Openhandedness

Generosity. (and the cursor blinks...and blinks)



I don't have a clue how to start this one, but it's heavy on my heart. Just yesterday Pastor Rob opened our hearts to a passage that speaks (and most certainly does not beat around the bush) about robbing God, Malachi 3:8-10.
   "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. 
   "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
   "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that you will not have enough room for it."
Southbrook folks, remember this? (shake head yes) If you don't, then you were either not at church or unconscious for an hour. Both of which mean you should check it out now.

I titled this post Openhandedness because when I searched for synonyms of Generosity it was one of the many that came up. I find it awfully easy to understand generosity in terms of it's synonym, that I cannot rob God of anything if I have an opened hand and quit clutching that which is not mine. It's not rocket science. Generosity isn't an above and beyond kind of word that only describes a few special people. It's not something to strive for one day. If you have a hand, you're fully resourced. It's simply letting go, or opening your hand, to the things that God provided you with in the first place.

I find it awfully ironic as well that once my hands are opened and giving back to God the things that are His, it is also much easier to receive His abundant blessings in response to that obedience. After all, if I stretch out my clenched fists and say, "Alright God, take what's oozing out between my fingers." Isn't He more likely to say, "Well, now that I've cleaned up your scraps, looks like you don't have room in your hands for me to give you anything back." And we seriously sit and wonder why we aren't receiving God's blessings? Uhmm, hello?!? When you learn to open your hands and outstretch your arms, then He'll give you the blessings that only those with openhandedness can even attempt to hold.