A Freewill Offering

Exodus 35
4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying:
5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze;’
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29 The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.

1 Chronicles 29
9 Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly.
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17 I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.

• God’s Old Covenant dwelling places were built ONLY with the free will offerings of His people. The command was specifically for a free will offering! Only those whose hearts that were willing and stirred to give brought the building materials or the ability to serve. God’s house would not be built by anything forced or manipulated! This is a mighty, foundational truth! It is a wonderful, liberating truth! It is such precious source of unity, intimacy and fellowship and communal rejoicing.
• More important to The Lord than the size of the offering or quality of the materials is the submitted heart of His people. His desire is for free hearts that will willingly and joyfully offer themselves to Him and His service. God does not need our materials, He does not need our efforts, but He longs for a people who willingly choose to believe on Him, love Him and walk with Him. He cannot and will not take our hearts by force or design.

Matthew 22
35 And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him.
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as you do yourself.
40 These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.

John 14
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
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23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

• Love is a freewill offering, a considered response, just as obedience is a decision and faith is a choice, we love because He first Loved us and that love is the building material for God’s dwelling place. If man does not have the capacity to choose freely then he cannot love and God’s glory is greatly diminished!
• It is the depravity, selfishness and rebellion of the free will of man that makes The Gospel so wondrously beautiful! That Almighty God would give Himself so fully and faithfully to redeem, woo and shepherd man’s free will is truly an eternal testament of His Great Grace and Glory! The demonstration of His love is all the greater for He truly can transform sinful man from children of their father, the devil, to joint heirs with Christ! Hallelujah! It is love for The Lord that will produce obedience to His Word and Glorify Him with wonderful fruits of faith and The Spirit!
• Today, by the Grace of God, we have the opportunity and privilege to bring The Lord an offering, a freewill offering, whoever is of a willing heart to give may bring it as an offering to The Lord. There is no command to pay, you will not be forced, cajoled, manipulated or begged. God does not need your offering! What The Father longs for is a heart stirred to give, that will freely make the choice to present itself a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto Him. The gift of Salvation is to be freely received, the invitation is freely rejected or accepted, Love is freely returned and faithful service is a chosen response.
• What will we offer to The Lord today? A sacrifice of praise? Songs of thanksgiving? A burnt offering of Godly sorrow for sin and penitent repentance? The confession of weakness? A wholly surrendered life available to serve? Two small loaves and five fishes? A giving up of your desires and disappointments in order to magnify Him?
• Let us freely bring our gifts to The Lord today as materials for Him to build His church and establish His dwelling place in our hearts. “Freely you have recieved, freely give” Matthew 10:8 Truly there is great joy when we take our eyes off the desires and disappointments of this flesh life and reject them all to gain Jesus. Bring your whole, broken, dissatisfied life as a yielded offering to Jesus and you will find that you are filled with His! Hallelujah!

Proverbs 23
26 My son, give me your heart…