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

What Is The Key To Solving Problems? Zechariah 4: 6

What does the Bible say about solving personal problems? We all have problems such as debts, woes, worries, and fears. We try different things like education, money, bigger guns, or a louder voice, but nothing works.

"So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, 'Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.'" Zechariah 4: 6, NIV.  (Link to See other Translations).

The quote above is from the vision of the Prophet Zechariah, in which he is given a message for the governor of Jerusalem to not lose heart in rebuilding the destroyed temple. It was an awesome and overwhelming project, opposed by the enemies of Israel and discouraging since it had been languishing for forty years.

THE WORD OF THE LORD
The word may not seem like much to go on. We would rather trust in might and power, but the word of God is trustworthy. God always keeps his word and never breaks a promise. The prophet's statement implies that the Word of the Lord is not only instruction but also God's promise. It is an echo of the Genesis account, where God performed acts of creation by speaking the universe into existence.

MIGHT AND POWER
As Governor Zerubbabel would have understood, might and power were essential to ruling a city or nation. We seek our own might and power; we look for the strongest, smartest, and most advanced thing to solve our problems. God has a different way he wants us to allow his Spirit.

MY SPIRIT
God's Spirit is not something we cannot see or feel. We turn from what we can do to fix our problem to faith in God. His Spirit is not a force or positive influence, but God speaks here of his personal divine self. "My Spirit" is God saying he is the one, not us, so we must do away with our efforts and allow God to build.

SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY
We need to remember the source—this is the word spoken by the Lord Almighty, the all-powerful, all-controlling, all-loving, all-knowing creator and sustainer of the universe who holds every molecule together. He is not random but deliberate in his actions and has a loving plan.

The building's completion was a guarantee. Zerubbabel needed to believe God and trust in his word, for God said it would happen. For our problems, we need to remember that God gives us many promises in His Word, the Bible. We need to trust God, believe his Word, and allow his Spirit to work.

© Adron 11/20/12

How to Become a Prophet, What The Bible Teaches 1 Samuel 3:9

The Bible says to desire the higher gifts like the gift of prophecy. What instruction does the Bible give on how to become a prophet?

"So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you say, speak Lord, for your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9, NIV.

This may be the primary verse directed to a prophet on prophet training.

Samuel was a boy living in the tabernacle, where the people of Israel would worship and sacrifice to God. He heard a voice waking him calling his name in the night. He goes to the high priest who sends him back to bed; but the third time Eli realizes God is calling to Samuel and Eli gives Samuel the crash course in being a prophet, the only such instructions in the Bible.

THE PLACE OF TRAINING:
It is significant that Samuel lived in the tabernacle, the place of worship and service since it is in the place of worship that we are readied to develop the gifts that God gives us; for the ultimate purpose of our spiritual gifts are to worship and serve God

THE PRAYER:
Eli's instruction was essentially a prayer. Prayer is critical to seeking anything from God, more so if it is a spiritual gift. We need to pray and ask again and again for the gift, if we truly desire it we must persist in prayer.

LORDSHIP:

What Does The Bible Say About Becoming A Prophet

"Speak Lord." We must be obedient to God. Jesus put it this way, "Why call me Lord Lord and do not do the things I say?" (Luke 6:46).  If we are not obedient to the former we cannot expect the next blessing.

SERVANT:
The purpose of the gift is not to promote yourself but service, all the spiritual gifts are for service to God and to his church.

LISTENING:
In today's world, we do not listen.  We don't listen to each other or to God. We need to take moments daily and stop and listen to what God has for us.

• Some people practice a discipline of silence in prayer as part of their daily worship; it is a time of quiet waiting for God to speak. 
• Some people read their Bibles with the attitude and expectation that God can and will speak to them through his Word. 
• Some people have an attitude of listening throughout the day where a conversation is lived out with God.
• Some people take time in their day when to stop their busyness to wait quietly and ask God to speak to them.

Books have been written on the spiritual gift of prophecy but the Bible says little about it because God is not a God of living by the recipe but a God of relationships; we must each find God's will for us personally.

(c) Adron 6/16/12

The Poet's Desire. Psalm 27:4

The ancient poet David wrote a prayer. It sought out his deepest well of inspiration and brightest source of insight and sums up all other prayers.

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 NIV.

David asked this “one thing,” his crucial goal above all others; the focus and purpose of all his being. Of all that we seek in life, this is primary, and many seek it without knowing it.

To “dwell” is to inhabit, reside, or stay in a place. He wanted to dwell with God, to live with God, making God his home. He wanted to stay and not drift away from God. One wonders what “house of the Lord” means since this psalm was written before Solomon built the temple. A house can be the people who are part of that house, and David wanted to be one of the people of God.

David wanted a permanent residence with God. He wanted God for “all the days of his life.” Not just during his prime or golden years but starting now and going on and on.

He was enthralled with God and said, “To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” To gaze is to fix your eyes on something, to look intently. It is like he wanted to be filled up with looking at God. He found the Lord to be beautiful, not a God of “thou shall not do this or that,” but a beautiful God. This is not the discovery of a casual acquaintance with God.

He wanted to go deep with God, to “seek Him in his temple.” He was not satisfied with what he knew of God; he wanted more, he dedicated himself to searching for God. He was not just opening his Bible for a few minutes in the odd leftovers of his day, but he was searching with commitment and discipline.

This poetic verse expresses a deep desire to know God. Here, David speaks in faith about things in the future as if they were visible, and by faith, we can find God, too. May this verse be our prayer, and let us remember it when we question the very purpose of life.

(c) Adron 6/30/10