“Lord, Bless me!” by Gloria Copeland PURSUIT OF HIS PRESENCE
Have you ever wanted God to bless you? But the fact is, God has already treated us with overwhelming kindness. He has already given us all more than we ever dreamed possible. He has saved us. He has provided healing for us. He has blessed us in a thousand different ways. And that’s what we should remember every time we tithe. We should come before the Lord and thank Him for bringing us into our promised land. Tithe with an attitude of gratitude.
If you’ll read Deuteronomy 26, you’ll see that’s what He instructed the Israelites to do. He didn’t want them to simply plunk their tithe into the offering plate without putting their hearts into it. He commanded them to come very purposefully and worship Him with it.
We would do well to do much the same thing each time we tithe. We should worship the Lord and say, “Father, once I was lost, a prisoner of sin with no hope and no covenant with You. But You sent Jesus to redeem me. You sent Him to shed His precious blood so I could be free. Thank You, Lord, for delivering me out of the kingdom of darkness and translating me into the kingdom of Your dear Son. Thank You for receiving the tithe as a expression of worship to You.”
But we shouldn’t stop with that. We should also say as the Israelites did, “Now, Lord, I have brought the tithe out of my house, I haven’t kept if for myself. But I’ve given it just as You have commanded. So look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless me!” (Deut. 26:13-15)
Does that kind of talk make you nervous? Do you think God will be offended if you tell Him to bless you? He won’t!! He’ll be delighted. After all, blessing us was His idea. It’s what He has wanted to do all along.
So don’t be shy. Tithe boldly! Tithe gladly! Give God the 10 percent of your income that belongs to Him, and give Him 100 percent of your heart. Then rejoice in faith and say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant!” (Psalm 35:27) Begin to expect! Take the limits off God and let Him have a good time blessing YOU!