ESOCS Devotional 12 February 2024 – The Grace of Living
MEMORY VERSE: “The LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.” Exodus 25:1-2
TEXT: : EXODUS 25:1-9
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 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.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
5 And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
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The people were not giving to make Moses rich; their offerings were not for the personal benefit of Aaron and the priests. Their offerings were, first of all, for the glory of God; and it was an act of worship.
Sometimes when we give, we speak of giving to the church. In some ways, this makes sense since most of our giving goes to the local church. But what we are really doing is giving to the Lord. We are giving part of what we own back to the Lord who has blessed us in the first place. God has commissioned for the church to do His work in the world. So, when we give to the church, we are giving towards His work. This is why we collect offering in our worship service, since giving to God is an act of worship. Our giving is an expression of our love and adoration for the Lord: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.” (Ps. 96:8).
Whether our giving is from our material goods or in other ways, it is a response to His grace. When we give, God gives back to us and blesses us with a double portion. And we can’t out-give God. Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38). The apostle Paul said, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
As tent makers, God makes giving to the building of the tabernacle a voluntary gesture! He does not demand or command how much a person must give, or even that a person must give. He leaves it to the heart of the individual member of the covenant community. This, of course, is why it’s called an offering! It’s not something God takes; it’s something we give. And when we give to the Lord, we should give wholeheartedly. Such disposition pleases the Lord and He rewards such givers bountifully.
- Giving freely to the Lord generously and without grudges is an attitude you should develop, nurture and practise. It doesn’t come naturally. It is a way of lubricating your relationship with the Lord, as you worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
- Lord, as I give bountifully towards your service, shower your blessings on me more abundantly that I may be able to give you much more.
Further Reading: Psalm 105:1-15; Matthew 22:22-33; Acts 7:1-8
ESOCS Devotional 12 February 2024
