OFFERINGS

Gifts from the heart that are done freely and with no conditions. Most often perhaps associated with giving in a church.

But in a broader scope I think it involves other than just money or in a church. It is about the way we cling in faith to see all we have as the Lord's.

I marvel at the people who make giving such a big deal, but only keep it related to their tithes. They got home to their luxuries and act like, this is mine and god is not going to touch it.

Oh they will of their time and resources, but with a certain degree of complaint. Never the type to enjoy such activities.

And they will never treat their belongings as a source of offering. Not unless you can get a receipt for tax purposes.

I think god is concerned more with the nature of our heart. How we regard what he has given us.

We can so easily get caught up wanting to keep our possessions itemized in terms of what we seek as ours. But that is not God's ways.

He sees it differently. And he will test our heart in that regard. Really does have the ability to pick out the one thing we have as god and make it slip from our fingers.

There is no sin in having things. But as long as we maintain the right attitude towards them. Which is easy to give lip service and not mean.

How often that is a situation where we all fail the test. It is just so easy to think this is just for us.

And God knows that nature in our souls. Which is why he tries to give us challenges to see that we shouldn't let such things control us.

However, no matter how many times this happens, we do still trouble truly embracing it as the lord would want. Only because we are human.

And fortunately God does know this. Which is why he is long suffering with us. And hopefully sooner or later we take the hint.

But it doesn't mean we always do. Which is why there are occasions when we will still have the problem come up.

Because despite our words, in our spirits we might still be clinging to the choices to keep our toys. Which happens to often.