3rd December, 2023
Psalm 29:1-2
Reading:
1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
INTRODUCTION
Joke: A woman gave her daughter a 1 cedi bill and a 10 cedi bill. She told her she could put one in the offering during the collection of tithe and offering and keep the other for herself. At church, the Pastor stepped forward towards the pulpit and said God loves a cheerful giver. The girl said to herself ‘‘I knew I would be more cheerful if I gave 1 cedi, she gave 1 cedi instead of the 10 cedi bill.
The verses we read in Psalm 29:1-2 tell us to give unto the LORD. Three times the phrase is repeated, ‘‘Give unto the LORD’’ Giving to the LORD is an essential part of Christian life. Our God is a God who gives, and He calls His people to follow His example both in giving to others and also in giving back to Him. Proper Christian giving will result in proper Christian living.
Today, I want to teach you three things that all of us should give to the LORD.
(1) GIVE TO THE LORD WHAT YOU HAVE
Look at Psalm 29:1, ‘‘Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.’’ Who is told to give unto the LORD strength? The mighty. Give to the LORD your strength and might
We can apply this in other areas:
- You who are smart and have intellect and wisdom, give to the LORD your intelligence and wisdom.
- You who have riches and material possessions, give to the LORD your riches.
- You who have talents and abilities, give to the LORD your talents.
God doesn’t give us strength, wisdom, riches, and abilities so that we can boast or glory in them. He even says in Jeremiah 9:23 ‘‘Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:’’ God doesn’t give to us so that we can take the glory for what we have. NO, He gives us so that we can use what we have to give Him glory.
Proper giving starts with giving to the LORD what you have. For example, in 2 Corinthians 8, Paul was praising the churches of Macedonia for their giving. They were financially poor, yet they gave joyfully and willingly. In verse 5, he said, ‘‘And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the LORD, and unto us by the will of God.’’
They did not have so much money, but they said, ‘‘God, you can have everything we have. You can even have our lives.’’ O ye mighty, Give the LORD your might. O ye wise man. Give the LORD your wisdom, O ye rich man, Give to the LORD your riches, God wants us to give Him what we have.
(2) GIVE TO THE LORD YOUR BEST
Look at verse 2 of Psalm 29 ‘‘Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.’’ Give unto the LORD that which is owed to Him for who He is. Give to the LORD something that shows His worthiness. God is not pleased when we give Him a token 1 cedi we have left over.
In Malachi, God’s people had come back to Jerusalem after being in bondage in Babylon. God was not happy with them, He told them in chapter 1:6-8, ‘‘6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?’’ 7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. 8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.’’
We see how the priests were using dirty bread in their offerings to the LORD. They were offering the blind, lame, and sick animals as offerings to the LORD. They said it was a weariness to bring an offering to God. They gave to God because they felt like they were forced to, and so they gave to Him the very least that they could, God said, “…I have no pleasure in you,…” Malachi 1:10. God is not pleased when we offer Him our tokens. He is a great God and a great King, and He is worthy of our very best. It is an insult to give Him our leftovers while we hold on to the best for ourselves.
An illustration: Many people came to Jesus and said that they wanted to follow Him. They wanted to be His disciples. Jesus told them that if they wanted to be His disciples, they must count the cost. He said, ‘‘So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.’’ Luke 14:33. If you are not willing to give all to God, if you are not willing to give the best you have to God, you can not be His disciple. George Mueller said, “God judges what we give by what we keep.”
(3) GIVE TO THE LORD WHAT HE WANTS
In verse 2 of Psalm 29 ‘‘Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.’’ God wants things a certain way.
- God wants us to worship Him in holiness!
He tells us in 1 Peter 1:16, “…Be ye holy, for I am holy”. God tells us to separate from unclean things and ungodly influences so that we can be holy people to His praise, honor, and glory. Titus 2:14–15, says that God gave Himself for us: “14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”
Give God what He wants, He wants you to worship Him in holiness.
For example, in Psalm 51:16-19, God said, “He desirest not sacrifice”: “16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.” 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.”
The scripture says in 1 Samuel 15:22, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” This new year we are looking forward to, we should be ready to worship God in holiness.
- God wants a willing sacrifice.
God wants us to give not grudgingly or of necessity, not by force or compulsion, He wants a willing sacrifice. God loves a cheerful giver (2nd Corinthians 9:7).
Do you know that the more you give, the more God will give back to you? He sees our hearts if we give genuinely, sincerely or we give for our selfish interest. We should give not because of what we want from God, but we should be willing to give because of who God is and what He has done for us, without any shadow of doubt He is able to meet our needs and beyond.
Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” It is my prayer that this coming year, God will do more than what you think. God loves a cheerful giver.
CONCLUSION:
Give unto the LORD. Give Him what you have, give Him yourself. Give Him your best! Don’t give Him your leftovers. Give Him what He wants, not want you want to give Him. Give to please Him, and He will give you what will please you.
We always think of money, yes we cannot rule out money in our lives, but what if you don’t have money but you have peace, you have good health, you have Joy, you have His protection, and His provisions? Your wife and children are doing wonderfully well.
Thank God that He has blessed us with all this. PRAISE GOD FOR THIS.
Amen!!!