God’s Blessings On FAITHFULNESS

In John 14:6-7 NLT says, “6 Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known Me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

In John 3:16-17 NLT says, “16 “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

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Topic: Fruit of the Holy Spirit & God’s Promises for All Our Every Needs

Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples,

Pastor Elias Aguilar Busuego Jr PhD DTM

Founding Pastor – Home Fellowship Churches – https://homefellowshipchurches.org

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – FAITHFULNESS #1

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We need to understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating in the LOVE Chapter of the book in the Bible – New Testament – 1 Corinthians 13.

The Call of Abram

In Genesis 12:1-9 NLT says, “1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth – his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran – and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. 9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.“

Abraham’s initial call was at Ur in Chaldea (Genesis 11:31; Acts 7:2-3), but the call was renewed at Haran (Genesis 12:1). God revealed His will for worldwide redemption, and all the nations would find their blessing in what He would do through His promises to Abraham. God reinforced His promises to Abraham several times and in a number of different ways.
The promises would not come instantly or all at once, but they would gradually be realized over a period of thousands of years. Because that slow unfolding of God’s promises could cause believers to weaken in their faith and desire an affirmation of God’s faithfulness, God consistently and repeatedly affirmed His promises to Abraham and his offspring.

When God called him, Abram moved out in faith from Ur to Haran and finally to Canaan. God then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would find a great nation. Not only would this nation be blessed, God said, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants. Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, was to follow God and influence those with whom it came in contact. Through Abram’s family tree, our Lord Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, people can have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure.

God promised to bless Abram and make him famous, but there was one condition. Abram had to do what God wanted him to do. This meant leaving his home and friends and traveling to a new land where God promised to build a great nation from Abram’s family. Abram obeyed, walking away from his home for God’s promise of even greater blessings in the future.

God may be trying to lead us to a place of greater service and usefulness for Him. Don’t let the comfort and security of our present position make us miss God’s plan for all of us.

God planned to develop a nation of people He would call His own. He called Abram from the godless, self-centered city of Ur to a fertile region called Canaan, where a God-centered, moral nation could be established. Though small in dimension, the land of Canaan was the focal point for most of the history of Israel as well as for the rise of Christianity. This small land given to one man, Abram, has had a tremendous impact on world history.

Abram built an altar to the Lord. Altars were used in many religions, but for God’s people, altars were more than places of sacrifice. For them, altars symbolized communion with God and commemorated notable encounters with Him. Built of rough stones and earth, altars often remained in place for years as continual reminders of God’s protection and promises.

Abram regularly built altars to God for two reasons: (1) for prayer and worship, and (2) as reminders of God’s promise to bless him. Abram couldn’t survive spiritually without regularly renewing his love and loyalty to God. Building altars helped Abram remember that God was at the center of his life. Regular worship helps us remember what God desires and motivates us to obey Him.

Christie and I built our altar inside at our new home here in the great State of Texas, USA. I am planning to build another altar outside our home. Amen!

A Call to Love and Obedience

In Deuteronomy 1012-22 NLT says, “12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. 14 “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. 15 Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of His love. And He chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn. 17 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship Him and cling to Him. Your oaths must be in His name alone. 21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. 22 When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!”

Often, we ask, what does God expect of us? Here Moses gives a summary that is simple in form and easy to remember. Here are the essentials: (1) Fear God (have reverence for Him). (2) Live according to His perfect will. (3) Love Him. (4) Worship Him with all your heart and soul. (5) Obey His commands.

How often we complicate faith with man-made rules, regulations, and requirements. Are you frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God? Concentrate on His real requirements and find peace. Respect, follow, love, worship, and obey.

In saying that the Lord is God of gods and Lord of lords, Moses was distinguishing the true God from all the local gods worshiped throughout the land. Then Moses went a step further, calling God “mighty and awesome.” He has such awesome power and justice that people cannot stand before Him without His mercy.

Fortunately, His mercy toward His people is unlimited. When we begin to grasp the extent of God’s mercy toward us, we see what true love is and how deeply God loves us. Although our sins deserve severe judgment, God has chosen to show love and mercy to all who seek Him.

