The psalmist wrote, “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? (Psalm 116:12). In the first part of Psalm 116 the psalmist lists many of the wonderful benefits that he had received from the Lord. And having received all of these wonderful benefits, he naturally turns to the question, “What can I give to God in return for all of the benefits He has given to me?”
Have you ever thought of all the benefits that God has bestowed upon mankind? His loving kindness, grace and mercy, rain and sunshine for the food we eat and the clothes we wear. God gives us all of our mental and physical abilities, and for some men and women these skills are amazing. It is impossible to list all of the things that God does for us, and gives to us.
God said, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:10-12). God does not need anything you or I have. It is wrong to think that we “have” to give to some religious organization for God’s work to continue. Giving to God’s work should be considered a privilege, not a burden.
There are churches, preachers and evangelists who are constantly trying to bleed the people for financing. They tell us that God needs our help. According to these money-grubbers, God is heading for the poorhouse, and God’s work will fail if we don’t come through and support this or that program. They try to make us think that God is going into bankruptcy court if we don’t give generously to God’s work. Sometimes they even take up jewelry offerings. They will set a bucket down in the front of the church and will encourage the women to drop in their gold bracelets and diamond rings, telling them that God needs their gold and diamonds.
But let’s be realistic, where does gold and diamonds come from? God uses gold to pave the streets in heaven (Revelation 21:21), and He can create all the diamonds He wants. The foundations of the walls of the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from God, will be made out of different kinds of jewels and each of the 12 gates are made out of a single pearl. So God can create all of the precious metals and jewels He wants without us giving them to Him. It seems that these churches, preachers and evangelists are trying to make the people think that God is dependant upon us. But that isn’t so, we are dependant on God.
So if God has everything, then what can we give to Him for all He has given to us? What can we possibly give to God, when He has given us so much? It is apparent that there is nothing material that we can give to God that He needs. The material things that we give to God have value only in that they become an expression of our love, appreciation and thankfulness for all that He has done for us.
What God wants from you, more than the material things, are the intangible things; He wants your love, adoration and worship. God wants fellowship with you. God tells us, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me. Call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (Psalm 50:15; Jeremiah 29:12).
The Psalmist declares some of the things that he will give to the Lord. “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13). The psalmist has been asking what he can give to God, but then he says, “I will take the cup of salvation.” He says that he will receive the gift of eternal life that God has offered to him. Putting our faith in Jesus Christ, the very thing that gives us eternal life, brings joy to God. Our life is the gift that God really wants, and it is the gift that anyone can give.
Secondly the psalmist says, “I will call upon His name.” God wants us to spend some time talking to Him. God prizes and puts great value on the time we spend with Him, and that is another gift that you and I can give to God. It is amazing that something that does so much for us, and opens the door for so many benefits, is something that God is blessed by. God receives praise and blessings when you or I choose to call upon Him.
Then the psalmist says, “I will serve Him.” All of us serve something or someone. The Bible says that no servant can serve two masters (Luke 16:13). You can have many passions, but you have only one master passion. And God wants that master passion to be in serving Him. Paul said, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). And that is the way we should live our lives.
You may not have much money, silver or gold to give to God, but those are only material things, and secondary gifts that we can give to God if we have them. But when you give your life to God by placing your faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, you have given the greatest gift that you can possibly give to God. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s blessings are free and eternal.