Giving back to our Lord should not be a burden, but a blessing. Exodus 25:1-8

 1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,

5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,

6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

Exodus 25:1-8

Moses goes up on the mount in Exodus 24, and in the next several chapters, he tells us what God told him. The conversation (25:1-8) began with, “Let’s take an offering”. This offering will be used for the purpose of constructing the Old Testament tabernacle. God, I suppose, could have miraculously built the building without the people or their offerings, but rather, in His wisdom, He gave them the opportunity and privilege of having a part in what He was doing.

Verse one says they were to give willingly, not grudgingly or half-heartedly, but joyfully.

Verse three says they were to give generously, not sparingly or cheaply, but appropriately.

Verse eight says they were to give expectantly, not blindly or ignorantly, but faithfully. (The Lord would dwell among them!)

How would the people have anything to give? (Exodus 11:2-3; 12:30-36) The Lord didn’t ask for something impossible from His people. He had already supplied the need before the offering!

Would the people give as the Lord requested of them? In Exodus 36:5-7, they were asked to stop giving because they had given all that was needed, and more.

Were the people blessed through their offerings? In Exodus 12:8, God promised to dwell among them. (Read Exodus 40:33-38)

Hasn't the Lord provided a means that we can also give? Do we give back to the Lord with thankful hearts for His goodness unto us?

When we come into the sanctuary that we feel the Lord has led us to be a part of, do we feel His presence in this place?

The offering plate gives us the opportunity to give back to the Lord who has given us so much, not only financially, but spiritually also.

Giving back to our Lord should not be a burden, but a blessing.