Blessing and Thanksgiving

This morning I felt like reading from the Prophet Malachi 3:6-12 NIV:

[6] “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. [7] Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

[8] “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. [9] You are under a curse---your whole nation---because you are robbing me. [10] Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may 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. [11] I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, ” says the Lord Almighty. [12] “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty."

So first let me say this is not some give money or else preachy perspective. My focus in these verses is the goodness of God. We are not under the requirements of the Law any more, as Jesus fulfilled every requirement and initiated a New Covenant, which was established by His blood. Our primary command in this new covenant is to Love God and each other, which is not really that different than the Old Covenant. The real difference is that the New Covenant is concerned with individual relationship with God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant is relationship based, not works based. Our righteousness is established through relationship with Jesus, not through our own works. Thus, the requirements of works no longer apply as laws, rather the requirement is relationship.

That being said, we can still learn about the character of God in these verses from Malachi. The very first line, while it could be read as a threat, is actually a statement of His unchanging nature and mercy. God does not change, and that is the reason they are not destroyed. In other words, He would have to change His character to destroy His chosen people! Stop and think about that for a moment.

Instead, God desires relationship, for the invitation is to return to Him with affection, worship and attention, which sounds an awfully lot like relationship. He does not destroy them, but their actions do limit the level of blessing they experience, as they are not enjoying the benefits of relationship with Him. That is the cause of their malaise and unfruitfulness, the blessing of God is not being fully realized by their own choice. We do have free will, and God does honor our choices. If we want to go it alone, refusing His help, He will let us, even though He knows the results will not be pretty.

I am reminded of some verses in Jeremiah 17:5-6 NIV: "This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. [6] That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives."

Back to the verses from Malachi - God's revelation of His character is always true, and for that reason His statement in verse 10 is true for all of us, whether under the old or new covenant. If we believe God's statements about His desire to bring blessing and provision, and we return thanks to Him, in the form of tithes, for all that He has given us already, He will bless us! Period! Tithing is about thankfulness and the recognition that all we have comes from God. His heart is to bless us and provide for us, and He responds to our recognition of that fact with more blessing and provision. This is one of the crazy good realities of the character of God. He loves to bless and pour forth abundant provision, that is His character! In fact, He wants the whole world to see that this is His character, through us (verse 12).

So in this season of giving, let us not forget about giving thanks! Let us thank God for His abundant blessing and provision! Let us turn to Him and trust in Him, as He has revealed Himself. Let us pursue Him in relationship! I am reminded of the promise in Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. [8] They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Amen Lord!