Your Offering

I would like to present to you another aspect of what you have to “offer” Jesus in His Kingdom. In churches around the world, we are taught about the principles of sowing and reaping, and how they relate to finance. These principles are often biblical and correct and show a heart for God and His work. But I would like to show you a more excellent way. We are called to be a living sacrifice to our Lord. To present ourselves as such to Him. If He has indeed birthed within our hearts a desire to see His Kingdom grow, then to believe that our offering to Him encompasses the greater part, that being our finance, is to short change the Kingdom, ourselves and ultimately cut short our destiny in Him.

Let’s think of it this way, God has planted His Kingdom in us, established giftings within us that are intended for others. These comprise of love, prayer, time, service in various ways, prophecy, teaching, the stirring up of others for good works, a searching out of the Spirit of God on behalf of others, giving of finance and service to the body of Christ in many, many other ways.

All too often, we see a ministry that witnesses to our hearts, and we believe in what Jesus is doing through them, and we celebrate them in our hearts and decide to support them financially. In only doing this financially, I believe we are missing a greater part of partnering with each other in the body of Christ than we have previously realized. Most ministries who are doing any kind of effective Kingdom work will quickly share with you that your prayers are “priceless” to them and that prayer is one of the most valuable things that they need to complete what God is showing them to do.

As the Body of Christ grows in maturity, many are wondering, “Where is their “place”? Where do they belong, how do they function?” Our evaluations of these usually end up being measured by earthly standards of measure and do not take into consideration Heaven’s Eye, and how God is viewing our hearts and love and efforts in prayer on behalf of seeing the Kingdom advance here on earth. I once heard a wise man say, “A slave does what he has to, a son does what he can.”

What I am saying is this, if you have found a church and or ministry worthy of your finance, please consider placing what God has given you in service to that church or ministry. What I am talking about, in what God has given you is just this, your time, your spiritual giftings, in prayer, your love, your encouragement, your support in however God flows through you.

Depending on your different gifts, offering your gifts will take on various forms. An obvious and easy gift to offer to the Lord on behalf of a church or ministry is the gift of intercession. If you have a passion to pray, then this is relatively easy to function in, without much communication with others other than the Lord. If your gift is in the area of helps, such as caretaking of the building, and performing tasks that are carried out in the natural realm, such as cutting the lawn, planting flowers, cleaning the building, you will have to allow the Lord to place you into that function. You can bring the offer of your services, and the Lord will bring you into a season of serving, trust Him for this.

Love is always your offering. Bring yourself, body, soul and spirit before Him for this. Ask Him to perfect you in love… and He will. We are surrounded by a love hungry world, and in giving love, there is no shortage of demand for it, and no shortage of the supply of it from heaven. We must make ourselves available to heaven for love to flow through us. The defining of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13. The Hand of Heaven is always looking for an avenue of love to flow through.

In all these opportunities to be an offering to the Lord, one thing is constant. Building His Kingdom here on earth is to employ our gifts and everything that we are on behalf of Jesus to others for Jesus. No credit, recognition, or goals of pulpit ministries are worthy of Kingdom offering in what I am speaking of to you today. This “offering” I speak of is you, in full view of heaven, and heaven alone, for heaven. That when you alone stand before Jesus, and the book of your life is opened, in the secrets of your life will be written many selfless offerings of service for the Kingdom of Heaven because of an intrinsic love for Jesus.

In your sowing of your giftings for the accomplishment of the Father’s will for others, you shall also reap from the giftings of others for the Father’s will in your life. I believe this is part of a divine plan from heaven for unity and how we fit together as one body in Christ.

…you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5

If a church or ministry has stirred your heart to give financially, it most certainly warrants the giving of your gifts.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:7 – 10

Mary Ann Adams