Day 214
I Chronicles 22:5
"And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnijical, of fame and glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
Even though God would not permit King David to build the house for Him that he desired to construct, it did not stop David from participating. That showed that the motives of the king were pure. It revealed that his heart was to do something to the glory of God and not to his own credit. Later, the temple was called Solomon's temple, but it was actually the temple of David that Solomon built. Before his death, David gathered the materials they needed, set forth plans and ordered officials to assist his son in the most fabulous building project taken on up to that point. He knew he would never see it, but he gave abundantly toward it. He gave time, energy and materials.
Some people will give freely only to something they can receive credit for. If they can say, "This is my church," or "This is my denomination," or "This is my family's," or something similar to that, they will support it wholeheartedly. But, when it comes to the kind of giving they will not be recognized for, they are not interested in participating. A dead denomination only supports its own projects. If they don't get the credit for a project, they will not support it. Others will see a need and give generously, even if no one ever finds out they gave. People have left money in their wills to support ministries that are doing things they will never live to see happen.
We must examine our hearts from time to time and check our attitudes when it comes to giving. Every now and then, we should give something anonymously. If at any time we find it hard to do that, then we know it is time for us to go before the heart fixer and have some repair work done. For one thing, we should always be aware that God sees us. We should direct our giving toward Him anyway. Many times, giving publicly or directly is good and beneficial. People need to be inspired to give by our good examples. Others need to be encouraged to know we love them and care about them. On the other hand, there are occasions when the recipient does not need to know who has given. Then there are times when nobody but God needs to know.
I will give in different ways. I will give publicly, directly, and anonymously. I will support good works, for which I will receive no credit or recognition. My heart is to please God and see His will done on earth. I am a cheerful giver with pure motives.