Numbers 28 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“The L_rd spoke to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites and say to them: Be sure to present to Me at its appointed time, My offering and My food as My fire offering, a pleasing aroma to Me.’” Numbers 28:1-2

I grew up in a church environment where people spoke of “giving to the L_rd” in two terms: Tithe, and Offering. The tithe was defined as giving 10% of one’s income, and it was considered to be the minimum one was required to give. An offering was defined as anything over and above the tithe.

In actuality, if you were to add up all the tithes and offerings in the Torah, you would find yourself giving over 60% of your income. Part of the reason for this high number is that Israel was a “theocracy.” That is, the religious leaders ran the government, social relief, courts, the army, etc.

Statistics indicate the vast majority of “churchgoers” give less than 10% of their income. As a matter of fact, about 20% of church members foot the bill for 80% of the ministry. This statistic is roughly the same as the percentage of wealthy Americans who pay the majority of taxes. It may be easy to disdain the rich, but they’re toting the note for the rest of us.

What I find interesting in this chapter is how “offering” begins close to the heart, then radiates outward. The prescribed offerings begin with daily devotion. From there, it grows to weekly, monthly, and annually. I don’t believe the L_rd listed these offerings in this order, arbitrarily.

People who devote themselves to personal worship on a daily basis are more likely to go to the Shabbat services on a weekly basis. In addition, they are more likely to volunteer in the Messianic community on a monthly scheduled basis. Of course, they will celebrate the yearly holidays…and it will be more special to them, because it is a continuance and culmination of how their lives are consumed with worshipping the L_rd throughout the year!

On the other hand, if we don’t offer ourselves daily, we have a decreased chance of being consistent with weekly worship. Our lessened commitment means we probably won’t be volunteering and committing to any scheduled service. Sadly, annual holiday attendance winds-up being burdensome and guilt-filled.

Where your investment is, there your heart will be. Everyday and everything belongs to Him…so offer yourself and your possessions freely, in response to His Word.

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Wednesday, June 4, 2014