Not room Enough to Receive It

Malachi 3:8-12

8. Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

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.

11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

Tithing is not just a temporal law. It is about acknowledging that God is the source of all we have. By giving back to the Lord, we recognize that it is by his grace that we enjoy his blessings. So often now, because tithing is usually paid in money, we equate it with money or paying a bill. However, tithing historically was paid in kind. As people were blessed, they would give part of it back for the building up of the Lord's church and work.

The blessings of paying tithing are many. The main blessing is that God will rebuke the devourer. What a wonderful blessing that is for us. He will not just rebuke the devourer of our temporal goods, but our spiritual lives. Often this is the greater blessing. For man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Our temporal goods are not taken with us when we leave this life, but our spirituality is. God will rebuke the devourer of our spiritual growth and allow to grow closer to him.

We will see an increase of the spirit such that there is no room to receive it. Our mortal souls will not be able to proclaim the joy that shall fill our hearts. Such that our joy will be evident to all. They will see the full, happy and meaningful lives that we lead and we shall stand as a testament of the Lord's grace and power.