giving my best

We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord;

Nehemiah 10:35

The worship of God deserves the very best we can give. It isn’t something we do as an afterthought. It isn’t a rote routine we can sleepwalk through. Worship is about giving ourselves to God. It makes sense then at this point in the story of Nehemiah, as the Jews in Jerusalem have had a renewal in commitment to love and obey God, that they would also commit to giving to the temple worship. And they solemnly vowed to keep the covenant. They would bring in their tithes. They would give God the very best they had.

Of course this was all specifically mandated in the Law. And the goal was for obedience to come from a heart of love. These commitments made by Nehemiah’s generation were just that. Their commitments to give sprang from hearts fully alive in the wonder of worship. The whole group of resettlers had just had a renewal and revival sweep through their midst. They wanted to give God the best they had in their firstfruits. They wanted the worship of the Lord to be as visible in their lives as the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem were. Their generous obedience in giving would show this.

When my heart is most in love with the grace of God in Jesus, I want to give. I am most generous when I am swimming in grace. God, keep me in awe of your grace so that I may give out of grace like You!