So I am currently reading through Deuteronomy in my Bible reading plan. This morning I went back to read a portion that I had read earlier in the week
The Festival of Harvest
Count off seven weeks from when you first begin to cut the grain at the time of harvest. Then celebrate the Festival of Harvest to honor the LORD your God. Bring him a voluntary offering in proportion to the blessings you have received from him. This is a time to celebrate before the LORD your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you.
 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, so be careful to obey all these decrees.
(Deuteronomy 16: 9-12 NLT)
I am struck by this thought:
The people were to bring a voluntary offering in proportion to the blessings they had received from God.
They were to question themselves & ask, “Had they received much or little?”. Then they were to give. Perhaps the New Testament equivalent of this is: “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” (2 Corinthians 9: 7 NLT). I cannot help but wonder if there is a direct correlation between our giving & our awareness of how blessed we truly are as a people.
Remembering….. who they once were, where they had come from & seeing all that they now, had produced in them hearts that were willing to give.
And so this morning, I find myself asking these two questions:
- How much do I perceive myself as “blessed”?
- Does that perception reflect in my giving?
I linked with The Weekend Brew and Still Saturday .
I just completed a study on the Beatitudes…oh how blessed we are. Your words inspire me to consider if my giving reflects how blessed I feel. Thank you for sharing your heart. Stopping in from Barbie’s. Blessings to you.
Dear Joanne
If we look at the portion the Lord asks us to give, we see that He wants us to celebrate with your children, servants, family, friends, and just about every needy one living amongst us! This is a celebration of thankfulness.
Blessings
Mia
Mia – You are so right. He wants us in community with others so that we can give to one another & celebrate together. So glad you shared that insight! You have blessed me!
Joanne
Such wonderful thoughts and questions!! They make me look closer at my own life. It is a priority for my husband and I to give as much as we can. We know that we are so richly blessed. And while I don’t necessarily mean monetarily (our richest blessings can’t be purchased), God has always provided us with what we need, and I am so deeply thankful!!! 🙂 ~ Have a blessed day!!
Amanda,
You are so right – some of the richest blessings can never be bought. Thank you for reading!
Enjoy the day,
Joanne