This is the time of year for bargains! As soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers are put away, we begin to be thankful for the sales that come on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
King David was offered a bargain when he approached Araunah to use his land for an offering (see 1 Chronicles 21). Araunah, who owned the desired threshing floor, proposed, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him.” And then he threw in the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing implement for firewood, and wheat for a grain offering.
We are always looking for a bargain, so this might sound good to us. We might even think, “Oh, how nice of him. I can now make my ‘sacrifice’ to the Lord for free!” But King David, a man after God’s own heart, replied that he wouldn’t offer to the Lord that which cost him nothing.
In reality, it is the time of year for giving. As soon as the sales start to appear, our mailboxes begin to fill with year-end appeals. As we sift through the stacks of compassionate appeals, our bargain-hunting hearts become conflicted. Our resolve to obey the almighty budget and keep costs down puts a damper on our desire to give as unto the Lord. Our offerings get tucked into our budget, and our donations—if there are any—are ones that we can well afford.
What if we had a heart like David and refused to give an offering that cost us nothing? Our giving would be transformed. Our gifts would be generous! It would be as Oxford dictionary defines the word: “larger or more plentiful than usual or necessary.” A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25).
—by Merilyn Lauffer, director for donor relations, U.S. Alliance.