God required all male Israelites to be circumcised, but He wanted them to go beyond performing the surgery to understanding its meaning. They needed to submit to God inside, in their hearts, as well as outside, in their bodies. Then they could begin to imitate God’s love and justice in their relationships with others. If our hearts are right with God, then our relationships with other people can be made right, too. When our hearts have been cleansed and we have been reconciled to God, we will begin to see a difference in the way we treat others. Amen!

Moses reminds the Israelites that God took Israel into Egypt as a group of some 70 souls. Four hundred years later, they emerged as a nation. Many of us never live long enough to see God’s promises to us completely fulfilled. God made this promise of nationhood to Abram and Sarai in Genesis 12. Even at the end of Abraham’s life, Israel was a very small nation, numbering only three people. But in a day long after his death, the nation numbered in the millions.

Faithfulness always serves the purposes of God in our lives, but often the mills of God grind slowly. Only from a vantage point far down the years can we really see the intentions of God come to pass. Faithfulness is the character trait Abraham exhibited to the very end of his life. But even as he died, he could not measure the extent of the promise that was to come from his faithfulness. That finished vision was perhaps a score of lifetimes away. Still, the promises of God never sleep.

Faithfulness instructs us on how to live with purpose, but even better than that, it is something that we can hand off to our children until – as Abraham discovered – the world is blessed because of that simple discipline called obedience.

Faithfulness is something that any of us can offer to God. And when we give it, He gives us a purpose for every morning’s sunrise. We live and have great reason to live.

In Deuteronomy 10:20 NLT stated and meant; “Your oaths must be in His name alone” means that God alone should have our allegiance. Amen!

Our Lord Jesus Foretells the Future – Signs of Our Lord Jesus Christ 2nd Coming and The End of the World

In Matthew 24:1-14 NLT says, “1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, His disciples pointed out to Him the various Temple buildings. 2 But He responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” 3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

In Verses 1-2 describe that although no one knows exactly what this Temple looked like; it must have been beautiful. Herod had helped the Jews remodel and beautify it, no doubt to stay on friendly terms with his subjects. Next to the inner Temple, where the sacred objects were kept and the sacrifices offered, there was a large area called the Court of the Gentiles (where the money changers and merchants had their booths). Outside these courts were long porches. Solomon’s porch was 1,562 feet long; the royal portico was decorated with 160 columns stretching along its 921-foot length. Gazing at this glorious and massive structure, the disciples found our Lord Jesus Christ’s words about its destruction difficult to believe. But the Temple was indeed destroyed only 40 years later when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

In Verse 3 describes our Lord Jesus Christ was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the very place where the prophet Zechariah had predicted that the Messiah would stand when He came to establish His Kingdom (Zechariah 14:4). It was a fitting place for the disciples to ask our Lord Jesus Christ when He would come in power and what they could expect then.

Our Lord Jesus Christ’s reply emphasized the events that would take place before the end of the age. He pointed out that His disciples should be less concerned with knowing the exact date and more concerned with being prepared – living God’s way consistently so that no matter when our Lord Jesus Christ came, they would be ready. So, we should be ready, too. Amen!

In Verse 4 describes the disciples asked our Lord Jesus Christ for the sign of His coming and of the end of the age. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s first response was “Don’t let anyone mislead you.” The fact is that whenever we look for signs, we become very susceptible to being deceived. There are many “false prophets” (Matthew 24:11, 24) around with counterfeit signs of spiritual power and authority.

The only sure way to keep from being deceived is to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ and His words. Don’t look for special signs, and don’t spend time looking at other people. Let’s look at our Lord Jesus Christ through God’s Words, with our spiritual eye, guided and leaded by God – the Holy Spirit. Amen!

We may not be facing intense persecution now, but Christians in other parts of the world are. As you hear about Christians suffering for their faith, remember that they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s pray for them. Let’s ask God what we can do to help them in their troubles. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. But when all the parts join together to ease the suffering, the whole-body benefits (1 Corinthians 12:26). Amen!

Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly indicates in this passage that when the end times approach, things are going to get rough for believers. Christians are going to be severely persecuted. But the mark of the true believer is that he or she will remain true throughout the persecution. Notice that the blessing attached to the faithfulness is the blessing of eternal salvation. Those who endure to the end will be saved. Amen!

