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Psalm 96: 8, 9 (NIV)
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his
name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the
splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
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| The offering isn’t the least spiritual part of the church service – it’s an act of worship that tangibly expresses our love for the Lord.* |
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The author of these verses exhorts us to give God the glory
due his name – and I have to wonder if we are capable. The best we can do is to
do our best. The Lord knows when our praise is our sincerest offering.
And speaking of offering, our psalmist wants us to bring one
of those to the Lord as well.
If you read the Old Testament, you will learn something
about God’s expectations when it comes to offerings. He didn’t leave it up to
each individual to decide how much to give. It wasn’t enough to give a tithe
(10%) of everything – you had to give him the best. Defective sacrifices were
not allowed. He commanded sacrifice and he expected generosity.
While there are no specific provisions in the New Testament
for how much to give, let me remind you that the God of the Old Testament is
the same God in the New. If he expected sacrifice, generosity, and the best
then, there’s no reason to believe he wants any less from us today.
Furthermore, this passage speaks of worshipping the Lord in the splendor of his
holiness – and how dare we not give whole-heartedly to the one before whom all
the earth trembles?
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| Does God expect His New Covenant children to give less or more? Jesus raised the spiritual bar; He never lowered it.* |
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