“Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.”
~ Exodus 25:2
Hi James and Ellen,
When the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals, kids where your dad and ma take you to on Sundays are collecting an offering, do you always put money in the collection plate, basket, container or bag as the collection plate, basket, container or bag is going by you? When the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids where your dad and ma take you to on Sundays collect an offering, do you see all the guys, gals and kids who are around you putting money in the collection plate, basket, container or bag as it is going by them? When the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids where your dad and ma take you to on Sundays collect an offering, how do you feel about putting some money in the collection plate, basket, container or bag as it is going by you? When the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids where your dad and ma take you to on Sundays collect an offering, would you like to keep the money that your dad and/or ma have given to you to put in the collection plate, basket, container or bag or are you happy to be able to put some money in the collection plate, basket, container or bag as it is going by you? When you are putting money in the plate, basket, container or bag in the place where a fellowship of Christ-follower guys, gals and kids meet, Who is the money supposedly being given to? When you are putting money into the collection plate, basket, container or bag in the place where your dad and ma take you to on Sundays, are you giving the money to the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids because you have been told that the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids really needs the money or are you giving the money back to God – as God is Who made it possible for you to have the money in the first place? When the offering was collected at the Christ-follower fellowships of guys, gals and kids where your grandmaa and grandpaa went to when your grandmaa and grandpaa were on the South America Mission field missionary team in Bolivia, all the guys, gals and kids would put in at least a centavo – which was worth less than a penny, into the collection basket when it went by them. When your grandmaa and grandpaa began their first furlough break in the United States, your grandmaa and grandpaa went to the Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids where your dad’s Uncle Dan and Aunt Glo went to. Because your grandpaa likes to sit in the back of the places where services of Christ-follower fellowships of guys, gals and kids meet, your grandpaa got to in the place where your dad’s Uncle Dan and Aunt Glo went to see the collection plate as it went by him. After having gone up and down a half a dozen or so pews that were filled with guys and gals, the collection plate when it went by where your grandpaa was sitting had absolutely nothing in it. Your grandpaa remembers thinking about how even the poorest kids in Bolivia would put in the collection plate, basket, container or bag at least a centavo when it went by them while no one in this Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids who had plenty of money put money into the collection plate. Exodus 25 has a verse that sums up the attitude that a guy, gal or kid should have when he or she gives an offering. Verse 2 says, ““Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.”
The operative words here are ‘if a guy’s heart prompts him’ he is to give something back to God what God has given to him. Do you give back to God some of what God has given you? Everything – including all the money and things that you have – and that every other guy, gal and kid has who is living on planet Earth, is all on loan from God. God owns everything. God distributes everything – including all the money and things that guys, gals and kids who are living on planet Earth have, according to the whims of the perfectly coordinated, choreographed plan that He designed for each guy, gal and kid who He has ever planted and will ever plant on planet Earth.
The time had arrived when God would literally live among a people group of guys and gals – the Israelite people group of guys and gals, who He had chosen to be His specially chosen guys and gals. The time took place over 3500 years ago. God had asked Moses to build Him a one of a kind sanctuary where only He would live. God expected this unique sanctuary to be built out of the things that He had entrusted His specially chosen guys and gals to take care of for Him – such as gold, silver and bronze things, royal blue and purple yarns that had been dyed from dyes that were derived from shellfish and royal scarlet yarn that had been dyed from a dye that was derived from the eggs and carcasses of a worm that attached itself to holly plants, finely woven linen made from flax straw, coarse, black goat hair from long haired goats, red dyed ram skins, sea cow hides and acacia wood, which – as their hearts were prompted, they would gladly return as offerings to Him. God also expected His specially chosen guys and gals to give to Him – as heart prompted offerings, olive oil for the seven pure gold lamps that would be permanent fixtures in God’s literal house on planet Earth, spices – which were made out of cinnamon, myrrh, a type of laurel, cane or pith from a reed plant root and cassia or dried cinnamon tree flowers, for the anointing oil and a fragrant incense – which was made from the gum resin center of hardened drops of myrrh, galbanum and onycha. God also expected His specially chosen guys and gals to gratefully give back to Him – as their hearts were prompted to do so, onyx stones and other kinds of gems which He wanted Moses to have mounted into the ephod and breastplate that the high priest was to wear when he made a personal visit into God’s earthly residence that was constructed for Him in the city of Jerusalem. What are your hearts prompting you to do with the stuff that God has already loaned you?
Exodus 25 (707)