We Christians here in the United States or in the West have gotten used to cheap grace. To be a Christian is often to become a part of a prosperous gathering. How safe it is in our day and age to be a Christian. Our attendance at church is never called under threat. But our Lord Jesus Christ in this passage of Scripture seems to be saying that we are to be faithful even when our witness is not popular – even when it is dangerous, we are to be openly Christian. Our Lord Jesus Christ was about to become a martyr Himself, so He calls us to be faithful even when our faithfulness will be costly: When we are to be “handed over to be persecuted and put to death ….” When we are “hated by all nations …” When people “will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other ….” When “many false prophets will appear and deceive many …” In all of these circumstances, we are to be faithful in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

But notice the reward of our faithfulness: “He who stands firm to the end will be saved.” This passage contains the typical New Testament word for “saved,” yet it does not refer to the normal state of salvation. No, this is salvation with a capital S. It is that state of final being; face-to-face for eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

The Final Judgment

In Matthew 25:31-40 NLT says, “31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!’”

Our Lord Jesus Christ told these parables to clarify further what it means to be ready for His return and how to live until He comes. In the story of the 10 bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13), we are taught that every person is responsible for his or her own spiritual condition. The story of the three servants (Matthew 25:14-30) shows the necessity of using well what God has entrusted to us. The parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46) stresses the importance of serving others in need. No parable by itself completely describes our preparation. Instead, each paints one part of the whole picture.

Christianity is never intentionally near-sighted. There is a world of hurt that exists beyond us. In Matthew 25, the King (who is our Lord Jesus) rewards or condemns people merely based on what they have done to bless or curse others. Those who have served others are called blessed by the Father God. Faithfulness is not just a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is a world-view – the basis of our eternal rewards.

This passage seems in some ways at odds with grace. Here, eternity is offered at first glance to those who have been faithful in serving others. We know from the rest of the New Testament that grace is the free gift of God, given with no strings attached.

There is a sweet naïveté or simplicity among the followers of God in this passage. They seem surprised that their commendation should be so wholehearted and overwhelming: “Whenever did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and minister to you?”

When we minister to any human need, we write the name of our Lord Jesus Christ on the very forehead of the person we help. But the ministry we offer is registered in the bookkeeping of heaven as deeds we have done for our Lord Jesus alone.

When we meet anyone vile and diseased, we must not think, “poor soul – vile and diseased!” Instead, we must pray, “So, dear Lord Jesus Christ, it is You. I will attend to You, for I have received heaven from You already, and I refuse to let any of Your children endure this human hell without my ministry.” We never cry over any human hurt here on earth without our tears being registered in heaven. Amen!

Great Examples of Faith

In Hebrews 11:8-12 NLT says, “8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith – for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. 11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep His promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead – a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.”

Abraham’s life was filled with faith. At God’s command, he left home and went to another land – obeying without question (Genesis 12:1ff). He believed the covenant that God made with him (Genesis 12:2-3; 13:14-16; 15:1-6). In obedience to God, Abraham was even willing to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). Do not be surprised if God asks you to give up secure, familiar surroundings in order to carry out His will.

Sarah was Abraham’s wife. They were unable to have children through many years of their marriage. God promised Abraham a son, but Sarah doubted that she could become pregnant in her old age. At first, she laughed, but afterward, she believed (Genesis 18).

This passage contains the record of Abraham’s reward for his faithfulness. Here he is honored and upheld as a model for all generations. Abraham is not remembered because he celebrated God’s faithfulness after he saw God’s plans come to pass. Abraham is honored because he recognized God as Lord before he ever knew the fulfillment of God’s plan for his descendants. In Genesis 12, Abraham first received the promise that God would make his descendants into a great nation. Time is compacted in this chapter, and a scant five verses later Abraham enters Canaan, where “he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of LORD” (v.8).

Abraham built the altar near Bethel, which means “house of God,” and the very word suggests that this would be a place to return to again and again as Abraham trusted in the faithfulness of God. It is right to worship God for the promises He has already fulfilled, but it is a mark of real faith to worship while he looked forward to a city from God.

Have we learned the art of worshipping the Christ, our Lord Jesus who has promised us He will come? He has not as yet kept that promise, but let’s be faithful and worship Him. Somewhere in time, all will be done exactly as He has said. He is the Promise Keeper. He has saved us to worship Him with unwavering confidence in His promises.

