Malachi 3:8-10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Another aspect of God’s calling that sounds a little extreme to those who do not know the Lord is the concept of Tithing. Webster’s dictionary of 1928 defines the “tithe” as: the tenth part of any thing; but appropriately, the tenth part of the increase annually arising from the profits of land and stock in an agricultural society or wages in an industrial society, allotted to the clergy for their support. The word “tithe” translates to “a tenth” and the concept is that everything belongs to God and God provides everything we have to the labor of our hands and minds to make a living. Our Maker, God simply requires that we give back a one-tenth portion of our earnings which He first gave us for the church for ministry support. Just about everyone would agree that it is good and right and give of our time and efforts to help others in need, but to give one-tenth of everything we earn on a continuous basis for the work of God’s church and ministry is so foreign in our culture today.
The “first fruits” concept of tithing is that we give the first tenth of our income to the Christian ministry and budget the remaining 90% to pay for our living expenses. That way, we never run short and fail to pay God His tithe. This is the only area of life that God says to put Him to the test and see “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Crazy callings come with crazy blessings.
Now, even though God has called all of His children to make disciples and teach them to obey all that He commands, not everyone is called to be an evangelist to foreign country around the world. For the vast majority of Believers, we are to raise families and live quiet and peaceful lives as we make an impact of the advancement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ within our sphere of influence, modeling the Lord in every situation, and speaking the gospel truth in love.
Exodus 4:1-9 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
An ordinary item in the hands of an extraordinary God can complete divine purposes. He can take whatever is in our hand to accomplish His Will. We often doubt that we are enough or that we have what it takes for God to use us. At those times God will say to us: what is in your hand Christian? Whatever you have can be turned into an instrument for God to work miracles. The key is to throw it down in front of the Lord to use it for His glory. Every calling is confirmed with hard evidence. God reassures us with tangible evidence that He will be with us every step of the way. God will make a way when it seems that there is no way. God supplies where He guides. If God is calling you to it, He will see you through it.
Exodus 4:10-17 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
Look back over the course of your life and what do you see? Hasn’t God faithfully got us through life and put people into your life to encourage you and find that sense of belonging? Haven’t you seen God in the midst of your pain? God was right there, speaking peace into your hurt, frustrated and angry heart at that moment. God was right there comforting you. Life doesn’t always make sense, but God’s calling has never change and always makes sense. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has gotten us to this point and will get us to and through our future. That is the goodness of God in your calling.
In Christ, Brian
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