Encouragement: take an offering

Here is your daily encouragement words and thoughts. Today I bring you encouragement from Exodus 25:1-8

The Lord spoke to Moses:
2 “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated by a willing heart you are to receive my offering.
3 This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze,
4 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat’s hair,
5 ram skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood,
6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing
oil and for fragrant incense,
7 onyx stones, and other gems to be set in
the ephod and in the breastpiece.
8 Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them.

Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible.
English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Ex 25:1-8). Biblical Studies Press.

So often we have the view of Old Testament giving as a forced act. A regulation that must be done. But what does God say to Moses "take an offering for me, from every person motivated by a willing heart."

Just like many other things, giving is something that the Lord enables you to do.
I for quite sometime was a real promoter of tithing (giving 10% of your money and things) as you earn them. For me it was a "have to" item on my list.

What I have come to realize over the past couple of years is that in your giving you need to turn it over to God in joy. When you decide in your heart to give, you have to, at the point of offering, turn over control of that money over to God. It is no-longer yours once you give it to God. No control over the money and no complaining how it is to be used.

Our reading here is just another example of how giving needs to be out of gratitude, not obligation. I believe that it is more important to God that your heart be in the right mode when you give of your money or your time or talents than how much you give. Chances are if your heart is in the right moment you would give more.

(Side note here: You should give a 10th of each, time, talent, money. There are 168 hours in a week so a 10th of your time is 16.8 hours. How long was that Sunday Service?)

So when you give, give with a willing heart, knowing that God does enable you to do your giving.

Amen

Music encouragement You Are by Mark Roach