Written by: John Sernaque
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940) Chapter 18—Let Us Prove the Lord
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Shall we obey God, and bring in all our tithes and offerings, that there may be meat to supply the demands of souls hungering for the bread of life? God invites you to prove Him now, as the old year draws to its close, and let the new year find us with God’s treasuries replenished.... {CS 89.1}
He tells us that He will open the windows of heaven, and pour us out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. He pledges His word, “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” Thus His word is our assurance that He will so bless us that we shall have still larger tithes and offerings to bestow. “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” {CS 89.2}
Brethren, will you comply with the conditions? Will you offer willingly, gladly, and abundantly? The foreign missions call for means from America. Shall they call in vain? Home missions are in great need of money; they have been established in faith, in different parts of the field. Shall they be left to languish and die? Shall we not arouse? God help His people to do their very best. {CS 89.3}
God asks us to prove Him. Will you answer the challenge? If you do, God has a wonderful promise in store for you; that He will bless you with such abundance that you will not have enough room to receive the blessing. The more you receive, the more you can return to God’s treasury. That is what we call today a win-win. There is such a need of money today, more than ever, to help in the missionary field, locally and abroad. The time is at hand. Prove the Lord, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Dear kind and gracious Father,
We thank You so much for all Your wonderful promises. We gladly and cheerfully return Your portion to You today. May You bless these means that they may go towards doing a great work in Your name. We pray that there is more than enough to evangelize and provide help to the needy in every field, locally and abroad. Please help each one of us as we do our part. Thank You for providing for us and giving us the strength to labor. Help each one of us to do our very best. May Your Word be established in the whole world for all to see You coming in the clouds to take your saints home. We thank and praise You, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
