Generous giving

I've just finished reading 1 Chronicles. Throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles, when there are stories of David, many prayers David prayed are recorded for our inspiration. One such prayer for me is in 1 Chronicles 29:10-20.

Just prior to this prayer, David has called all the leaders of Israel together to let them know that he had started making provision for the temple - the house for the Lord - to be built. David wanted to build it himself but God said he could not but Solomon, his son, would build it. David had accumulated gold and silver and bronze and iron and wood and marble.

David had already gathered up 100,000 talents of gold (a talent was about 75 pounds) and 1M talents of silver. Now King David is asking the people to join him in giving to the Lord's house and they do. The amounts that were given were staggering - at least to me.

What stands out to me most is verse 9...they made their offering willingly and wholeheartedly. This offering is what prompted David's prayer. David states more than once that he and the people are only giving what God has already given to them; that everything belongs to God and they are just giving it back.

That is the real crux of generous giving - recognizing that none of it is mine. That all I have and all I am comes from God and when he asks me to give back I should do so generously and willingly with wholehearted devotion to Him.