february 23, 2025
Welcome to Gateway! It’s such a blessing to worship with you today. If you’re new to Gateway, we want to extend a special welcome to you. Please visit GatewayOnline.org/nextsteps to get more connected.
"Generous Worship: Rediscovering Joy in Giving" (2 Chronicles 29:10-20)
Many of us know it’s more blessed to give than to receive. We know we should find joy in sacrificial giving. And most of us do… at times. But if we’re being honest, we are a work in progress when it comes to finding joy in our generosity consistently.
1 Chronicles 29:10-20
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.
1) We want God to be glorified.
David could have been motivated by building a magnificent temple so people could remember what a great king he was. Instead, he builds the temple to honor God.
The bigger our view of God, the more we want to invest our resources in those things that glorify Him.
2) We view giving as a blessing.
Verse 14 reveals David's heart. "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?" The second part of this verse reveals why he thinks this way. "Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand."
God owns everything. I'm His money manager.
We are foreigners on earth and our lives are just a shadow. We should love for and invest in eternity. (Live not for the dot, but for the line.)
3) We connect our hearts to God's heart.
One of the best ways to keep our hearts loyal to God is to invest in the work of God.
Giving helps us disconnect our hearts from this world.
Giving connect us with what God is doing world-wide.
A Prayer to Trust in Jesus:
“God, thank you for loving me even though I’ve rebelled against You. I confess that I’m sinful. I’m so grateful that Jesus died on the cross to pay for all my sins. Right now I turn away from my sins and I turn to You. I’m putting my full trust in Jesus to rescue me from my sins. Thank you for forgiving me and washing me clean on the inside. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
