priests and people. He wants them to reflect their God on others. That had not been the case. They had been reflecting evil desires and worldly living. God is about to change all that.

APPLICATION

Ezekiel 22:17-22 is worth sharing here since it also talks about this process. “17 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 ‘Son of man, the house of Israel has become metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: “Because all of you have become waste metal, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you. 21 And I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you.”’”

Proverbs 27:19 gives us a glimpse into what we reflect also. “As in water a face reflects the face, so the heart of a person reflects the person.” What are you reflecting today? Are you showing off the face of Jesus or your own self-determined face? We have a choice each day. The Lord expects us to be a reflector of His love and grace to others. Let’s do that today.

Oh God, help me reflect only You. Let me be hidden behind Your radiant grace.

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Accountability, Bible, Cleansing, Fire, Forgiveness, Judgment, Purity, Salvation, Scripture

CLEANSING POWER

MALACHI 3:2

“‘But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap.’”

I have had some pretty, dirty jobs in my lifetime. I grew up in Southwest Georgia and worked tobacco fields on my cousin’s and uncle’s land. There is nothing much dirtier than working tobacco fields in the morning. All that tar from the plants stains your hands, arms and clothes. I could literally come home from work and stand my jeans up because they were so stiff from that tar. We discovered that green tomatoes rubbed on our hands would remove the tar. Nasty, dirty work!

Today’s verse has been often quoted. The Lord is still speaking here and referring to the coming of His Son. Whether this is referring to His first coming or the second, the Lord goes on to say how His conviction for sin “is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap.” What does that mean? Every person will be judged one day. Some will accept His grace and avoid final judgment. Our sins need either a fire to purify us or soap to clean us up. One is harsh, and one is more gentle. One or the other is needed though to take away our sins. Those who refuse this will not be able to stand before Him.

APPLICATION

Albert Barnes says of this refiner’s fire, “But as God is ‘a consuming fire, Who must burn out the dross, unless we be ‘reprobate silver’ which ‘the founder melteth in vain,’ either He must, by His grace, consume the sin within us, or must consume us with it, in hell.” That is pretty much to the point, isn’t it? We either fly or fry, turn or burn, get right or get left. Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.

Seriously, God’s cleansing power is for all people, if they will accept it. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 even tells us our works will be judged by fire. “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.”

This is not a devotional to scare you into repenting. I am simply bringing out the message in today’s verse as it applies to believers and unbelievers. Where are you today in your walk with Christ? Do you need a good scrubbing with landerer’s soap or maybe your sins need the refiner’s fire? Just come to Him.

O Lord, purify me. As James says, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

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Appearance, Bible, Christ's Return, Future, God's Will, Judgment, Promises, Rapture, Scripture

I’M ON THE WAY

MALACHI 3:1

“‘Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Do you know what OTW means when you get a text message? It means On The Way. I have used that a few times, in fact, just the other day when a friend I was meeting texted me to find out where I was. Now OTW doesn’t tell anyone where you are. It is just a nice way to say that you will get there when you get there. Right?

Guess what? God told the people in today’s verse that He was OTW. He did not reveal when. He just said He would suddenly come to His temple. This verse is full of images and references to John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. But for the sake of staying in the context of Malachi, let’s stick with the fact that God did come, and judgment did fall on the people. The temple was destroyed, was rebuilt and then destroyed again.

APPLICATION

Do you believe Jesus is returning? He is OTW. We don’t know when, but He is. He told us so. In Luke 17:34-35 Jesus said, “‘34I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.’” We just don’t know when He is coming.

That should not put us off from preparing for His arrival. Just like John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ first arrival into ministry, we need to be preparing the world for Him to return. Jesus told his disciples, “And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’” (Luke 10:2) That is still true today.

In the ministry I serve, we are constantly looking for men who have a passion to disciple other men. We believe strongly the way to change a culture for Christ is to reach the men. Would you pray with me for more men to be called to full-time ministry to men? We want to reach the world for Christ and prepare it for His coming.

Father, we know Jesus is going to return. Give us direction to prepare the way for Him.

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