Warren Wiersbe: The Wisest Thing We Can Do

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“David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to You, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in Your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a temple for Your Holy Name comes from Your hand, and all of it belongs to You. I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly Your people who are here have given to You.” 1 Chronicles 29:10-17

“This magnificent prayer begins with praise and adoration of the Lord. God had blessed David richly, so he blesses God thankfully! His words are a short course in theology. He blesses the God of Israel and acknowledges His greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. God owns everything!

God is sovereign over all! His name is great and glorious! But who are David and his people that they should be able to give so lavishly to the Lord? After all, everything comes from Him, and when we give, we only return to the Lord that which He has graciously already given to us.

In contrast to the eternal God, David declares that he, the king, is like any other human, an alien and stranger on the earth. God is eternal, but human life is brief and nobody can prevent the inevitable hour of death. Since all things come from God, and life is brief, the wisest thing we can do is give back to God what He gives to us and make an investment in the eternal.”

Warren Wiersbe in Be Restored: Trusting God To See Us Through (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2002) 212-213.

What is the wisest thing we can do with the blessings we have received from God? The answer is clear: return them voluntarily to the Lord through generous giving.

It seems like COVID-19 may be with us for a long time. As needs rise up around us, we can be tempted to ignore them and focus on ourselves and our own needs. After all, we are all only on this earth for a short time.

In these moments we must remember forr things: (1) All we have came from God. (2) All we have belongs to God. (#) God will test our hearts. (3) He celebrates willing giving with honest intent.

What does He see when He looks at you? 

David’s giving to God’s house aimed to demonstrate to God that God was his top priority. Let’s agree that the wisest thing we can do, especially during COVID-19, is to give generously with the same intent.