Daily Devotional for Friday, October 30
Giving Liberally
Exodus 25:1-8
“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering,” Exodus 25:2.
I have been blessed to be part of a church building project. It is amazing to see a crew of builders gather at one location to build a church building. It is an amazing thing to see people literally offer up their lives in God’s service. It is even more amazing to see churches rise to the occasion to pay for a new building quickly and not be burdened by debt.
We may sit back and just think about how amazing these things are, but the truth is, they should not impress us at all. They only amaze us because they are not the norm. This sort of physical and financial commitment to God’s Word impresses us because it is not normal. Yet, we see from the Bible in several passages that God’s people gave cheerfully and above and beyond to support God’s work. Maybe God does not want you to sell your home and give the proceeds to the church, but that is just what some of the saints did in the early churches.
I am sure that many of the people who offered their financial resources for the construction of the Tabernacle would have preferred to keep them and use them for something nice for themselves. But that willingness to give is exactly the point. As a side note, I hope you have not forgotten that you are not giving up your money anyway. You are just giving God back some of what He has given you.
If all you are giving God is your leftovers, you are not doing it right. Jesus sacrificed everything for you; the least you can do is sacrifice something in return, and that includes your financial blessings.
Just a Thought
If you are not giving up something to give, you probably are not giving enough.
Wally Fry