Ruminating in the Word of God: Not all gifts are valued by God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 21:5-6,

"Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned
with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,
'As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will
be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.'"

As the disciples were observing the magnificence of the temple with
its "beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God", I note that
God himself was going to have it all destroyed. In Luke 19:41-44 we
read, "As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept
over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what
would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days
will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against
you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you
to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not
leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of
God's coming to you.'"

Although the centerpiece of Jerusalem, the temple, was crowned with
gifts to God, God was going to have it destroyed. We might think that
if one destroys gifts given him, he held in contempt either the givers
or the gifts for one reason or another. Here we see God condemning
gifts given him to destruction.

Gift-giving to God does not alter God's agenda in any way. Attempting
to please him in any manner whatsoever that does not further his
purposes is an act of vanity. In the case of Jerusalem, God sent his
Son to offer his kingdom. In rejecting God's offer to Israel, she
insured her condemnation and destruction by God. No amount of
gift-giving to God would change that.

Today, there are those who feel they have done God a favor in this
contribution and that effort. Defining for ourselves what we think God
should appreciate, we may think we can pave the way for our future
following this life apart from God's clearly defined agenda. I am
reminded of Jesus' words, "Make every effort to enter through the
narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not
be able to." Luke 13:24.

God cannot be bought off, he cannot be influenced, he cannot be
cajoled in any way. He pursues his purposes with a passion and what he
seeks will be accomplished. Whatever gift I may give God, it best be
consistent with his agenda.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com