What would you give to have your favorite celebrity stay a night in your house?
God asks Moses to build him a "tent" so God can set up camp among the Hebrews. But God does not simply "tax" the materials he needed for the project. He asks for a free will offering. They don't have to give, they GET to.
Secondly, everything God asks for has value. Most of us give to God from our excess. What we give to God is a good measure of how much we value him - just as what we give to our friends are good measures of what we think of them.
But God is not measuring. He does not demand a gift. He simply recieves what is given to him freely, generously, willingly.
And in exchange, they get to have God WITH them - right in the centre of camp.
Write
Think about your faith story: what are somethings of value you have freely offered to God?
In your life presently, what are you thankful for? What is a gift of value you can offer to God simply out of generosity?
Who do you know thinks God is just after their money?
Pray
What
is God saying to you today? What's Good News to you?
Talk to God about your generosity to him. Thank God for his generosity to you, even when you are not generous wtih him.
Pray about the reasons you have to be thankful. Tell God what you would like to offer to him as a pure expression of your gratitude.
Pray for your friend who thinks God is after his money. Ask God for the wisdom and opportunity to experience God again.
Pray for an experience of God's love, grace and mercy in the way he receives your gifts, and transform them in to blessing for the world.