What Does God Want Me To Give To Him?

What can you give to God?  You can't give a fortune, or build a monument or do some heroic deed- so what can you do for God that no one else can do?

"Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8.

GIVE PRAISE
Some translate this "as" give thanks.  There is some difference between thanks and praise but there is so much in common that they are almost the same; both are expressions of worship.

PROCLAIM
To proclaim is to tell, but not in confidence or in a little way; it means to shout it from the rooftops and to make everybody know.  It is to go out or go ahead with an open public announcement.

AMONG THE NATIONS
The Old Testament teaches that it was God's plan for His people to be a light to all nations.  He wanted them to communicate His truths to the world not just possess those truths.  Jesus brought this teaching into focus when he said, "You are the light of the world," (Matthew 5:14).

WHAT HE HAS DONE
We are to tell what he had done for mankind when He sent His Son to become sin on our stead and pay the price for our salvation and freedom from judgment.  We are to tell what He has done in our lives and how we were once lost and far from God but He has brought us near through his son.  We are to proclaim how we were wretched and broken and rejected but He gave us joy peace and acceptance.  When you receive salvation then you have a unique story to proclaim to the nations.

NAME
A name is primary, it is one of the first things we learn about a person, and one of the first questions we ask someone when we meet them.  A name is an identity.

We are to make His name known.  We proclaim Him not to boast about our lives but to boast about our Christ.  When we proclaim the Name of the Lord we are introducing someone to God.

Only you can give God your praise, thanksgiving, and worship; only you can proclaim what he has done for you.  This is a universal constant no matter what other things God may have in store for you this is one thing that the Bible is clear about.
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To learn more about finding salvation in Christ visit my other post.

(c) Adron 2/25/15

Is It Enough Just To Give to God? 1 Chronicles 21:24

How do we know what to give to God? Should it be a percentage, a set sum or is it that just the giving that is important?

"But King David replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that cost me nothing." I Chronicles 21:24 NIV*.

THE DESTROYING ANGEL
David's sin of pride caused the Lord to send a destroying angel to bring a plague through the land. David repented and at that spot David was going to make a sacrifice to the Lord. The spot was the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David asked Araunah for it and he offered it freely, but David replied, "No, I insist on paying the full price..."

SACRIFICE
Our worship must be truly our own. Not just some words we recite from a prayer book or sing the same old song but to be like David who would not sacrifice another's property or give what cost nothing. David's worship cost him something. A sacrifice that costs nothing is not a sacrifice. Our worship should not be cheap.

JESUS' SACRIFICE
The statement of David reflects Jesus' sacrifice on the cross years later where he would pay the full price for our sins. The sacrifice that brought us into fellowship with the Father was very costly- it cost his Son on the cross; we belittle or even mock it when we respond with stingy and easy service or worship! It is arrogant to complain about church service in light of Jesus' sacrifice as if our puny sacrifices compares!

OUR SACRIFICE
We should ask ourselves, "When was the last time we gave service to the Lord that really cost? When did our wallet hurt for the kingdom or when did we miss a meal for his service, or got just plain worn out for him? How often have we said this church job or that Christian service it too hard?" It is when we got to that point when sacrifice or worship begins.

GOD HONORED DAVID
The passage ends with, "He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering," verse 26-b. David honored God, and David's sacrifice was honored by the Lord. The plague was stopped, the angel put away his sword, and David got the answer from the Lord, and later the threshing floor became the site for the temple. God honors our sacrifices.

 To read this verse in other translations follow this link: Online Parallel Bible.

If you want to know more about how to become a Christian follow this link: Click Here.

(c)Adron Dozat 12/17/12

What Does the Bible Say About Giving?

We know we should be giving to God and charity. There are so many that ask for our contributions. What should we give and to who?  An ancient king may give us guidance.

"Besides in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple; three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlay of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work and all the work to be done. Now who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?"  Chronicles 29:3-5, NIV*. 

The quote above was when King David was dedicating his fortune to building the temple in Jerusalem.

DEVOTION
David sets an example of devotion.  It was a theme that ran throughout his life, and this generous giving to the building of the temple may be the result of a lifelong attitude and practice of giving. He was faithful in little and was given much. As king he could have levied a tax, or commanded nobles to give a percentage; instead, he sets an example and gives. He did not preach giving- he practiced giving. His devotion was not a religion, creed, system, but to a personal God that he loved.

WHAT HE GAVE
There is much disagreement as to the exact sums of the treasure given, both in measure and value. What is clear is that by any calculation is it was a lot. The gold and silver were above everything else he gave already; he gave and then gave some more. The gold of Ophir was thought to be the best and finest of gold mined in the times of David. This detail suggests his attitude of giving mandates the best not second best or the leftover.