Let’s sing to our Lord Jesus Christ each morning, “Lord Jesus, if we do not see Your promises fulfilled today, we will set our alarm extra early tomorrow morning.” Amen!

Always be ready. Don’t get left behind. God bless our families. Amen!

Now, let’s talk about “Prayer and “Salvation”.

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom (fruit of the Holy Spirit) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the first of the list > agape love of God, and in our treatment of others. Amen!

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers – and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others. We constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these FAITHFULLNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• To receive God’s blessings
• Get a habit of spiritual dependency
• To have a persistent commitment to the right
• No compromise
• The Road That Ends in Victory
• High Art of Persistence

On every Podcast, I always have three (3) questions we can answer from only these two (2) Sources: The Bible and the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. The following are:

First is about our > Observation: What do these passages or Scriptures say to you?

Second is about our own > Interpretation: What do these passages or Scriptures mean to you?

Third is about how we can apply > Application: How do the meaning of these passages or Scriptures apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer or you have relatives, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and people in your circle of influence, please take a look and/or guide them to one of our ministries, “An Invitation to Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Let’s give an opportunity for the lost souls to experience on being Born-Again Christian as explained by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of John 3 in the New Testament of the Bible.

It is as simple as A, B, & C > Admit, Believe, & Confess. All Born-Again Christian believers prayed this simple prayer, we called “Sinner’s Prayer”

“Father God, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge and admit that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe and have faith in Jesus Christ who was born of Virgin Mary, died on the Cross for the penalty of my sins, and rose again that I may have the eternal life. I confess and declare Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. Please comfort, guide, and help me Holy Spirit to live and grow in my spiritual life according to Your Words, purpose, and perfect will of God, in my Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

If you prayed this, “Sinner’s Prayer” sincerely in your heart, you are Born-Again Christian believer. However, you are a spiritual baby who needs to grow up. (See 1 Peter 2:2). You need to find a church or fellowship to grow spiritually. We are glad to establish or bring the fellowship to your own home if it is safer by appointment.

Now, let me pray for all of you:

Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you, Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

Let’s praise and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Give all thanks to God for all answered prayers.

Please send your > Praise Reports (answered prayers) and New Prayer Requests via email to: trinityblessings@homefellowshipchurches.org. God bless you all and our families!

A Message to be Blessed:

A Call to Repentance and Be Blessed

In Malachi 3:7-15 AMPC says, “7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse – See 2 Chronicles 31:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:20; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:5, 12. If the temple storehouses were empty, it was the people’s fault. God had already blessed them with enough to give a little back to Him.

Instead of destroying our crops (blessings), God would make them come in greater abundance than we had ever imagined possible (Amos 4:9; Haggai 2:19; Zechariah 8:12). The devourer – probably referring to locusts, though the word here is general in meaning (Baldwin). In the Near East, locust swarms are known for their ability to damage huge tracts of agricultural land (see note on Joel 1:4).

A delightsome land – All of the blessings promised to Jacob would come to pass if the people would obey God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Zechariah 8:13). Their land would be a delight to all who saw it (Daniel 8:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:7-12 was the people’s departure from God as reflected by their neglect of tithes and offerings. Two annual tithes were required according to Israelite law – one for the Levites (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21), and one to be used in worship at the annual feasts in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 14:22). A tithe was required every three years to provide for the needs of the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). There is debate as to whether this tithe for the poor was in addition to or served as a substitute for the tithe used in worship.

The New Testament pattern for tithing is proportionate giving – a person is to give “in relation to what you have earned” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Certainly a tithe should be given proportionate to one’s wealth, but not all proportionate giving is a tithe.

The anticipation of blessing for obedience to God’s command to tithe was based on the Mosaic covenant, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Malachi 3:10; cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Generally, God will meet the needs of His own people (Psalm 34:9-10; Philippians 4:19), but that is not an unconditional guarantee. There certainly were and are exceptions. Yet, where God chooses not to provide physically, He gives sufficient grace to go without (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:14-15 was that the people were guilty of arrogant words against God. They were saying, “There is no prophet who is serving God,” and “God is not concerned about justice.” God responded by showing that He did distinguish between the wicked and the righteous. The righteous would be blessed, and the wicked would be judged.