Over-Abundant Giving
“Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put
skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction
of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has
commanded.”
And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose
mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to
come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution
that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the
sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning,
so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on
the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said
to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the
work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command,
and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man
or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.”
So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had
was sufficient to do all the work, and more. (Exodus 36:1–7)
Imagine this common problem in churches everywhere: people
giving too much! In this instance, Moses and the church leaders
sent out an order to the whole congregation: “Quit giving! The
abundance is starting to be a problem.” Does this seem like a dream
when you think of the Church today?
The story of over-abundant giving in Exodus 36 is not a dream.
These were real people, just like us, who grasped a vision bigger
than their own lives. They gave to the building of the Tabernacle,
an ornate tent that preceded the building of the Temple and represented
the Presence of God in their midst. This God-sized vision
consumed them and caused them to give abundantly more than
needed.
Could it be that our giving goals are too small with short-sighted
vision? Of course, our building needs, our budget, and special
projects are important. But is our call to give God-sized? Is there a
promise of the Presence of God in our midst? Does it cause us to
look for ways to give even more because we are so excited by the
possibilities of God’s work in our midst?
To have this big vision requires two things. First, it means church
leadership couches any campaign in terms of spiritual victory and
not just financial goals. Giving toward the Presence of God is a
huge motivator for extravagant giving. The second requirement is
for those of us in the congregation. We need to see with spiritual
eyes what this campaign will accomplish in the Kingdom of God.
Buildings aren’t ultimately about brick and mortar. They are about
ministry and changed lives. They are about places to worship and
enjoy the Lord’s Presence. They are tools in the hands of the Lord
to accomplish His purpose.
Prayer Points
• Ask the Lord to give you the spiritual vision to see His purpose
behind this campaign.
• Pray for a spirit of extravagant giving to be poured out on your
congregation.
My Prayer
Lord, it is hard to imagine what happened in Moses’ day when Your
people gave so much that they were ordered to stop giving. Would
You do that again in our day in our church? Give us a God-sized
vision of what You want to do in our congregation. Give us an excitement
about Your Kingdom and Your purposes that creates the
kind of giving that we saw in Moses’ day. We pray for abundance!
Excerpted from “The Giving Church” by Dave Butts, and is used by permission of PrayerShop Publishing.