Offering Willingly

When I was a little girl my grandmother would say, "What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine." I could never figure out what she meant and in my timidity I never asked.

In 1 Chronicles 29 we see David getting the people together to prepare to build the temple that would be built under Solomon's reign. David and the various leaders were collecting together all that would be needed for the building of the temple - gold, silver, bronze and iron. Here is the exciting part. It says three times they "offered willingly." How often do we struggle with giving what we believe is our tithe let alone giving above and beyond that? Yet these people gave willingly to build the temple which David says "is not for man but for the Lord."

The key to giving willingly was the fact that David and his people understood all they had to offer was really God's in the first place. In verses 10 through 18 David is praising God and says, "For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;" and then he says "For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You." Verse 14 says, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willing as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You." In verse 18 David asks the Lord to "keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You." David wants them to remember forever that all we have belongs to Him. It is my prayer all of us would remember this truth.

I believe as we understand all we have is His we will be able to offer willingly. As the Lord brings opportunities in your life to give, remember you aren't giving things that belong to you but already belong to Him. It is very humbling in that when we do give, we cannot give ourselves credit for giving what is ours but give glory and praise to Him for giving what is His.

My grandmother had it right as I can hear the Lord saying "What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine." Let us praise and honor Him by offering willingly what He has given us.