Our gifts we offer to God show the extent of our love for him. Our gifts come in many forms. There are specific gifts which the Lord God requests from us. There are also voluntary gifts which we offer out of our free will. Gifts in Deuteronomy 12: 11 include offerings, sacrifices, tithes, donations and choice votive gifts. Gifts must be of value especially to the giver and must benefit the receiver. Gifts that are of no value to the giver may not be of value to God.
Specific gifts
Specific gifts are that which God has purposely asked for or identified. God asked Abraham in Genesis 22: 2, take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on the mountains that I shall show you. God asked the Israelites in Exodus 20: 24 you need make for me only an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
God is mindful of the quality of gift. He asked in Exodus 23: 19 the first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. When the Israelites gave maimed animals as offerings and sacrifices, God said in Malachi 1: 8-9, try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favour? And now you implore the favour of God… will he show favour to any of you? God responds to the quality of our gifts as measured by our hearts. First fruits mean the first yield of our endeavours to show appreciation of God’s blessings.
Voluntary gifts
Voluntary gifts are subject to our free will or conscience. 2 Corinthians 9: 7 says each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Proverbially, 1 Corinthians 3: 10 says… each builder must choose with care how to build on it. Our gifts are the materials for building upon the foundation which Jesus has laid and a contributor has credit for it. Therefore, we must honour our vows which are voluntary gifts. Psalms 76: 11 says make vows to the LORD your God, and perform them; let all who are around him bring gifts to the one who is awesome.
Hannah, the mother of Samuel made a vow to God in 1 Samuel 1: 11, O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a Nazirite until the day of his death. Hannah gifted Samuel to God in 1 Samuel 1: 24-28,… I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD. She left him there for the LORD. God therefore blessed Samuel and used him mightily.
God expects our gifts
Deuteronomy 12: 26 says but the sacred donations that are due from you, and your votive gifts, you shall bring to the place that the LORD will choose. We must always ask God when, where and how to offer our gifts. Without the direction of the Holy Spirit, we may do the wrong thing yet believe it to be right. Gifts must come from clean hearts. Matthew 5: 23-24 says so when you offer your gift at the altar,… first be reconciled to your brother or sister, then come and offer your gift. Samuel said in 1 Samuel 16: 5 peacefully, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.
Gifts must not be made conditionally. Proverbs 11: 24 says some give freely, yet grow all the richer, others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. It must not be made with reluctance. Proverbs 18: 16 says a gift opens doors; it gives access to the great. In giving, let us always consider that it is to a higher God, the King of kings, and the Lord of Lords even if it is to a human being, hence we must give joyfully.
How valuable are our gifts?
The value of our gifts is proportionate to what we have. Jesus referred to the widow who offered the copper coins as her offering and said in Mark 12: 42-43; Luke 21: -4, truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.
At the Jacob’s well, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4: 10, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. We devalue our gifts to God because we do not truly know or appreciate the God who requests from us to give. We must not know the end results of our gifts in order to offer our gifts.
Paul wrote in Romans 1: 11 for I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gifts to strengthen you. Whenever we have in our possession are gifts from God. We must share it among God’s children to his glory so as to strengthen the faith. We are only custodians and not the owners.
Are there rewards for our gifts?
Gifts given because of Christ Jesus are not lost. Jesus said in Matthew 16: 27 says for the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Paul wrote in Romans 2: 6 for he (Jesus) will repay according to each one’s deeds. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9: 6 the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Jesus said in Matthew 7: 2; Mark 4: 24; Luke 6: 38… the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. He also said in Matthew 19: 29, everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. In other words, kindness in Christ, or for and on his behalf leads to eternal life. Kindness will be our currency or our treasure in eternity.
The final words of Christ Jesus says in Revelation 22: 12, “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. Kindness because of Christ or in obedience to his command must of necessity be part of our work to be evaluated when we appear before the throne of God. Where do we stand on the scale of kindness?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, you are the most precious gift to the world. Matthew 20: 28; Mark 10: 45 confirms that the Son of Man (you) came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. In return, we give you our hearts enabled by your Spirit of kindness to employ for your glory. Enable us by your Spirit to share your unlimited kindness with the needy expecting nothing in return; and to honour our promises to you as you wash our sins in your blood. We pray in your holy name, Amen!!
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