"I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing" (1 Chronicles 21:24). Closing the March series on giving and generosity, Pastor Nana Boadum teaches on the disposition of heart God looks for — and the type of giving that can stop a calamity.
The seven movements
- God can refuse an offering. "For what purpose comes this offering to me?" (Jeremiah 6:20). Sheba's expensive incense was rejected because their hearts lived in disobedience — God cannot be bribed with a big offering.
- The autopilot trap. Giving as routine ritual — click, click, give — never touches the heart of God (Amos 5:22). Intentionality and diligence in how we give and serve matter as much as what we bring.
- Sacrifice has to cost. When the Lord calls for a sacrificial offering, it has to cost you; if it doesn't cost you, most of the time it will not move. The king of Moab's costly sacrifice turned a losing battle (2 Kings 3:26-27) — proof that what you give can change an outcome.
- By the Spirit, not by 700 men. You may think you need the right strategy or the right audience, but sometimes the Spirit's instruction is a specific seed, a specific act of generosity — not by might, nor by power (Zechariah 4:6).
- David at the threshing floor. The census brought a plague; mercy stopped the destroying angel at Ornan's threshing floor, and God's remedy was an offering there. Ornan offered everything free — David paid full price (1 Chronicles 21).
- Fire on the right altar. David built the altar exactly where God said, offered, and called on the Lord — fire fell, and the angel returned the sword to its sheath. Obedience must be specific: shift the goalpost and the expected outcome never reaches your hands.
- Heart first. "These people draw near with their mouth, but their heart is far from me" (Matthew 15:8-9). Break the near-success cycle by stepping into obedience — be a doer, not a talker.
Walk away with this
Don't wait for the calamity to learn sacrificial living. Ask: where is the Lord calling me to give beyond what is convenient — and will I do it cheerfully, specifically, and now? The angel of calamity puts the sword back in its sheath after you have obeyed the assignment.