WHY WE GIVE: OFFERINGS APRIL 23, 2023

SCRIPTURE

Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God Himself! Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble. And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for His holy Temple. I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?” Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold, 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy. Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may You be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from You alone, for You rule over everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and at Your discretion people are made great and given strength. 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! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor Your holy name comes from You! It all belongs to You! I know, my God, that You examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched Your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously. O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make Your people always want to obey You. See to it that their love for You never changes. Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all Your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.” Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the King. 1 Chronicles 29:1-20, NLT

TYPES OF OFFERINGS

1/ Israel gave tithes.

2/ Israel gave sacrifices.

3/ Israel gave freewill offerings.

DAVID’S EXAMPLE OF GENEROSITY

1/ First, David made a kingdom contribution.

2/ Second, David made a personal contribution.

3/ Third, the leaders made personal contributions.

4/ And last, the people made personal contributions.

SEVEN ELEMENTS OF OFFERINGS

1/ David acknowledges the offerings are for the Lord.

2/ David acknowledges the offerings are for the next generation.

3/ David acknowledges the need for a pure heart when giving offerings.

4/ David acknowledges Israel’s history as he plans for their future.

5/ David acknowledges that the people gave freely and wholeheartedly.

6/ David acknowledges the joy that comes from giving offerings.

7/ David acknowledges giving offerings is tied to worship.

AN OPPORTUNITY

In 2023, we will intensify our focus to pay off the Children’s Center Renovation.

In 2024, our attention will shift to the Ashland Road Land.

Giving can be done in person, at clcolumbia.com/give, or text to 803-302-3032.

Keyword is CCR.