"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 windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need." - Malachi 3:10
After reading today's verse, I bet you think this devotion is about tithing. Well, it's not. Almost.
It's about windows.
In today's verse, God calls us to trust him with our material resources so we can see him open the windows of heaven with blessing. Hmmm, windows of heaven. What's a window of heaven?
Last night, I went down to Auburn to visit with my daughter, Calley, at her invitation. Her new apartment is on the third floor with a large living room window that faces the parking lot.
At the moment I saw her new apartment window, the wheels of my heart raced back years to the days when Calley was a preschooler with an upstairs bedroom window that faced the street. Every morning when I left for work, Calley would get out of bed, go over to her window, pull back the blinds, and wave goodbye to me. As I pulled out of the driveway and started down the street, I would drive molasses-in-January slow and savor the exchange with my Calley Bear for as long as I possibly could.
Last night was no different. It started by my hoping that, when it was time for me to head back to Birmingham, my now almost 21-year-old daughter would remember those window-waving days from years ago and repeat them. And oh, how my heart sang when it was time to head home. I pulled out of my parking spot, looked up, and there was my little girl. And even though she's a young lady who's preparing to bless the world as a missionary, she looked just as sweet with her wave as when she was small and very young and being sheltered from the world.
I drove as slow as molasses in January.
Sure, the four-hour trip cost me some money and some sleep, but the reward through that window was priceless. A slice of heaven for a father who adores his children.
It's an image of what God is teaching and offering us in today's Bible verse from Malachi 3:10. Our hearts are not hungry for the world or its treasures. Our hearts are starving for heaven. For a window with a wave of love pouring out of God's heaven. For a window with a view looking into God's heaven. For a window with a smile, like the face of Jesus Christ. For a window that moves us to slow down and enjoy those who are still with us on the road, even as we must keep moving, even if slowly, down the road.
Life's short, dear friends. Each day, the window of opportunity gets slimmer. Open the window of your heart and your treasure for the Lord and his people, and watch the Lord open the window of heaven for you. He will indeed "open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need" (Malachi 3:10).
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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