IT’S NOT HOW MUCH YOU GIVE, IT’S HOW MUCH YOU CARE TO GIVE: How do you feel about giving? Did you know that worshipping God consists of more than expressions of words, songs, and prayer? Another aspect of worship has to do with giving.
We are living in very challenging and stressful times in which possession, money, and wealth matter to all. However, if not careful, the pursuit of selfish desires will pull us away from what really matters, which is our relationship with God and one another.
Satan uses the things of this world to tempt and lure us to him. However, the Word of God provides us with the guidance needed to avoid his trap.
In the Bible, God has provided us with practical guidance on how to live above the stresses of life, and we are given instructions on how to manage the resources He has given us.
In this series,
From a biblical perspective, we are looking at how to manage effectively the resources God has given us while prioritizing What Really Matters.
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Asking For God’s Guidance
Holy Father, who are we to be called your sons and daughter? Although not worthy of death, Jesus gave His life for us. Thus, we give you our offerings of praise and thanksgiving. (Split) In the worthy Jesus’ Name, Amen
The Bible does not provide a specific order of service for worship. But there are at least four things that were included among the Worshippers both in the Old Testament and the New Testament:
(1) studying/preaching,
(2) prayer,
(3) music, and
(4) tithes and offerings.
This is where we get the order of service in our churches today.
As we know, the tithe is 10% of all the money we get. Before we buy or pay for anything, we set aside 10% of our earnings to return to God. That 10% does not belong to us. It belongs to Him.
According to Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times each year, the men and families of Israel were to appear before God in Jerusalem. These were considered special days.
Deuteronomy 16:16
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. (Deuteronomy 16:16).
Notice that part of their worship experience included tithes and offerings.
Three times a year, they were to appear before the Lord. They were to appear before the Lord for the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
At that time, they brought their tithes and offerings. So, no one came to worship the Lord empty-handed.
From this, we see that worship is more than expressions of gratitude in preaching, singing, and praying.
Worship also includes showing our gratitude and thankfulness by bringing our tithes and offerings to Him.
The ancient Israelites brought their offerings to the temple; thus, a central part of their worship experience included bringing the tithes and offerings to God.
Though today, some bring their offering to God by giving it online. Others chose to bring their offerings to the church. Nevertheless, bringing our tithe and offerings to God is an act of worship.
The following texts offer a further indication as to what should be included in our worship experience before God.
I Chronicles 16:29
29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Psalms 96:8-9
8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Psalms 116:16-18
16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people, (Psalms 116:16-18)
We see here that giving offerings is certainly an act of worship.
Here is what the book Christ Object Lesson says about giving and worship.
God imparts His gifts to us that we also may give, and thus make known His character to the world. Under the Jewish economy, gifts and offerings formed an essential part of God’s worship. The Israelites were taught to devote a tithe of all their income to the service of the sanctuary. Besides this, they were to bring sin offerings, free-will gifts, and offerings of gratitude. These were the means for supporting the ministry of the gospel for that time. God expects no less from us than He expected from His people anciently.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 299, 300.
As God’s children, we have been given the responsibility of managing His family business on earth.
Thus, we should see it as a privilege, an honor to bring our offerings to God, the ruler, and owner of everything.
And, for those who have children, God has given us the responsibility of raising the children he has given us to know and love Him.
This includes allowing them to see the joy you feel when you bring your tithes and offerings to God.
So as parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children about giving tithe and offerings to God as a part of their worship experience.
This is why God told the Israelites to bring their families when they came before him on the special days that they went before the Lord to Jerusalem.
How concerned is God about the amount we give?
Find out on Day 5: God Takes Note of Our Offering
If you want to return tithe and offering and do not have a church home, consider giving online,
@ Adventistgiving.org
in the name of my local Church:
Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church 7902 Wheatly Street in Houston, TX 77088
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