"Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them." (Exodus 25:2 NLT)
Giving is a heart issue. It always has been. In fact, money is a heart issue. The way we spend & use our money reveals something about our hearts. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:34). If we want to know where our hearts are, all we have to do is look at our checkbooks. Well, today we would need to look at our debit cards or online bill pay statements.
What we find ourselves giving our money to is what we are giving our lives to. Money is like a mirror, it reflects our deepest values. It reflects who we are.
So, when it comes to giving to God's Kingdom causes we need not examine our checkbooks but our hearts.
In building the tabernacle, God called on his people to give. He put a parameter on this giving, however. He commanded only the people whose hearts were moved to give. He made the command but giving was optional?
When we think about giving, tithing 10% to our local church is normally what first enters our mind. This is wonderful & absolutely necessary for doing Kingdom work. But, if we search the Scriptures more comprehensibly it is more of a heart issue than a numbers issue. In fact, 10% is really more of a starting point & not the destination.
The reality is, God owns it all. "The earth is the Lord's & everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). He doesn't need us (Acts 17:25). So, why give?
We give to show that we believe God owns all our stuff. It's not the attitude of, "This is mine & here's your portion, God." But rather, "All of this is yours God, here I'll prove it."
We also give because it does take resources to do kingdom work. Just like the tabernacle needed materials to be built, so it takes resources to do the work of God in the world.
We also give because we are blessed by giving. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). When we hold back from God, we are limiting what he can give to us & how he can bless us. We can't out-give God. I've never heard anyone say, "I wish we hadn't given to that Kingdom purpose!"
We embody the attitude of Christ when we give. "For the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve & give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
What Kingdom purpose is God moving our hearts to give to!?
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