Offering

FOR YEARS I HAVE HEARD PEOPLE SPEAKING ABOUT OFFERING TO GOD AND WHEN THEY WERE ASKED ABOUT IT THEY COULD ONLY SAY A TITHE OF 10% OF YOUR INCOME EACH WEEK OR MONTH THAT GOES INTO THE CHURCH PLATE ON A SUNDAY

MORNING. I WAS TROUBLED BY THIS SO I ASKED GOD TO MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ACCEPTABLE OFFERING IN HIS SIGHT. WAS IT ONLY MONEY OR WAS THERE MORE TO GIVING HIM AN OFFERING THAN JUST THAT? A PERSON ONCE

TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE A HARD TIME COMING UP WITH THE FINANCES TO TAKE CARE OF THE DAY-TO-DAY NECESSITIES THAT SUSTAIN THEIR LIFE. ON ONE OCCASION THEY TOLD ME, "THERE IS A LOT OF TIMES I CAN NOT PUT A DIME IN

CHURCH AND IT MAKES ME FEEL VERY BAD BUT JESUS KNOWS MY FINANCES."

WHY DO PEOPLE AND SOCIETY EQUATE GIVING AN OFFERING SOLELY WITH "MONEY"? "JESUS SAID WE SHOULD OFFER UP TO GOD OUR SACRIFICES" NOT "WE SHOULD OFFER UP TO GOD OUR MONEY".IT IS GREAT TO DO THAT IF YOU HAVE THE MEANS

TO AND I AM SURE THAT PLEASES GOD; BUT WHEN HE SAID WE SHOULD OFFER UP OUR SACRIFICES TO GOD, HE MEANT MORE THAN MONEY. LET ME EXPLAIN.

IN ONE OF THE PARABLES THAT JESUS TAUGHT HE TAUGHT THAT WE SHOULD "FEED THE HUNGRY AND CLOTHE THE POOR " HE DIDN’T SAY WE SHOULD GIVE JUST MONEY; WHAT HE MEANT WS THAT WE ARE TO CARE FOR ALL OUR BROTHERS AND

SISTERS WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE THAN WE ARE. WE DO THAT BY SACRIFICING OUT TIME, ENERGY AND WHATEVER WE HAVE TO OBEY WHAT GOD HAS COMMANDED US TO DO IN CARING FOR THEM. IT IS AN OFFERING TO GOD BY WHAT WE DO TO HELP

OTHERS AND TO COMFORT OTHER OR WHATEVER OUR HEARTS AND GOD DIRECTS US TO DO FOR HIS CHILDREN AND FOR HIS GLORY.IN ANOTHER PARABLE WAS THE STORY OF THE "WIDOW’S MITES"(MARK 12:42-44) SHE PUT IN THE ONLY TWO MITES SHE HAD AND IT MEANT MORE TO GOD THAN ALL THE TREASURE THAT THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES OF THE TEMPLE HAD COLLECTED FROM THE OTHERS.

WHY DID THE WIDOW’S MITES MEAN MORE?

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IT MEANT MORE TO THE LORD BECAUSE SHE GAVE ALL SHE HAD AND SHE GAVE IT FROM HER HEART. MOST GIVE OUT OF A SENSE OF OBLIGATION OR FROM THE MERE INTIMIDATION BY MANY OF THE CHURCH HEIRARCHY. WHEN IT IS GIVEN FROM THE

HEART, GOD ACCEPTS IT WITH THE SAME LOVE BY WHICH IT WAS GIVEN. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE HERE WE SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF. SUPPOSE THAT ALL THAT WIDOW HAD TO OFFER WAS A LOAF OF BREAD OR A FEW FISH OR EVEN A CLOAK? WOULD THAT MEAN ANY LESS TO GOD? CERTAINLY NOT! YOU SEE, GOD TAKES WHAT IS OFFERED, IF IT IS OFFERED FROM THE HEART AND WITH LOVE.

HE WOULD TAKE THAT LOAF OF BREAD OR THOSE FEW FISH OR THE CLOAK AND WOULD BLESS IT’S GIVER MORE THAN THE ONE WHO BEGRUDGINLY OR OUT OF OBLIGATION GAVE $10, $20 OR $30,000. IN GOD’S EYES MONEY IS NOT ALWAYS THE OFFERING HE WANTS FROM HIS PEOPLE. WHY WOULD HE? HE OWNS EVERYTHING THERE IS TO OWN AND THEN SOME! STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT! WHY WOULD A GOD WHO HAS POSESSION OF EVERYTHING IN CREATION FROM THE STARS IN THE

HEAVENS TO THE VERY GROUND WE WALK ON WANT JUST MONEY AS AN OFFERING?

WHAT GOD WANTS IS AN OFFERING OF THAT COMES FROM THE HEART AND WITH TOTAL LOVE, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND FAITH. SO FOR SOME CAN NOT ALWAYS GIVE MONEY, BUT THEY GIVE OF THEIR TIME AND TALENT TO HELP OTHERS IN NEED. WHICH DO YOU THINK THAT GOD WILL ACCEPT? THE ONES WHO PUT MONEY IN THE CHURCH PLATE ON SUNDAY MORNING OUT OF OBLIGATION OR INTIMIDATION OR THE ONE WHO COULD PUT IN NONE AND GAVE OF THEMSELVES AND WHAT THEY HAD

BECAUSE THEY LOVE GOD AND WANTED TO OFFER UP THEIR "SACRIFICE"? THE ANSWER IS THE ONES WHO OFFERED UP THE SACRIFICES OF WHAT THEY HAD.

WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY DEFINES THE WORD "OFFERING " AS THIS:"SOMETHING OFFERED IN WORSHIP OR DEVOTION, A CONTRIBUTION GIVEN TO OR THROUGH THE CHURCH, ANYTHING OFFERED AS A GIFT." ALL THROUGH THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE,

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT TO THE NEW TESTAMENT IT WASN’T MONEY THAT WAS OFFERED TO GOD. IT WAS THE "FIRSTFRUITS OF THEIR LABOR" OR THE "UNBLEMISHED LAMB" THAT WAS OFFERED. NOW, BEFORE ANYONE CALLS ME ON THE "FIRSTFRUITS OF THEIR LABOR" LET ME REMIND YOU THAT YOU WERE NOT ALWAYS PAID IN DRACHMAS OR MITES - YOU WERE PAID WITH THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR. FOR EXAMPLE...IF YOU LABORED IN A VINEYARD YOU GOT THE GRAPES OR IF YOU WERE A CARPENTER YOU WERE OFTEN GIVEN A MEAL FOR THE CARPENTRY THAT YOU DID.