Monday, November 10, 2008

into the storehouse.

malachi 3: 9-12

"you are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. bring the full tithes 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 windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE NEED."

just as God tells Israel that they are robbing Him of His tithe in this story, we do it 2,000 years later. not just of our tithe, but of our hearts. we owe Him all of us, and we fail to sufficiently give ourselves to Him daily. as i heard it put tonight in a song, He is JEALOUS for us. that is beautiful. and in that verse above, He DARES Israel to not trust Him. it's the same way with us. He dares us to surrender to Him, just so He can be completely sufficient for our every need, desire, care, want, and fear. He's saying, "you have all this truth at your fingertips. all this knowledge about who I am. you know I am Good. you know I am the Giver of life, the Beginning and the End. I am in all things. all things happen and are because of ME. yet you do not trust Me. I DARE you to trust me. just try Me. see what happens. go ahead. I will bless you and lead you and help you so greatly and so sufficiently and so completely and so perfectly that you will have NO MORE NEED. None. try Me."

try Him. go ahead. pray, wait, and EXPECT Him to work. He will. He dares us to not believe that.