An Offertory Devotional video for Sabbath, August 20, 2022, in your @adventistchurch: vimeo.com/716535101. Putting God first can be difficult. What can we learn from this video that will help us put God first in our lives today?
Also available in #Spanish and #Portuguese.
Put #GodFirst
#StewardshipMinistries
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For more information on the Stewardship Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you can head over to stewardship.adventist.org/ ______________________________________________
We worship God with our offerings because they are sermons without words. After building
the tabernacle from the freewill offerings of the people, it was now time to set apart
Aaron and his sons for the holy ministry. Exodus 29 provides details about the ordination
service for the first priests in Israel. Interestingly, Moses, the leader, did not deliver a special
speech or preach a sermon for this occasion. But one thing was prominent, offerings of various
kinds: sin offerings, burnt offerings, and wave offerings. What were the messages conveyed by
these offerings?
The sin offering was for the atonement of sin. The priests were reminded that they needed
God’s grace and forgiveness to qualify for their duty. The burnt offering was burned completely
on the altar. It pointed to the total commitment that was required from those called to service.
Finally, the wave offering was presented in a waving-type motion, elevated and swung to and
fro toward heaven. It symbolizes the priest’s dedication to God’s service and God’s provision
for those who sacrificed themselves in service to Him. Through these multiple offerings, they
learned the true meaning of their ordination.
Do we have some doubts about the pertinence of worshipping God with our offerings? If a
local church already has enough financial resources to support its ministries, should it maintain
offerings as an element of the worship service? Offerings have a value far beyond monetary.
Offerings are sermons without words. They represent acts of worship and convey essential
spiritual lessons. Among other things, they remind us of God’s gift of salvation, His daily blessings, and our adequate response of total commitment. It would be unwise to silence God’s voice by renouncing the practice of giving offerings. This week as we worship with our tithe and regular offerings, called Promise, let us be attentive to God’s voice.