Giving

O LORD, I give my life to you. [Psalm 25.1]

Is this true or false in my life?

Shall we review? No, that won't be necessary - suffice it to say I have not given all my life to God. But I am working on it!

Can a person truly give their entire life to God? Yes, I believe so. However, I believe it can also very much be a lifelong process.

Just how does one "give his life to God?"

Great question! It starts by asking the question "How do I give my life to God?" And then, from there, a lifelong journey of purposefully yielding to God begins.

Many of us raised in church have been taught to believe that giving our life to God begins when we "get saved." But, may I suggest we reconsider that idea? May I suggest that we will never be saved until we at first be "given" to God. Accepting Christ as Savior is indeed a natural next step for one truly committed to seeking God, but salvation is not the first step - seeking God is the first step - wanting a relationship with Him precedes all else.

But, believe it or not, the discussion above is not what stood out to me when I read the verse that is the subject of this post. What came to my mind was giving.

Still, how does one give his life to God? Jesus said it best: "If you've done in it to one of the least of these... you've done it unto Me." [Matthew 25.40]

Giving. It is the essence of what God is and does. He loved the world so much that He gave...

If we are to be like Him, then, we too will give.

And what better way to exercise the practice of giving than to give money. It makes me think of tithing in the Bible and how it has much more significance than just being a rule. Tithing is an opportunity (Old Covenant or New Covenant) to practice giving our lives to God.

Tithing is an opportunity to grow. Tithing is an opportunity to exercise. The exercise is one of giving. The Psalmist said, "I give my life to You..." as if it was a practice.

Frankly, if we struggle to give money (which we can have and hold) to God, how will we ever give things less tangible to God? If we can't give money to God and trust Him to take care of us, how can we give Him our hearts and trust Him with them?

Tithing is an opportunity to trust. It is an opportunity to "put your money where your mouth is" to say "I give my life to You."

I won't attempt to discuss what the tithe accomplishes when it is given. Suffice it for this post to address the personal growth afforded by giving.

Father, thank You for clarifying to me the logic in the practice of giving. Thank You for allowing me to see that giving and faith are very closely related, if not even dependent upon one another...