King David spoke of his motivation to give generously in 1 Chronicles 29:13-14, “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.”
David uttered those words before the LORD after he had prepared, with all his might, the things needed to build the house of God. With the help of his people, he had gathered gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, onyx stones, glistering stones of diverse colours, and all manner of precious stones and marble stones in abundance. Beyond all these, David made a sizeable public love offering from his private estate to stir others with his example. His gifts included gold and silver, and 1 Chronicles 29:4 records that David gave “even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal”. David’s generosity was lavish. His generous giving served as a catalyst for the generosity of the people. Christian leaders will do well to remember that they will never see open-handed giving from their people if they themselves are not willing to take the lead in this as well.
David’s words uttered before the LORD as he dedicated his gifts to the building of God’s house, instruct us on how to be generous givers.
David’s heart was thankful to God for all the material blessings he had in his possession. He acknowledged that they were God’s gift to him. So, David said, “for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” We, too, must always be thankful to God for all our wealth and possessions, which He has bestowed upon us. Whatever we possess is what we receive from the LORD, so they belong to God.
Our attitude concerning our assets is revealing. If we think that all of our possessions are ours, we will be unwilling to give generously. Scripture reminds us: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). We need to start with an attitude recognising that our assets belong to God. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Then we will be motivated to give generously by having this attitude: “If He gave me all these things, what right have I to keep them from Him when His work requires them?”
May the same conviction be in us constantly, that we may never withhold what God has bestowed on us. Wealth and honour cometh from Him. So, when God’s work requires funds, let us quickly release what God has entrusted us with. It is only because of God’s enablement that we are able to give as generously as David did.
Report by Dn Benny Skariah
We thank God for enabling Gethsemane Malayalam Fellowship to organise our first overseas retreat in Vizag, India, from 10th – 12th February 2024. A small team of nine from Singapore travelled to Vizag on Friday evening (9th February). We were gladly received by a few brothers from Vizag. After a sumptuous dinner, we had a good night’s rest. Pastor Koshy, Sis Carolyn, and a few other brethren from other parts of India also travelled to Vizag to join this retreat. On Saturday morning, about 70 participants gathered together at Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church, Vizag City to be taught on the topic, “Doctrines of Grace”, by Pastor Koshy in English. In the afternoon, we had a special session in Malayalam. In that session, Rev. Sujith Samuel led us in a “Survey of the Book of Numbers”, where he highlighted the working of God’s grace in the Old Testament (cf. Numbers 6:22-27). In the evening, we spent our time visiting a few places in Vizag, went to the hilltop park in the city, and took a train ride to take in the beautiful night view of Vizag.
On the morning of the Lord’s Day, we joined our Telugu brethren in worship of the Lord and partook in the Holy Communion. Rev. Sujith Samuel preached to us on the theme, “Perseverance of the Saints”, based on John 10:27-30. His message was translated into the Telugu language by Pastor Bhagavath. In the afternoon, we joined the English worship service, where Pastor Koshy expounded on the topic, “Perseverance of the Saints”, from 1 Peter 1:1-5. He explained how the apostle Peter encouraged the Christians – who were under persecution, rejected by their society and displaced in various places – with the truth of God’s election of them. They were His beloved people whom He would preserve by His great power for the ultimate salvation in heaven. In the evening, we organised a fellowship dinner for all our brethren in Vizag, and 50 of us enjoyed a time of fellowship over food.
Early in the morning on the last day of our retreat in Vizag, some of us, together with Rev. Sujith and Pastor Bujji Babu, travelled 40km from the city to view some lands for sale, with the intention to consider whether they are suitable for building a church-cum-Bible college and associated amenities. Please pray for God’s leading in this matter and for the necessary funds. Pastor Koshy and others went directly to Gethsemane Bible Institute in K. Kotapadu (30km from the city) to teach our students. In the afternoon, we all gathered together with some of our past GBI graduates who are currently serving the Lord in the nearby villages, and we enjoyed a good lunch prepared by our GBI staff. On our way from GBI to the airport, we visited the homes of our preachers, Rev. Sujith Samuel and Bro. Seraph McGregor, where we enjoyed the warm fellowship that their families offered to us.
“The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3). We are truly blessed by this retreat, and we give all glory to our Lord for all safety, protection and provisions. We also thank God for the many brethren who have laboured much, especially Pastor Bujji Babu, Bro. Anand, Bro. Joyson, Bro. Bharath, Bro. Solomon (and many more), as well as for all who joined us, and for all who prayed for us!