Giving and Receiving (Dec 26)

To sacrifice something is to make it holy by giving it away for love. – Frederick Buechner

I would like to share a devotional entitled, "Precious Offerings," by Chris Tiegreen:

1Ch 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD.

David had been on the run from Saul, hiding out in caves and deserts. Now after Saul's death, he was on the attack against the Philistines in the same desert near the same caves. And, not surprisingly, David was thirsty. Far from home, he longed for the familiar water of Bethlehem. Three of his warriors decided to do something about it. They broke through Philistine lines and brought back the coveted water to quench David's thirst. David's response? He poured it out to the Lord.

Those of us from capitalist societies cringe at his wastefulness. The water came at such great sacrifice, at such enormous risk, that David could at least show his appreciation by drinking some of it! But David had a higher goal than quenching thirst. His desire was to offer the Lord whatever was most precious to him. And this water was precious. Three of his right-hand men had risked life and limb to get it, even though there were surely closer sources of water than the well at Bethlehem. They did it because they loved David. The water, therefore, was immediately one of David's most treasured possessions. And treasured possessions make the best offerings.

We could learn from that. We give generously to God at times, but we save our most treasured possessions for ourselves. The first 10 percent of our income is one thing; the precious items we secure with the rest of it are another. God loves expressions of sacrifice. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the love demonstrated. If we hold things tightly, we love less fully.

Consider the things you give God. Do you give Him not only the first of your income, time, and talents, but also the best of them? Do the things you treasure become the things you most want to honor God with? When you survey your domain, you will see things you hold dear and things that are expendable. Which do you give to God? Do you long to give Him what is most precious to you?

Yesterday was Christmas Day. At Christmastime, we always talk a lot about giving and receiving. Of course it is a time to celebrate the coming of Christ, but also for many people, it is a time to exchange gifts. They do this to show that they care. Someone started spreading the word that it is better to give than to receive: I give because I care, but I'm not all selfish and wanting lots of stuff. Well, as we celebrate at Christmastime, God gave the greatest Gift – His Son. But he also wants to receive. He wants our hearts, our commitments, our love. And we, on the other hand, tend to just receive – whatever we can get from God, we take. But we also need to give. Give God the best offerings – your heart, your love, your most treasured possessions, your most treasured love…all of it. Glorify and honor God this Christmas – give Him the most sacred spot in your heart. And receive the great gifts that come straight from His heart…