CONSECRATE
To consecrate something has come to mean it is given for service to God. The ancient word for this refers to a full hand, the image is of generous giving in an outstretched hand without reserve. To consecrate yourself is to give yourself away to serving.  David's example of giving of material goods led to the challenge of giving not only material goods but one's self.

NOT JUST A QUESTION
David asked the leaders of the people, "...who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?" He did not command it and neither does God. God is asking us if are we willing to give ourselves to him, his service, his worship, his kingdom. We may give in the offering plate at church, or to charities, or many worthy causes but the better and nobler is to give ourselves to God. Adron

To learn more about coming to God follow this link: Click Here.

*To read this verse in another translation follow this link: Online Parallel Bible.

© Adron 11/28/12

Can God Live With Man?

Obed-Edom

What would happen if God lived in the guest room of my house? Would I have to make allowances for him or would he even be welcome at all?


"The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had." 1 Chronicles 13:14. NIV. *


WHY WAS THE ARK AT THE HOUSE OF OBED-EDOM?
The ark was supposed to be carried by the Levites but they put it on a cart instead. The oxen stumbled and a man reached out his hand to keep the ark from falling. Since the ark was holy God struck the man dead, and in fear the people of Israel took the ark to the house of Obed-Edom.


The point in this verse is clear. Obed-Edom received the ark and while it was with him the Lord blessed him. We do not have the ark today, but instead...

     * We have the Holy Spirit,
     * We have the promises of the Lord to be with us,
     * We have the Father holding us in His hand.

You might say we have something better than the Ark!

RECEIVED
Obed-Edom received the ark; it was a decision. He could have said "No, that is dangerous. I don't want it around my kids." Instead, he received the representation of the Lord and he was blessed.

The ark remained, with them. In the same way, we must allow Gods spirit to be welcome, maybe we have pushed him out the window while we do a little "sin." or we say to God, "You can live in my house on these days but on others, you stay in the garage," Or we say," You can come in but I keep the keys." Such attitudes are not allowing God to be welcome.

1 Chronicles 13:14

FAMILY
The ark was with the "family of Obed-Edom." We need to make the Lord part of our family. Serving God was a family affair for Obed-Edom. It wasn't just Dad's priest job. We should remind family members that God is with us and to behave in a respectful way.

A DOUBLE BLESSING
The blessing was double, it was "his household and everything he had." Who would not want God's double blessing? Obed-edom had it easy, he only needed to allow the ark into his family's home and make sure no one used it for a coffee table. We have God's Spirit living in us; a living relationship that needs attention, respect, communion, and basically a lot of work. If Obed-edom was doubly blessed in that distant time, how much more will God Bless us if we allow Him to come all the way in and stay unconditionally?


* To read other translations of this verse follow this link: 1 chronicles 13:14.

© Adron 11/19/12

The Lord Was With Him, But Who Was He? 1 Chronicles 9:20

You might say someone is talented, smart, or attractive; but nothing beats the statement made about the ancient gatekeeper, Phinehas.

 "In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him." 1 Chronicles 9:20. NIV.

What does the scripture mean when it says "The Lord was with him?" We know it means some blessing on Phinehas. Was the Lord like a companion to him? Was this ancient gatekeeper somehow more holy than the rest of us?

I AM WITH YOU
If a friend says "I am with you," it means he is supporting your cause or activity, or he agrees with your actions or ideas. If it gives courage and comfort to think our friends are with us, what if that friend is the Lord Almighty?

JUST PHINEAS
Phinehas was the chief doorkeeper, not a king or a prophet. It was a humble position in the community of the temple staff. He did not get to offer up sacrifices or prayers, he did not officiate any ceremonies or minister to the king, he was just a gatekeeper. In spite of the lowly position of gatekeeper Phinehas, son of Eleazar received the commendation that the Lord was with him.

GATEKEEPER
What is a "gatekeeper?" A gatekeeper did a lot of the menial tasks; such as cleaning up, locking doors, lighting lamps, sweeping floors, that is what today's gatekeepers do, we are ushers, nursery workers, building trustees, church janitors, and parking lot attendants. Even though our service is a meager one in the eyes of men it matters not to the Ruler of the Universe, He may still be with us.

GOD
Phineas must have been in tune with God. He must have had an ear to God's heartbeat, and meditated on God's laws and ways. No doubt he considered God his in decisions and made choices that were right by God's standard. He was careful to not do whatever offends God and thereby shut God out.

HUMBLE
Phineas stood outside the place of worship and held the door for others, yet he must have been inside in his heart. God does not come uninvited and Phineas maybe had a daily attitude of inviting God in. Perhaps opening the door for others to enter for worship was a model that he himself should have an open heart and invite God in. Perhaps in simple faith, Phineas just asked God to be with him.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have people say the Lord is with you?  May we all aspire to be like Phinehas.  Let's turn away from that which shut God out and keep open the door for the Lord to be with us.

(c)Adron Dozat 2/4/11