Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 24:24, ” Then the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.’ 

Background

It’s not uncommon for my wife and I to receive gift cards to restaurants as presents for Christmas or an anniversary or such. She greatly enjoys eating out, and the gift cards allow us the best opportunity to go and eat somewhere that doesn’t use Styrofoam plates or hand you your food on a plastic tray. But this past holiday, we received a card from a family member to a restaurant that wasn’t quite on our radar as a preferred place to eat. The food is good enough, for we have eaten there once before, but its offerings are a tad more unique and daring than we are inclined to enjoy. And so, as we considered the gift and the giver, we came to the conclusion that we had been the recipient of a regift. A regift, as the name would imply, is a gift from someone who had previously received it as a gift themselves. And since this card didn’t really fit our tastes nor the giver’s, but did appeal to my better half’s likings for eating out, we presumed that they had seized the opportunity to be a blessing while unloading their unwanted freebie on us. And it’s probably not the first time we’ve been regifted – I know I’ve certainly passed along a thing or two that I could do without while saving a few bucks by not having to buy something new. 

Application

 But the greater question is what am I regifting to my Heavenly Father? You might ask how we could do this to a Spirit that lives in heaven and in our hearts. For me, it comes in the form of giving to God from my excess. In my areas of strength and comfort, I can throw something together and get by alright. But in my heart I know that I have not honored Him with my first fruits, I have not given Him anything that cost my something. I have merely given what’s been given me without being a steward of my blessings and opportunities. If I add nothing to it, namely my heart and soul, then I have merely passed along an unopened package that apparently meant nothing to me. And that’s a gift that no one should keep on giving. 

Charge

As we seek Him today, make a commitment to give to God only those things that are coming from your heart. Keep back everything else until it’s worthy to be offered.