Focus: 2 Samuel 24:24
2 Samuel 24:24 - KJV
24. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Malachi 1:6-14
One of the major faults of man is not knowing what to honor and what to use. Although fellow men and indeed, God, ought to be honored, and money used, man puts the priority in the reverse order, honoring money and using man, and I dare say, God. The fault of the sons of Eli was taking the choicest of the sacrifices the people brought, unto themselves and giving the remnants unto God. Wherefore, the Lord rejected them and their household. God countenances what we bring as offerings unto Him, which was why He identified the widow that gave the two mites. He is not particular about the size of the offering per time, but the cost of it to the giver. If a billionaire wants to give, and barely searched his pocket for the remnant cash therein, and is able to bring forth a thousand dollars in offering, he may not be so accepted of God, than a poor lad who gave his entire lunch of about twenty dollar worth.
David understood the principle of God and clearly expressed willingness only to offer unto God the things that would be at a cost to him. God is greater than any being we can think of, or imagine, and more importantly, our governors, or political presidents. Hence, whatever we cannot offer to any such, should not be offered unto God. It is usual for the enemy to bring contemptuous thoughts about the use of the offerings to discourage the giver. Those who yield to the voice of the enemy will not be absolved for not giving worthy offering, as expected of them. Leave the ones authorized to put the offerings to use to answer to the one who appointed them. Let not money or wealth use us; rather let us employ it as tool, which it is. If we adopt such mind, no sum will appear too big to deploy to the worship of God. It is only a tool, after all.
Beloved, let us have a change of heart in the way we treat the offerings of God. Since the name of the Lord is attached to it, let us honor the Lord and not the material tool being employed for the honor. For where we withhold from Him who gives us all we have, we are actually honoring the money and dishonoring the Lord who gave it to us, in the first place. Some have said God is not interested in our prosperity. That may not be right. God is the one that teaches us to make wealth. Every idea that translates to wealth comes from Him. A pauper whom God will make wealthy, can have a dream that a particular stock will catch-in a thousand percent in two weeks and God gives him an idea of what to do to benefit from it. Did God not give Jacob an idea that made him wealthier than Laban his master? If we will honor God with our substance, He sure will honor us in return.
SOLUTION: Never again give to God torn offerings but decent and worthy ones that befits Him, and according to the size of your ownings. Be confident that God owes no one. At any rate, all that we hold, we do not own. The day we die, we realize that, or those who live after us does.
Please pray: Father, I receive the grace to give costly offerings to you at every opportunity, from today, in Jesus’ name. I will never withhold my substance from you again; as you enrich me, I will honor you always with my substance. Please help me to accomplish this for the rest of my life, in Jesus’ name.
Kindly share with others if you have been blessed by this Guide. God bless you as you do so, in Jesus' name.