How can we apply the principle of sacrificial giving in our lives today? Setting the scene in Numbers 7 • Numbers 7:53 records part of the dedication offerings for the newly erected tabernacle: “one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;”. • A burnt offering was completely consumed on the altar—nothing held back. • Each animal represented serious value in an agrarian society. The leaders offered the very best from their herds, visibly declaring, “Everything we have belongs to the LORD.” Key observation: Giving that costs something • Their offering involved cost, surrender, and trust. • David voiced the same principle centuries later: “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24). • Costly, wholehearted giving still pleases God and shapes our hearts today. Why sacrificial giving matters today • It honors God as first and highest. “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest.” (Proverbs 3:9–10). • It demonstrates trust. When we release something valuable, we rely on God’s provision rather than our own stockpile. • It mirrors the gospel. “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering.” (Ephesians 5:2). Our giving echoes His. Practical ways to live it out Finances • Tithes and additional offerings to your local congregation. • Regular support for missionaries, church planters, pro-life ministries, compassion funds. • Spontaneous generosity when a brother or sister faces crisis. Time • Schedule blocks of prime time—when you are alert and energetic—for serving rather than bits of leftover minutes. • Consistent volunteering: children’s ministry, outreach events, shut-in visits. Talents • Musicians leading worship, accountants offering free budgeting classes, carpenters repairing widows’ homes. • Give professional skills at no charge to ministries that cannot afford them. Possessions • Open your dining table for meals, short-term housing for missionaries on furlough, loaner vehicles for families in need. Heart attitudes that fuel sacrificial giving • Cheerfulness. “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give… for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7). • Proportionate generosity. The widow’s two mites (Luke 21:3–4) outweighed larger gifts because she gave “all she had to live on.” • Worship. The woman who poured costly perfume on Jesus (Mark 14:3–9) wasn’t calculating; she was adoring. Promises God attaches to sacrificial generosity • Provision: “Then your barns will be filled with plenty.” (Proverbs 3:10). • Overflowing grace: “God is able to make all grace abound to you.” (2 Corinthians 9:8). • Heavenly reward: “Give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:38). • Divine pleasure: “Do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16). Living sacrifice: the ultimate application Romans 12:1 calls us to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” When our whole selves—wallet, calendar, abilities—are on the altar, we embody the principle behind Numbers 7:53. Sacrificial giving is not a one-time event; it becomes a lifestyle of joyful surrender, testifying that Christ is worth more than anything we could possibly lay down. |
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