The Midday Cafe
Some Of The Mid Day's Good News:
Of Your Own We Give
But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.
1 Chronicles 29:14
In churches that follow The Book of Common Prayer, when it comes time to collect the congregation’s financial offerings, the leader chooses from several suggested verses to recite. A frequently used invitation to worship by giving is from 1 Chronicles 29:14: “For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee” (KJV).
The context of that verse in First Chronicles is striking. King David is praying following the overwhelmingly generous offering of Israel’s leaders, including David himself, to fund the building of the temple. As David prays, he becomes forcefully aware that the people’s ability to give is because God had first given to them. They were only giving to God what was already His: “and of Your own we have given You.” When we give to God, we don’t give from our own to Him; we give from His own that which He gave to us.
God owns everything—including all that we have. What impact should that have on our use of time, talent, and treasure?
The steward needs an open hand to receive from God and then an active hand
to give to God and to others.
Murray J. Harris
