Gifts, a Pleasing Sacrifice to God

Give Praise to God

Honor God with Your First Fruits

Philippians 4:15-20 The Message (MSG)

15-17 You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20 And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.

For Reflection

One person giving - yields one church giving - yields a community of givers.  A community of prayer, walking in the belief in the Savior, Jesus Christ. What a powerful blessing to those in physical and spiritual need.  In giving without expectation for a return, we become humble servants of the Word.

Pray

Pray for humility and the capacity for grace and God will provide the opportunity and confidence to participate as a partner in freeing the world's darkest captives.

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Martyrs, First Fruits for God

Give Praise to God

Honor God with Your First Fruits

Revelation 14:1-5 The Message (MSG)

A Perfect Offering

14 1-2 I saw—it took my breath away!—the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 144,000 standing there with him, his Name and the Name of his Father inscribed on their foreheads. And I heard a voice out of Heaven, the sound like a cataract, like the crash of thunder.
2-5 And then I heard music, harp music andthe harpists singing a new song before the Throne and the Four Animals and the Elders. Only the 144,000 could learn to sing the song. They were bought from earth, lived without compromise, virgin-fresh before God. Wherever the Lamb went, they followed. They were bought from humankind, firstfruits of the harvest for God and the Lamb. Not a false word in their mouths. A perfect offering.

For Reflection

If you have died to your former self and been resurrected into a person transformed by your dedication to God, you are a martyr. As one who trusts in the Lord you have a special knowledge, a God-centered point of view about the world and your role in it. You have gained a perspective that encourages you to interact with the world in ways that are unanticipated by those who do not walk in the light of  The Word. The name of God written in your soul and visible to all you encounter will spark joy in some and fear in others. Some will be attracted.  Others out of ignorance and fear will strengthen themselves in the security of old accepted (but not effective) patterns.  Be assured that in God's time all will rest in Grace.

Pray

Pray for those who fear the light of  The Word so that you will be reminded to walk in the confidence of the Lord. Pray for those who suffer for The Word so that they will be bolstered by your abiding Grace.

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Honor God with Your First Fruits

Give Praise to God

Honor God with Your First Fruits

Proverbs 3:1-12 The Message

Don’t Assume You Know It All
3 1-2 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;
    take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time,
    a long life lived full and well.
3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
    in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

For Reflection

What are you providing to enlarge the Kingdom of God? Are you giving what is left over after all of your obligations are met, or do you first give to God's work and then contribute the rest of your time, talent, and resources to your pursuits?

Perhaps such giving, before or after your priorities is a sign of the strength of your belief and trust in God. Maybe it is not practical to give God priority to monetary gifts. Money is not the most potent gift anyone rich or poor possesses anyway.

The most precious and intimate gift you have to contribute is your time and talent. In short, the first fruits of your existence are lodged in the essence of who you think your self to be.  Have you given your self entirely to God? Your commitment to living the way Christ has shown us to live is the only tribute that delights God.

Pray

Walking in the way of the Lord in the care and guidance of the Holy Spirit is the only prayer that matters.

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Gifts for the Tabernacle

Acknowledging God

Give from a Generous Heart

Exodus 35:10-19 The Message

10-19 “Come—all of you who have skills—come and make everything that God has commanded: The Dwelling with its tent and cover, its hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; the Chest with its poles, the Atonement-Cover and veiling curtain; the Table with its poles and implements and the Bread of the Presence; the Lampstand for giving light with its furnishings and lamps and the oil for lighting; the Altar of Incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense; the screen for the door at the entrance to The Dwelling; the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering with its bronze grate and poles and all its implements; the Washbasin with its base; the tapestry hangings for the Courtyard with the posts and bases, the screen for the Courtyard gate; the pegs for The Dwelling, the pegs for the Courtyard with their cords; the official vestments for ministering in the Holy Place, the sacred vestments for Aaron the priest and for his sons serving as priests.”

For Reflection

Each of God's flock had been on the receiving end.  In their gratitude, they gave to the glory of the Giver. They gave their talents, the best of their goods, everything from bowls to balusters, from tapestries to vestments.

Today our gifts to God are sometimes less personal, less identified with who we are.  We give money and buy glorious edifices and worship places. One could conclude that because our gifts are predominately monitory, we are less invested.  Well, perhaps some are, but many give beyond their money, giving time and talent sacrificially.

Pray

Pray that your contribution to the church and its mission reflects an intimate relationship with God.

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All Tithes Are Holy

Acknowledging God

Give from a Generous Heart

Leviticus 27:30-33 The Message

30-33 “A tenth of the land’s produce, whether grain from the ground or fruit from the trees, is God’s. It is holy to God. If a man buys back any of the tenth he has given, he must add twenty percent to it. A tenth of the entire herd and flock, every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod, is holy to God. He is not permitted to pick out the good from the bad or make a substitution. If he dishonestly makes a substitution, both animals, the original and the substitute, become the possession of the Sanctuary and cannot be redeemed.”

For Reflection

The Tithe, one-tenth of the harvest, rent paid to the landowner, God.
To what extent do we, today, act as though God owns it all? If we did, how would our attitudes toward ourselves, each other and the Earth be different?

Pray

Pray so that you can become one of God's stewards, protecting and caring for all of God's creation; human, beast, and soil.

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Gather Together Your Bountiful Gift

Acknowledging God

Give from a Generous Heart

2 Corinthians 9:1-5 The Message

9 1-2 If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I’d be repeating myself. I know you’re on board and ready to go. I’ve been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, “Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year.” Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.
3-5 Now I’m sending the brothers to make sure you’re ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won’t turn out to be just so much hot air. If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren’t prepared, we’d all be pretty red-faced—you and us—for acting so sure of ourselves. So to make sure there will be no slip up, I’ve recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don’t want anything forced or hurried at the last minute.

For Reflection

I have just finished working where almost all of the production people were immigrants; Nigeria, Burma, Haiti, El Salvador, Nepal, and others.  Interesting that most were Christians who were brave enough to trust God to find safety and a new life in the United States.

They tend to live in communal groups, sharing transportation, shelter, and food.  They survive on faith and a culture of sharing for the common good. Poor, but not impoverished, they are filled with hope and determined to thrive. They are prepared materially and spiritually. They are prepared and willing to sacrifice personal security for the security of the group.

I like to think that this is similar to the way the first groups of Christians survived and grew in spirit and number.

Pray

Pray for those who sacrifice all to grow into the plan God has set for them.  Pray that when faced with an insurmountable risk you will have the confidence in God to step off the ledge of security and into the Grace of God.

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Give Alms Quietly

Acknowledging God

Give from a Generous Heart

Matthew 6:1-4 The Message

The World Is Not a Stage

6 “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.
2-4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

For Reflection

When we give, alms or spiritual guidance, we should do it in Christian humility. We should not expect a return on our gifts. We should give unconditionally. Such quiet giving encourages freedom to accept which is a significant characteristic of God's bestowal.

Pray

Pray so that you will be increasingly aware of the needs of others.  Pray so that you can give and preserve the dignity of all who receive.
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