The Forgotten Secret of Christian Giving I Chronicles 29:14-17

 

David is an old man about to die. But God has given him a great vision. It is the dream of building a magnificent temple for the worship of Almighty God. It will be the grandest building ever constructed. His fondest dream to is honor his God by building that palatial structure.

But God has other plans. We pick up the story in 1 Chronicles 28:2-3.

King David rose to his feet and said: ‘‘Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’

David had the dream but because his hands were dripping with blood, God would not allow him to build the temple. It must be built by a man of peace. God chose Solomon instead. So in verses 9-10 David charges Solomon to seek the Lord with his whole heart because the Lord searches every heart and every thought of the mind. In verse 1 of ch 29 David said to the people ‘My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God.”

In essence he says there are two problems:

1. Solomon is too young.

2. The task is too great.

Without God’s help the project is impossible.

The King; David set a good example by giving for the project then he called the leaders to follow the example and they gave willingly for the project of the temple.

Notice two points in verse 9. First, they gave “freely.” That means there was no pressure. Second, they gave “wholeheartedly.” That means there was no limit. The same two signs may be found today whenever God’s Spirit is moving. People will give freely and won’t have to be pressured, enticed or intimidated. And they will give without limit to the work of the Lord. The next few verses record a psalm of praise composed by David on the spot. In verse 12 he reveals the secret of generous giving: “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.” The details now follow from vs 14 to 17.

a. So David blessed the LORD before all the assembly: The generous giving made David rejoice and praise God. It wasn’t for the sake of the wealth itself, but because it demonstrated that the hearts of the people were really interested in God and in His house.

b. Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever: This is the first time in the Bible that God is addressed directly as a Father over His people.

c. Both riches and honor come from You: David could say this as a man who had a life full of both riches and honor. David knew that those things came from God and not from himself.

 

d. Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? David knew that both the ability and the heart to give were themselves gifts from God. He was actually humbled by having such a heart to give, both in himself and in the people of Israel as a group.

 

David says the people gave generously because they understood that everything they had came from God. In a sense, they were only giving back to God what he had given them in the first place. That’s why the people were able to give “willingly” and with so much joy. Generous giving is not difficult when we understand that everything we have comes from God.

All that we are and all that we have comes from God. Everything is a gift. Nothing is earned, everything is given.

Your life is a gift

Your health is a gift

Your career is a gift

Your intelligence is a gift

Your strength is a gift

Your personality is a gift

Your children are a gift

Your friendships are a gift

Your possessions are a gift

Your accomplishments are a gift

Your wealth is a gift.

You own nothing. Everything you have is on loan from God. He gives it to you for a little while and says, “Take care of it.” We hold on tight because we think it all belongs to us. Sooner or later we’ll understand that it doesn’t belong to us … and it never did. We are like little children holding so tightly to a few borrowed marbles. We grip them in our palm because we’re afraid of losing them. But sooner or later God himself begins to pry the marbles out of our hand. One by one he pulls our fingers off the things we think are ours. We may fight back, but he is stronger and he always wins. In the end he takes back that which belongs to him in the first place.

The Bible warns us over and over about the seductive power of money. First Timothy 6:10 reminds us that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” The love of money corrupts us in so many ways. It makes us selfish, greedy, and envious. It causes us to forget our friends, trample on our co-workers, neglect our children, and ignore our wives. It seduces us with the promise of happiness, but then delivers nothing at all.

All that we are building here in Mount Zion Boko will one day crumble to the dust. Everything built by man must disappear. Nothing lasts forever. Then why build at all? If we seek immortality through bricks and mortar, we have deceived ourselves. This building project was never about the building, and it was never about the money. That was always secondary to providing ways for us to minister more effectively to the people God sends us. Buildings are ministry tools to allow us to help people meet Jesus and grow in him. All that remains of Solomon’s temple is the record of the love and sacrifice of the people who built it 3,000 years ago. That record will stand for eternity. The same is true for us. God records our faith and our love and our sacrifice. What we build will not last, but God will remember forever what we have done and why we have done it. And so we give gladly and freely to see the church move forward by faith.

When we give generously, we’re saying, “Lord, it’s all yours anyway.”

When we give generously, we’re investing in the Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

When we give generously, we are declaring, “There’s a lot more where that came from.”

When we given generously, we’re laying up treasures in heaven.

There is nothing we have given to God except what He has given to us. Romans 11:35 says “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” We need to understand that God is the source, the means, and the goal of all things.