CHEERFUL GIVING

Ex. 35:20-21  So all the people left Moses and went to their tents to prepare their gifts.  If their hearts were stirred and they desired to do so, they brought to the LORD their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle and its furnishings and for the holy garments.

What strikes me about these verses is that the Lord doesn’t ask for what we don’t have and He doesn’t force anyone to give.  The Lord does not want his children to give with anything but a cheerful heart.  A gift given without love is not an acceptable gift to the Lord.  Regardless of the gift, don’t bother if it’s given begrudgingly.

Also, notice that the people went home and prepared their gifts that they were going to give.  I wonder how much thought and preparation we do when we give our gifts to the Lord.  Do we think about the Lord at all before we give of ourselves and our resources to Him?  Do we pause long enough to realize just how good the Lord is to us all the time?  Do we realize that if it were not for the Lord and His faithful love for us, we would be dead in our sins without hope or life?  Each gift we bring to the Lord ought to be a gift of love and gratitude.

The people gave with a purpose.  They saw the bigger picture of what the Lord was doing and bought into it.  We too, need to look at the bigger picture.  We give in response to God’s purposes and not for ourselves.   Whether we are sharing financially, our talents, our time or our hearts, we do it as unto the Lord.  We make ourselves available to the Lord in love and gratitude.

The people gave with an attitude.  Those who gave had a real desire to give.  They gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop giving!  Oh, but that we would have such a desire to give!

The Lord invites us to give.  It is our choice as to whether or not we will accept His invitation.  He blesses those who give with a cheerful heart.  When God’s people give as they should, there is never a lack of resources to get done what the Lord wants to do in the church and world.