Common Giving
I believe that giving is a response to gratitude. If I’m really grateful, my giving reflects that. I believe givers are special to the Lord because He is the Ultimate Giver. He gave is One and ONLY Son so that we could have eternal life and direct access to Him.
Under the old law, the Priests were chosen and set apart for direct connection to the Lord. There was a lot of sacred ritual involved. The Levites were to do the work of the Tabernacle and the festivals for the Lord. They were recipients of the holy gifts given to the Lord. They did not receive land, but they were well taken care of with their every need. Check this out…
25 The Lord also told Moses, 26 “Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the Lord as a sacred offering. 27 The Lord will consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress. 28 You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the Lord. This is the Lord’s sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest. 29 Be sure to give to the Lord the best portions of the gifts given to you. 32 You will not be considered guilty for accepting the Lord’s tithes if you give the best portion to the priests. But be careful not to treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common. If you do, you will die.” (Numbers 18:25-29,32 NLT)
The Levites were given lots of gifts from the people, but they were responsible with their own personal giving from the blessings of the people. I remember hearing as a young boy, that “you can’t out give God”. God loves givers, because that is so His Heart. Paul reminds us in the New Testament that God loves givers. Check this out…
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT)
Givers are grateful because they recognize that it was NEVER really theirs to begin with. All good gifts and blessing come from The Lord. He trusts us to manage the gifts He give. All I have is His, but He gives generously to me. I need to continually count my blessings from the Lord and give Him the glory for them. He is the Source for anything in me and from me that is good. I must never treat the blessings from Him as common. He is anything but common. He is Extraordinary and Amazing with His blessing. I would be wise to notice Him in everything I see and know. I want to be uncommonly generous. I want to be uncommonly good and kind. I want to be uncommonly grateful to Him.
Pressing On!
Dwayne