The understanding of offering has been established throughout Scripture-and the people giving the offering during Jesus’ time (Mark 12), were well aware of the scriptural mandates for it.  This call for offering comes from passages like Deuteronomy 14:2, where the Lord speaks about how the Israelites were to live as God’s chosen people - “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

As we see in these passages, the reason we give offering, is first of all for it to be a time where we are declaring that we are a people holy to the Lord-that we are His treasured possessions.  So, foremost, what we are offering before the Lord is ourselves.

As we come up for offering, what we are declaring before the Lord is “I am one of your Holy people in this land of sin and suffering.  I am your treasured possession! I belong to your Holy people!” Consider this, offering time is for us to present ourselves-as God’s treasured (most precious) possession, and we offer ourselves to Him!

Therefore, offering is really not about giving of money, rather through the time of offering, we come to know who we are!  That is the grace we are to receive, where the Lord says to us “You belong to me!  You are my treasured possession!” In a world where we are told to offer ourselves to this job, or to this person, or to this cause, or to our children-we are saying, no!  We offer ourselves to the Lord alone!

What power or ambition is calling for you to offer your life, concerns, passion towards?  Today as you pray and worship, offer your life to the Lord alone, for we are His Holy People, His treasured possessions!  Also, read through Deuteronomy 14, and consider God’s call for us to live as His set-apart people.

-GK