A poet once wrote, “Leftovers are such humble things, We would not serve to a guest, And yet we serve them to our Lord Who deserves the very best.” When we think about our giving as an avenue of worship wherein we express our belief in the worthiness of God, let us never be guilty of giving Him leftovers. God is worthy of more than leftovers. He is worthy of the best that we have off the top. While no one would dispute that fact, many Christians routinely give God the leftovers. When they show up to worship on Sunday morning, they see what is left over in their wallet after they have taken out everything they wanted first. Then, they give God what is leftover. This sort of giving will lead a Christian to fall short of God’s expectations in both the size of the offering and the spirit behind the offering.
We must give from the first fruits. This concept is seen throughout the Bible. The Lord respected Abel’s offering of the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4:4). In Exodus 23:19 the Jews were told, “The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.” The same principal is true for Christians today in regards to their income. Christians should not give to the Lord from the bottom, they should give to God from the top. If they will do this, sit down and decide that they are going to give so much of their income to the Lord, it will help them to develop and grow spiritually. I am paid every Sunday and make an effort to sit down every Monday morning and, before any bill is paid, write out a check for the next week’s contribution. That check stays in my wallet from Monday morning until the following Sunday. That way the Lord has been given to off the top, and there is no need to worry that the money might be spent on something else. My obligation to the Lord must always come before my obligation to City Bank, Capital One, Ford Credit, US Bank or any other worldly institution. If there is simply not enough to supply all of the demands it is the world and not the Lord that must be shorted. Let Christians everywhere give their offering some serious thought and not allow it to become a flippant, “whatever I have left”, gesture.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yea, you are right - and what is sad is that most people think that by giving less, they are taking care of themselves. When in reality, they are just hindering the blessing that God wants to give them.
The only area in the Bible that God says we can test Him is in the area of giving. In Malachi God says to test Him and see if He doesn't pour out a blessing that we can't contain.
It is difficult sometimes, when we are strapped for cash, but it IS WORTH IT!!!
Post a Comment