Look At Your Giving

Can the love you have for God be measured?

Malachi 1:6"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, `How have we shown contempt for your name?' 7"You place defiled food on my altar."But you ask, `How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible. 8When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.9"Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"--says the LORD Almighty. 10"Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty. 12"But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, `It is defiled,' and of its food, `It is contemptible.' 13And you say, `What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. "When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD. 14"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations.

From a distant when you look at the people of Israel during Malachi’s time, they seem to be very religious. Bringing their animal offering to the temple of God. Wearing the priestly costume walking toward the temple, with their animals, for sure at one look these are the people belonging to God. Faithful in their religious obligation. However as you come closer to them and look at the animals they bring before God, you will be able to see their heart. What do they give to God? The crippled, the blinded, and the sick animals. These are their offering to the Almighty God. It is so obvious that their hearts are as corrupted as the animals they brought before their God.

You will be able to measure the love you have for God by looking at what you give to Him. The people of God gave to God what they themselves do not want, what they themselves do not offer even to the governor. Friends, giving a corrupted offering is worst than not giving at all. Do you pay your tithes? Do you give your best offering to God? Do you give Him the first fruit of your income? Do you give happily or reluctantly? When come giving for mission, are you in or are you out? What is your attitude toward giving to God?

Abraham’s Heart

When Abraham prayed for a son, God answered his prayer, by giving him Isaac. However, in Genesis 22, you see, this same Isaac God asked from him, as a burnt-offering. See Genesis 22: 2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.". Abraham obeyed this command. The next verse says See Genesis 22:3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. There is nothing that is too hard for Abraham to give to God.

The Poor Widow Gave Her All

Mark 12: 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,J worth only a fraction of a penny. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."

Comparing to the many of the givers, this poor widow could afford only to give two very small copper coins to the temple treasury, while there rest threw silver coins and the bible says, in large amount. However Jesus consider her gave the most, because she gave her 100%. She gave her very best. She did not know where will her next penny be. Nevertheless she did not even think of herself, she wanted to give the best to GOD. So she gave her all. It is not so much of the amount you give to God that matters. But your attitude. In physical sense, this woman just gave her coins. But in the eyes of the Lord, she gave her whole heart and soul.

The woman gave the perfume that she has earned for one year wages.

Mark 14: 3-9

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

There is no word that is good enough to express her love for Jesus. After all the sins she has committed and received forgiveness from the Lord. She was made clean. And canceling all her debts that she could never be able to pay, how could this woman ever thank Jesus? She anointed Jesus with the best perfume, which she has labored for one year of wages to buy it. Jesus saw her heart. Jesus saw her love for Him. It is not because it is a “PERFUME”. It is not the fragrant of the ointment that Jesus smelt. But rather the fragrant of her heart. Is your giving as fragrant as your heart?

Do you know how much you love Jesus?

Look at your giving.

Amen.