DEVOTION – DAY 202

Malachi 3:10 “Be Faithful To God”

 

Mal.3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there be food in my house. 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 there will not be room enough to store it.”

 

The nation of Israel had a “rollercoaster” relationship with God. After the people returned to Israel from their exile in Persia, they finished the temple in 516BC. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, they rebuilt the damaged city walls of Jerusalem. The people began to observe the Sabbath and avoided mixed marriages and they faithfully gave their tithes and offerings to God. But their faithfulness to God did not last. Within 20 years, the Jews ignored the Sabbath, they married non-Jews, the priests became corrupt and the people stopped giving tithes and offerings to God. That was why God through the prophet Malachi, in this verse reminded the Jews about their broken covenant with Him, that they had neglected to offer their tithes and offerings. They should be sending their tithes to the storehouse of God, which was the Treasury in the Temple in Jerusalem and God promised that He would bless His people abundantly. God is always faithful and He holds nothing back when He blesses His people. He loves us so much He sacrificed His Only Son on the cross to redeem us. He has blessed us with His presence, His Word, and we can claim His abundant promises. On our part, we must be faithful to Him.

 

We see the same unfaithfulness in our politicians today. When seeking election and wanting our votes, they make promises to improve the welfare of the people. But once they were elected, they quickly forget their promises and they start to act selfishly. We see the same thing in young courting couples. During courtship, they promise to be faithful to each other but when they think no one knows, they still keep their online dating accounts and they keep their options open. We see the same unfaithfulness in employers who promise their employees big bonuses if they work hard but when it comes to the time to give bonuses, they will give reasons why the bonuses cannot be as good as they had promised. We know someone who enjoyed God’s blessings but neglected to offer her tithes and offerings to God. She wanted God’s blessings but not the responsibilities that came with it. But this verse is a reminder that God is faithful always and He expects us to be faithful to Him. When we do that, we can expect His abundant blessings.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your abundant blessings given to all of us. Please help us to be faithful to you always in all that you have called us to do and to be. Help us to teach our children to do the same. We pray these things in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. In what ways have you been faithful to God?
  2. What are some areas where you know you lack faithfulness and what steps will you take to become more faithful to God?
  3. Why do we become unfaithful sometimes? How can we encourage each other to be faithful to the Lord?
  4. How have God been faithful to you?