In Exodus 35, the Israelites worked to gather materials for the tabernacle. As they finalized the structure, they also brought forth offerings to the Lord. These offerings were not required, but “whoever [had] a willing heart" contributed (Ex. 35:5).
This concept of a willing heart is highlighted at least twice more in Exodus 35. Its repetition caused me to ponder...
Like the Israelites, we are encouraged to present offerings to our Heavenly Father.
But are we willing to present an offering?
You may be thinking, "if we are living our lives for Christ, isn't that enough of an offering?"
Well, let's take a deeper look. The Greek word for offer is “Prosféro”. This word has several different definitions, but the one that specifically stood out to me was “bringing”. To "prosféro", or "offer" something means you will bring it.
Therefore, an offering requires action.
Imagine a friend invites you over for dinner, and this friend is making a wonderful meal for you. The LEAST you could do is contribute a special dish. You don’t want to bring Ritz crackers or something average. You desire to make a delicious meal--one of your very favorite meals. So, you spend hours prepping and cooking in the kitchen. At the sound of the oven timer, your hard work is done. This dish is yours, and it is wonderful!
When you arrive at your friend’s house, you smell the wonderful aromas. This friend has blessed you so much. It is your turn to bless her back! You turn to grab your homemade dish, and to your dismay, you realize...... you forgot it at home! Your first reaction is to laugh at your own silliness, but then you firmly exclaim, “it was such a beautiful dish!”
Your friend laughs and replies, “I know it was wonderful! We didn’t need your dish, but I would’ve enjoyed it so much!”
You see, we can spend our whole lives cultivating beautiful offerings to the Lord, but an offering is void if you do not bring it to the receiver.
Our Receiver deserves life abundant and gifts galore.
Don’t forget to bring offerings to your Heavenly Father today. He doesn’t need it, but He deserves it. It will make Him glad!
