What Are We Holding Back?

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 1:27-28, For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

What are we willing to give back to God? I say “give back” because all that we have belonged to Him, and still belongs to Him, even though He blesses us with it. When we ask for blessings, do we ask for selfish reasons? Do we ever stop and consider that God does not ask for much in return, in comparison to what He gives to us? Hannah was barren and deeply desired a son. She prayed and asked for a son, but with this caveat, this promise, that if God gave her a son, she would give him right back to God. Stop and think about that for a moment. She did not promise that she would give him back for a moment or for an abbreviated time. In these verses we read that she “lent him to the Lord, as long as he lives”. That, my brothers and sisters, is a lifetime. How often have we volunteered to give God everything we have, for the rest of our lives? How many of us have ever said, “Lord, if you give me a raise at work, I’ll give you what I’m already giving you, plus my raise, for the rest of my life?” I am willing to bet that none of us have done that. I can confess that I have not. Have we increased our giving at times when the Lord has blessed our household? Yes, we have. Have we given it all? No, we have not. Sadly, far too many Christians have difficulty giving back to God what rightfully belongs to Him. Some would even argue that we have nothing in the New Testament that requires us to give. What I find rather comical is that as I was preparing to write this, and I was spending a little time doing my own devotions, the chapter I was scheduled to read today was 1 Corinthians 16. You will see the humor in this in a moment, because the chapter opens with these verses (1-2), “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” In reading these verses, it reminded me of 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” I am not going to sit here and dictate for you what you should be giving. That is between you and the Lord. However, I will say that one of the biggest tests of our faith falls within the category of giving. God may want us to give back of the material resources He has blessed us with, in order to bless others and further the work of the Gospel in the local church or on the mission field. He may want to bless someone, by using what we give, who has a need right within our own circle of influence. Our giving back to God is not limited to our material resources. We can give of our time and our talents. God wants us to give back to Him some of the time He allows us to have in our everyday lives. When we get up in the morning and plan our day, who is it that gives us the time to do it? If we woke up this morning and took a breath and are now living another day, it was God who gave it. How much of today will we give back to Him? How much of our talents and abilities will we give back to the Lord? I will say that this is the one thing we have learned in our home, up close and personal. God is Debtor to no man. In all that we give, we have never lacked, because He is faithful. He will give tenfold to the little we give to Him, and He will use it in a far greater manner than we ever could. Hannah could have kept Samuel for herself, but I guarantee that he would not have been used as greatly as the Lord used him. We must be careful about what we hold back from the Lord, for we are not only robbing Him, but we are robbing ourselves of untold blessings. To prove what I am saying we only have to read a little further to 1 Samuel 2:21 where it says, “And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD.” What greater blessing than to be blessed with more children, after being barren for so long, and having her firstborn son live his life for the Lord? Our desire for each of our children should be that they surrender their lives to the Lord. How do we expect them to give of themselves if we do not set the example for them? What are we holding back today that we know we should be giving to God; especially, after He gave us His Son so freely, but at great cost to Him?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).