By Qiu Shi
There is a story of a Christian who wanted to offer up 10 dollars at the end of a church service. Unexpectedly, he put a 100-dollar bill into the offering box. He regretted it very much. So, he went to the pastor, asking him to give the 90 dollars back to him. But the pastor said the money had gone into the church fund. Helplessly, he said to the pastor that he would think of it as an extra donation of $90 to God. However, the pastor told him that actually he just donated 10 dollars.
After reading this story, I thought of the Bible saying, “Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Co 9:7). God likes and wants man to gladly offer, spend, and give up for Him. If we do not expend for Him willingly but expend only for show, going through a formality, or just proving that we are still Christians, then what will God think of us who have such an attitude and behavior in our belief in God? When the Lord Jesus exposed the hypocritical Pharisees, and said, “Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation” (Mak 12:38-40). In contrast to the scribes and Pharisees, when a poor widow offered up two coins, the Lord Jesus praised her and said, “Truly I say to you, That this poor widow has cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mak 12:43-44).
From the Lord’s assessments of different people, we can see that God is a God who is holy, faithful, and does not permit Him to be deceived. When He requires us to make an offering to Him, He won’t get pleased because of our expensive offering, or because of our good outward behavior, but He cares about whether we truly and gladly spend ourselves for Him from our hearts.
Then I thought of a passage of God’s words, “Today, those who bear genuine love for Me—such people are blessed. Blessed are those who submit to Me, they will surely stay in My kingdom. Blessed are those who know Me, they will surely wield power in My kingdom. Blessed are those who seek after Me, they will surely escape from Satan’s bonds and enjoy My blessings. Blessed are those who are able to forsake themselves, they will surely enter into My possession and inherit My kingdom’s bounty. Those who run around for Me I will remember, those who make expenditures for Me I will joyfully embrace, and to those who make offerings to Me I will grant enjoyments. Those who find enjoyment in My words I will bless; they will surely be the pillars that hold up the ridgepole in My kingdom, they will surely have matchless abundance in My house, and no one can compare with them.”
Today, let us examine our own views on our belief in God. Do we only hope to gain blessings and grace, or do we walk in His way and pursue knowledge of God so as to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind?
In our daily life, do we often seek the Lord’s will and practice His words to achieve fearing God and shunning evil? Or do we follow the worldly trends indulgently and unrestrainedly to give free rein to the spread of sin and enjoy the pleasures of sin?
When we pray to God, do we open our hearts and speak truthfully to Him without reservation, or do we deceive and fool Him by saying a few words at will?
When we read God’s words, do we contemplate His will and His requirements in every word of His? Or do we read them perfunctorily only to go through the daily rituals of Christian life?
When it is time for church meetings, are we just observing religious rituals, or do we attend the meetings with our hearts and want to understand some truths in every meeting so as to practice them in our daily life?
If we have never been serious and careful about these things, then shouldn’t we ask ourselves whether our belief can satisfy God? And from now on, how should we treat these problems?