01/07/2018
Do you devote time and other things in your life to God? If you do, then are you giving these things to Him forever, or just until you need them again? Perhaps you don’t understand what devoting means when taken in this context. What I am referring to here are those things which you commit to God, or Jesus Christ. For many of us it probably begins with a morning time of prayer each day. Have you given Him 15 minutes? 30 minutes? An hour? Have you truly dedicated it to Him, or just loaned it to Him? If you have made this a promise, Have you lived up to that commitment or just prayed when it was convenient?
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6 ESV
When I was a young boy I loved to play with marbles. There were several games involving them, but one of my favorites was when we would draw a 3 foot circle on the ground and each of us would put so many of our marbles in the center of it, then holding our hand outside the circle, we would take turns shooting a marble with our thumb and forefinger at those in the center trying to knock one or more out of the circle. Every marble you knocked out became yours to keep. I had a large pouch filled with marbles I had won.
One day, while playing marbles, one of the boys on the playground became frustrated with the game, and in a moment of anger he gave me his small bag of marbles and said “Here, I quit! You can have my marbles because I don’t ever want to play again!” Then he walked away and went home. All the other boys considered me fortunate to have received such a gift.
The next day after school we were all back on the playground playing marbles when the boy who had given me his bag the day before walked up and said he wanted his marbles back. All of the boys began to chant “Indian Giver! Indian Giver!”, but I handed him his small bag of marbles back without argument. The group chanted this for two reasons... first they were referring to the way that the government had promised Native Americans something and then gone back on their word (a real black mark on a man’s character), and then as a way of forcing him to live up to his agreement they chanted to humiliate him. Do you give things to God and then take them back? Do you justify this to yourself because of the ease at which He gives them back?
“"But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.”
Leviticus 27:28 ESV
When we dedicate something to the Lord it becomes His, and as scripture teaches us... He regards it as “most holy.” So although He might see your weakness, and hand whatever it was back to you, that doesn’t make it right. In regards to the boy on the playground, and the marbles he gave me, I had given them back to him without a fuss, but that didn’t change the fact that he had gone back on his agreement... his word. From that day forward the other boys knew that his commitments were not to be trusted; he was less in their eyes, and the punishment of distrust would follow him in every dealing he would have with them.
Sometimes God hands back to us the things we have dedicated to him, just like I did on the playground that day, but there is always a price to pay, and some of those prices are very high! In the case of the marbles it was a loss of trust. What is the price that we pay for reneging on a promise or commitment to God, and can we erase the dishonor if being an “Indian Giver?”
“And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.”
Joshua 6:17-18 ESV
In this scriptural example, the conquering soldiers took war bounty from Jericho when God had forbidden it, and the result was that they suffered a humiliating defeated at Ai. God was angry because Joshua’s men had taken what He had told them was dedicated to Him.
“and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.”
Joshua 7:5 ESV
When we take back those things that we have dedicated to God (or those He has dedicated to Himself) there is a price to pay, but God provides forgiveness is we seek it fervently. Listen to what God tells Joshua...
“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.
Get up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, "There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you."”
Joshua 7:11, 13 ESV
So what do we devote to God, and Jesus Christ? Be very careful that those things which you dedicate are sincerely given. Are we prepared to stand by our commitment? If we take back that which we have dedicated, are we able to suffer the consequences, and then do we have the ability to make retribution in order to receive His forgiveness? Search your heart.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for allowing me to dedicate things in my life to you, and although some of these commitments are large, help me to live up to my word and honor my offering. If I should renege on a promise, please make me aware of it Father so that I can seek forgiveness in your eyes. My word must be true Lord, and when I give it without forethought, or in a moment of weakness, that does not diminish it in the least. Help me to live up to those promises I make to you, and give me the special strength and determination to endure those that I make frivolously or without thinking. You stand by your Word Lord, and as I give you my word, I understand that it requires my standing by it as well. You are merciful Father, and you know those things that I have promised which are beyond my ability to keep... make a way for me Lord so that I can redeem myself, and teach me not to devote those things that I cannot provide. Let my word be modeled after yours, and my faithfulness reflect yours, and in all things let me be somber, serious, and true. Be gentle in your punishment, and understanding in my weaknesses, but teach me to honor you always.
Rich Forbes