June 23, 2023

Psalm 50: 9, 10, 12 “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. . . If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” (NIV)

Unless there is first a willing mind . . . God does not want a contribution, because He is not poor and does not need it.*

I am an enthusiastic proponent of tithing. I can testify to God’s provision when I faithfully return to him a portion of the wealth he has put at my disposal. It’s so exciting to see what he will do – with what I give and with what I keep.

But God doesn’t need our money. As the psalmist points out, God owns everything. The world and all that is in it is his. What we think of as ours is actually his. The only thing God wants from us is the only thing on earth he has given us full ownership of: ourselves. He could take everything else from us – just ask Job about that – but he will never force us to give ourselves. He has shown us how much he values us by giving the life of his Son, but if we don’t freely bring him our heart, it is worthless to him.

Jesus told his disciples that anyone who wanted to follow him must deny himself (Matthew 16: 24). The choice is ours. The rest is his.

In his sovereignty he graciously gives us the freedom to choose whether or not to submit to his rule.*