O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!  1 Chronicles 29:13-14, NLT

It's always a joy to study the Bible with individuals who are seeking to deepen their walk with God and particularly those who are preparing for baptism.  In a recent Bible study about the Holy Spirit's role in our lives, the topic of spiritual gifts came into focus.  At one point in the conversation, one of the participants had a light-bulb moment and concluded:  These gifts are from the Spirit, which means our ability to serve God actually comes from God!  Simple truth, but don't let its significance rush past you.  It's a principle that applies not just to the giving of our talents for God's service but also the giving of our time, treasure, and fill-in-the-blank.  Like David affirms in 1 Chronicles 29:14, everything we have comes from God, and we give Him "only what [He] first gave us!"  If all we give TO God is really FROM Him in the first place, then there's no room for boasting or pride.  Only gratitude, humility, and joyful surrender to the God who gives to us first.

A GRATEFUL OFFERING

Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13, NKJV

In 1 Chronicles 29, we find King David's long tenure as ruler of Israel coming to an end.  As he prepares to handoff the baton to his son Solomon, what's uppermost on his heart is the dream of constructing a temple, honoring the King of Kings with a worthy place of worship.  By this time, David himself has already invested a lot of effort and resources to ensure this building project can proceed, and according to verses 6-9, the people of Israel respond in kind.  All through the ranks, an overwhelming spirit of generosity moves God's people to give, and give, and give again.  That's when David lifts up his voice to God on behalf of the people, he first acknowledges who God is, who God is to us, and what really belongs to Him (vv. 10-12).  I love the fact that David prays with a voice of thanks and praise in this moment because it reveals that the tone of their offering is not grumbling.  It's gratitude.

Maybe you can remember a time when what you've given to God felt more like a pain than a privilege.  Sometimes the time we invest to serve in a ministry or treasure we set aside for His cause can feel like a burden.  But David's gratitude here reminds us that it's truly a blessing that we can praise and thank God for.  And that gratitude stems from knowing it's all His in the first place.

A HUMBLE OFFERING

But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? 1 Chronicles 29:14a, NLT

After expressing gratitude to God, David expresses a question of deep humility before God:  But who am I, and who are my people...?  David may be a king, and Israel may be a chosen nation, but really there's nothing about their status or ability that makes their gifts of service or sacrifice anything special.  Nor do their abundant gifts demand that God pay special attention to them.  When we realize that everything we offer to God has come from Him in the first place, it guards us from a this-for-that, transactional relationship with God so 

we can serve as a response to who He is rather than with an expectation of what we'll get in return.

It also squelches the tendency to make a show of our service or sacrifice as if those gifts could exalt our own glory rather than God's.  Whenever we give -- of our time, talents, or treasure -- it's our privilege to glorify God and lay self to the dust.

A WILLING OFFERING

But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? 1 Chronicles 29:14a, NKJV

Outside of this question in 1 Chronicles 29:14, the word "willingly" appears 5 other times of this chapter in the NKJV (vv. 6, 9, 17).  Apparently, it was important for the Bible writer to emphasize that this special move of generosity among God's people was not a dutiful response to an earthly king's demand but instead a willing, joyful response to God's goodness.  In giving to the Lord, the people "rejoiced" because their offerings came from a "loyal heart" (v. 9).  And this is how it should be any time we give of ourselves to God.  Whether we're giving of our material goods or personal effort, whether we're giving of our savings or our schedules, we can give willingly because we know that God has graciously provided that capital to us in the first place.  

If we find ourselves dragging our feet to serve or sacrifice for God, it may be that we've lost sight of the God who has provided and always will provide for all our needs.  

The more we remind ourselves that God is the Source of our temporal, spiritual, and material resources, the more we can let Him deliver us from the habit of hoarding and withholding.  As we cultivate a loyal heart to Him, He will grow in us the joyful heart that freely gives because we have freely received (cf. Mt. 10:8).

As we wrap this up, let me just take a slight detour and slip in a shoutout to those who volunteer your time and energy to serve in ministry in our church family.  Over the last several weeks, our Ministry Placement Team has been praying through the various ministry roles of our church and who God may be leading to use their unique spiritual gifts in different ways.  I have come away from those conversations overwhelmed with the reality that so many people give of themselves in so many ways.  Sometimes up front, most times behind-the-scenes, and always for the glory of God. Your example of willing service that comes from a loyal heart is truly a reason to rejoice.  So thank you to all our ministry leaders, team members, and volunteers.  It's my prayer that you would continue to experience the joy of offering willingly your time, talents, and treasure for God's glory as you continually receive of God's bounty.