5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
This is giving at its finest. When we give ourselves first to God, then what flows out of that relationship is fruitful. I had a science teacher in 9th grade. He not only enjoyed science, but he was able to bring it alive. He cared not only about science, but about us. He wanted to be sure that we understood the material. It was personal to him if we did not grasp the lessons. He was invested in our learning. I had other teachers that same year who you could tell were just there for the paycheck. They were like robots, running through their lines of code. Questions from students were just interruptions to their timelines. Answers were barked quickly and then it was back to the rote lesson. The material was boring to them and it was boring to us. When our kids were small, we wanted them to accomplish certain tasks. We could tell the difference between their stubborn obedience and willful obedience. We preferred the willful obedience. When they gave themselves to the task, rather than the task taking them, they had a better attitude and it showed up in the final product. That is the way we are to be in our giving. If we tithe out of obligation or give because we feel forced to, then our giving will reflect our attitude. There will be no energy, no excitement, no real investment; it will just be money given. If on the other hand, out of gratitude for the abundant grace we have received, we give money to a cause, it won’t be just our money that gets given. We will end up at the homeless shelter or on the mission field in heart, mind and prayers. We will recognize that our money is our life encapsulated. We give our life to a job and the job gives us money in exchange. We can then give our life in paper form to others. But our money giving will not be enough. We will be with our money, giving, involved, caring, invested. That is what Paul means when he writes that they gave themselves first to the Lord. If the Lord has us, then He has every part of us, including our money. How much of you does the Lord have?
The Arnold Journey 