There is a beautiful story in the Holy Bible about the visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon. The Queen heard of the wisdom of King Solomon, the house that he built, the sumptuous feast that he serves daily to his guests, visitors, and officers of his court and the house of the LORD he built. She was deeply astounded by the vast wealth of King Solomon, his wisdom and understanding, and the greatly ostentatious ministers in his court. The Holy Bible records “there was no more spirit in her” (11 Chronicles Chronicles 9:4c. Read 11Chronicles 9:1-9). Verse 9 reads “And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. The king was greatly pleased by the appreciation of the queen and her honest and open wonderment of his wisdom and understanding and power as well as of the gifts she gave him. He responded with much appreciation with the bestowal of “And the king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants” (11 Chro 9:12).
This beautiful story portrays and illustrates why we bring offerings to God in our worship. There is no command to do so. The story tells that the giving of offerings to God in our worship is “built in” in us when God created us in “His own image and likeness” and when He breathed the breath of life in his nostrils and man becomes a living soul.” God always gives of Himself to man because He enjoys fellowship with man. God gives in “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). Pre-Mosaic people have been giving gifts to God when they worship God. They do this under deep conviction that God is pleased, that the gifts are not to extract rewards and favor of God, or to force God to recompense. They practice is to affirm God’s ownership of all His creation over which he gives man the authority and power to govern (Ps 8 and Ps 24, Gen 1:28).
So Abel brought his offerings to worship God. Abraham, returning victorious in war against the kings led by Chedarlaomer, brought tithes of all his booties to the high priest of the Most High God, Melchizedic. Let us honor God in our worship with our offerings of our lives, talents, possessions and time. Let us do it as our
“living sacrifice, holy, pleasing, and acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1) Let us do it with all of our hearts, with all of our strength, with all of our minds … and love our neighbors as ourselves” (Luke 10:27)
Let us be together and united in building the kingdom God in the hearts of men. Let us bring and give our gifts not because we have to but because we ought to
in affirmation that God has blessed us according to his “riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Let us bring our gifts until our Pastors tell us to stop bringing gifts because we already have more than enough.
This beautiful story portrays and illustrates why we bring offerings to God in our worship. There is no command to do so. The story tells that the giving of offerings to God in our worship is “built in” in us when God created us in “His own image and likeness” and when He breathed the breath of life in his nostrils and man becomes a living soul.” God always gives of Himself to man because He enjoys fellowship with man. God gives in “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). Pre-Mosaic people have been giving gifts to God when they worship God. They do this under deep conviction that God is pleased, that the gifts are not to extract rewards and favor of God, or to force God to recompense. They practice is to affirm God’s ownership of all His creation over which he gives man the authority and power to govern (Ps 8 and Ps 24, Gen 1:28).
So Abel brought his offerings to worship God. Abraham, returning victorious in war against the kings led by Chedarlaomer, brought tithes of all his booties to the high priest of the Most High God, Melchizedic. Let us honor God in our worship with our offerings of our lives, talents, possessions and time. Let us do it as our
“living sacrifice, holy, pleasing, and acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1) Let us do it with all of our hearts, with all of our strength, with all of our minds … and love our neighbors as ourselves” (Luke 10:27)
Let us be together and united in building the kingdom God in the hearts of men. Let us bring and give our gifts not because we have to but because we ought to
in affirmation that God has blessed us according to his “riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Let us bring our gifts until our Pastors tell us to stop bringing gifts because we already have more than enough.
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