The Offering
When Moses returned, he told the people what he had seen and heard, and the very first instruction concerned the Lord's offering. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 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” (Exod. 25.1-2).
For the work of God and for His Sanctuary, God will not accept any offering that is given by pressure, by compulsion or from a wrong motive. I ask you: Do you know the secret of giving to God all that you have, joyfully, cheerfully, and without holding anything back? Do you know how to give God your very best?
Some time ago, a man came to me and said to me, ‘Can you help my son? I have tried to educate him, but he has failed for so many years. I have tried to teach him some profession, driving, tailoring or engineering, but he is no good. Let him become a preacher.’ That is what people think. If their sons or daughters are very clever, they will pray: ' O God, we want our boy to be a doctor, or a lawyer. ‘But when the boy is no good they will say:’ Lord, I give him for Thy service. Because he has failed Matriculation, let him work for Thee. ‘You want your clever boys and girls to make progress in this world, but of those who are no good, you say: ' Let them become preachers.’ If that is how you reason, you have never yet learned the joy of giving to God the very best. Can you tell me of a greater joy than that of serving God? Those who know how to serve God are the most highly honoured of men. In fact the highest honour that anyone can have is to serve God. What we give to God is never wasted, whether it be money or time or energy or children! What is more, we get manifold more than all we can ever give. Yet how miserly we all are when we come to give to God.
God said ‘I want only a willing offering. Whether you bring gold, or silver, or brass, or shittim wood, or blue, or purple, or scarlet—whatsoever it be, it must be given joyfully and cheerfully’. There is a secret hidden here. It is the secret of the willing heart that gives its best to God. If you really want to do any service in the House of God, whether it be praying, or teaching, or visiting, or any other form of service, you must do it joyfully and cheerfully.
Sometimes a cow, whose calf has died, will not let itself be milked. It is necessary then to deceive it by taking the skin of the calf, filling it with straw and bringing it before the cow, who starts licking the calf. While it is quiet the milkman is able to draw the milk because the cow has been deceived. Many Christians are deceived in this way. They will not give money to the work of God unless some deception is practised on them, and there are plenty of people ready enough to do that. So by devious means it is dragged from them.
Never think that God wants for His work money for which you beg or which you have to get by compulsion. Such money God will never use. Men may accept it, but God will never do so. He will only abhor it, for it is a willing, joyful offering that God wants. As you are constrained by the Holy Spirit, so you must give. Those who do otherwise cannot learn the true meaning of the House of God. God will not touch even a pice which is brought by compulsion.
The 21st chapter of Revelation tells us about the New Creation which is to take the place of the old. John the Apostle saw the new heavens and a new earth, and he saw the Holy City coming down out of heaven from God. That City speaks of the New Creation in its fullness and it is all of pure gold.
I have already told you that we are having a part now upon this earth in the New Creation. When God was making the earth, he said: ‘Let it be so’, and it was so. In this way He went on speaking and everything was created. That was the old creation and, through man's sin, that came under the curse. But in the New Creation in Christ there is a difference, for we have a share in it. It is with the material that we give to God now that He is building that New Creation.
In 1 Corinthians 3.9-15 Paul makes this very clear. We are God's husbandry, God's field, and God's co-labourers. We are God's building. Moreover the foundation of the building is the Lord Jesus Christ, and upon that foundation is being constructed the building that is God's New Creation. God says to us: ‘Will you bring gold, or silver, or brass, or will you bring wood, or hay, or stubble for your building?’ Those who bring their own natural gifts, wood, hay or stubble, will live to see what they have built burnt down. But those who bring gold or silver or brass—the glories of Christ—will see, in that day, what they have built shining yet more brightly.
There is a Day coming in which God will test our works, our deeds, our preaching, our teaching, our workship—everything, by fire. If your preaching, your teaching, your prayers, your charity are according to the will of God, then you will see what has been built standing the test. But that which is built of wood, hay or stubble will be burnt up. Once a very wealthy lady, who was a good Christian, dreamed that she went to heaven. There among many beautiful mansions, she saw a particularly grand mansion in one corner. Seeing an angel she enquired to whom the mansion belonged, and he told her that it belonged to her serving-maid, who washed her vessels and made her fire every day. When she heard this, she felt very happy, and said to herself: ‘If my servant woman has such a big mansion, then mine must be even greater’. A little further on she saw a hut, and asked to whom that belonged. ‘Madam, that belongs to you,’ said the angel.
She was so angry. ‘That is not just,’ she cried, ‘you are giving my servant, who cannot even read, such a big mansion, and the building you have for me is just a small hut of straw. Why is that?’ And the angel said to her, ‘Madam, we are only building with the material which is sent to us from earth. That woman is sending us gold and silver, and with such material we are building that mansion. You are sending us only wood, hay and stubble and with it we are only able to build a hut.’ Then she said: “But I have given thousands of rupees to charity. I attend Worship every Sunday and I am on all the Committees. Every Christmas Day I give large gifts. I built that Hospital, that School Hall. How can you say I am only sending wood, hay and stubble?” And the angel told her: ‘You are doing everything before the eyes of men; you are not serving God. You are doing all these things in order to be regarded as a great woman, and to get a name for yourself. That poor woman, she is only your servant, but look and see how faithfully she serves you, and how she prays day and night for your family, and for every guest that comes into your house. Because of her prayers many souls have been saved. You, however, can only talk and talk of your fowl curry, and have no thought for God's message’ In this way all that you are doing is to give hay and straw to God’.