LIFE SCRIPTS

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
Exodus 25:1‭-‬9 NIV

https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.25.1-9.NIV.

Offering to God is less about the gift and more about the heart (verse 2). God’s instructions to Moses were clear: to let each Israelite give what their heart had led them to give. No coercion, no cajoling or tricking of people. People were to give out of a relationship they cherished with God. During the COVID-19 pandemic when churches were shut down, I once heard a pastor telecasting a message to her congregants asking them not to stop giving to the church. What caught my attention wasn’t the message itself but whether the pastor addressed the hearts of her congregants. As we all know, this pandemic rendered many jobless. It would have been more prudent to check on the welfare of congregants first..to pray with them and to be a blessing where necessary before asking them to search their hearts and give what they felt led to give. Giving is not an end. Our relationship with God is. If that’s the case, then giving is a result of that relationship. It shouldn’t be coerced. It’ll flow naturally. The following verses highlight the types of gifts the Israelites were to bring to Moses. These included diverse plant or animal based dyes, precious stones, gold, silver, oil, skins, fine linen. Some of these gifts couldn’t be obtained easily. They required specialised effort, input and skills. They were valuable. God requires us not just to give but to give something that’s of value to us. For someone to give out his gold, he would have to take out all of it from the reserves and stocks he had. An asset of great value. Yet God wasn’t coercing people to give but was asking them to do so after searching their hearts. The most sacrificial giving comes out of the heart of one who values the One he’s giving to. God is asking us whether we value Him…if so, then giving even the most valuable wouldn’t be an issue…supporting needy ministers of the gospel, widows, orphans, the poor would flow out of us…it’ll amaze and surprise others in a great way. God was calling upon His people to provide gifts for the construction of His sanctuary…the ultimate goal. God would dwell among His people and this would be a symbol of the same.