A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek
10 February 2024
Reading From Exodus 33-35
“Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering (he goes on the list all the materials needed to build the Tabernacle)
All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded
And everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord.”
Exodus 35:4, 10, 21-22
God loves a cheerful giver and in this passage of Exodus we see how giving makes the family of God sustainable.[1] The congregation of Israel was asked to give from their resources, time, skill and energy to make the Tabernacle go from plan to reality. God is supreme and has dynamic creative powers.[2] He could have spoken the portable house of worship into existence, but instead He chose to ask His people to come together to give and to work. The Lord works through people.
A few key observations here are that they gave from what they had and they did so because they were willing and their heart moved them. It wasn’t under compulsion.[3] They weren’t pressured by their religious leaders or coerced by political leaders through taxation. They gave as they were led to do so. Part of living in community with others, part of being a family is giving to one another so that everyone’s needs are met. It’s about not just being a consumer, but becoming a contributing member of the family.
These were people traveling in the desert carrying what they had with them and yet they gave generously to the work of the Lord. Even when the abundance God has blessed us with seems small, He can multiply what we give to meet and exceed the need. We see this later in Scripture with Elijah and the widow’s oil[4] and Jesus and the little boy’s lunch feeding thousands.[5] The Lord can take the great gift or the little bit we have given cheerfully and generously and use it to do amazing miracles.
“Thank You Lord for blessing Your children in every way. Make us truly grateful and generous with what we have. Show us how we can work together to accomplish Your work in all the Earth. Some people have a lot, some people have a little, but as our hearts are moved to do so, may we give willingly, cheerfully, over and above what is asked of us. Amen.”
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
–II Corinthians 9:7-8
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
–Malachi 3:10
[1] Malachai 3:10
[2] Colossians 1:16-20
[3] II Corinthians 9:7-15
[4] II Kings 4:1-7
[5] John 6:1-13
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
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