GIVING - Is part of our worship

Alright doer - keep it up! Hopefully your relationship with God has been growing and you feel His leading in your life. Keep pressing into His Word. Pursue Him faithfully and often in prayer. Rub shoulders with other believers through fellowship and keep one another sharp. Praise God boldly for who He is and what He has done.

Word of warning doers: God does not just want our actions. He wants our heart. Do not get caught up going through the motions of doing and lose sight of why you are doing all of these things in the first place. We do because we love God and belong to Him. In our doing, our hearts are what matter most to God.

As we learned about worship, we saw that worshiping God helps set our hearts on Him. This helps us make sure that our doing is motivated by a heart that wants to honor and glorify the Lord. This week, we will see that part of our worship is giving to God.

Sometimes giving does not come easily. The Word of God will remind us all week that where we give shows what we value and where our trust is. Giving is a quick check up of where our heart truly lies. Matthew 6:21 says, Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

We worship God as living sacrifices. This is done through our choices, our attitudes, and our outpouring of praise. But our sacrifice does not stop there. Living sacrifices are obedient in generous giving. We give to God because we love Him. We give to God because it is all His in the first place. We give to God because we know He can move powerfully in the lives of others when we give.

SCRIPTURE
Matthew 6:21 | Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

2 Chronicles 7:1-10 | When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying,

He is good!

His faithful love endures forever!

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the LORD. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, His faithful love endures forever! They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the LORD. Across from the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.

Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the LORDs Temple. He offered burnt offerings and the fat of peace offerings there, because the bronze altar he had built could not hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.

For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. Then at the end of the celebration, Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the LORD had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel.

Psalm 96:1-9 | Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. O nations of the world, recognize the LORD; recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong. Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.

DISCUSSION

1. How does where we spend our money show what we treasure or care about most?
2. What do we see Gods people doing in 2 Chronicles 7:3?
3. The worship of Gods people continues in 2 Chronicles 7 as they praise God for the temple they were able to build as God’s house. As part of their worship, what do we see the people of God do in 2 Chronicles 7:4?
4. How is giving our tithe and offering to God part of giving Him the glory He deserves? How is God glorified in our giving?
5. How are worshiping and praising God linked to giving to God? Why would our worship of God make us want to give to Him?