Daily Devotions

Malachi 3:10

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the Åwindows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Continuing our theme of abundance, we come to one of the boldest invitations in Scripture: God Himself calls His people to test Him. Unlike most of Scripture where testing God is discouraged, here the Lord says, “Try me. See if I will not prove faithful. See if I will not pour out blessing beyond measure.”

The Old Testament tithe—giving ten percent of one’s increase—was a practical way of ensuring the provision of the temple, the priests, and the poor. In the New Testament, there is no binding command to tithe, but the principle of generosity is deepened. Giving is not about percentages but about the heart. Paul writes that God loves a cheerful giver, and Jesus commends not the wealthy gifts of the rich but the widow’s two small coins.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote:
“Possessions are not God’s blessing and goodness, but the opportunities of service which he entrusts to us.”
In other words, what we hold in our hands is never just for us—it is an opportunity to serve, to bless, to share.

Jesus pressed this further when He said to the rich young ruler: “If you want to give it all you’ve got, go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come, follow me.” For Christ, the question was never about keeping a percentage, but about whether our possessions keep us.

There’s a story told of a six-year-old boy who came home from church one Sunday. After lunch, he disappeared into his room. His mother, hearing strange jingling sounds, peeked through the door and found him with his piggy bank emptied onto the floor. Carefully, he gathered his coins into a handkerchief, whispered a prayer, and then threw the coins up into the air. They all clattered to the ground. He frowned, gathered them up, prayed again, and tossed them heavenward once more. His puzzled mother asked, “What are you doing?”

The boy replied: “We learned in Sunday School today that we should give money to God for an offering. I forgot mine at church, so I thought if I threw my money up, God would catch what He wanted, and I could keep the rest. But He hasn’t caught any yet!”

The innocence of a child reminds us of something vital: God doesn’t need our money—He wants our hearts. Giving is never about loss, but about participating in God’s abundance, about being open channels of His blessing.

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Prayer

Generous God, we thank You for the abundance You pour into our lives. All we have is from You, entrusted to us as stewards. Teach us to give not grudgingly or out of mere duty, but joyfully, knowing that giving is a way of sharing in Your love and grace. Guard us from clinging too tightly to what we have, and open our hands to bless others as You have blessed us. May our generosity reflect Your own, and may our lives bear witness to the riches of Your kingdom.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.