Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 18

Dedicating to the Lord

After winning decisive victories against Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek, King David had stockpiled a large collection of the spoils of war. These included all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze. It was customary in those days for the kings of victor nations to keep these spoils of war as a means of accumulating wealth for himself. Having a great stockpile of these items represented the grandness of the king’s majesty. As the collection grew, so did the king’s notoriety and renown among his citizens and neighboring nations.

None of these customs mattered to King David. He wasn’t interested in building his own wealth and fame. What mattered to him was building the fame of Yahweh. So, David took the articles of gold, silver, and bronze and dedicated them to the Lord. The Hebrew word “dedicated” in verse 11 means to set apart; to consecrate; to devote as holy. David literally separated these items from his own “bank account” and deposited them in the Lord’s “account.” By doing so, David was choosing to benefit his King and Lord rather than selfishly benefitting himself.

Dedicating something to the Lord means surrendering your personal control and use of an item (or person) and handing over control and use to God. For the follower of Christ, this often means giving up something of great worth and value. We must sacrifice what is dear to us. Perhaps, like David, it involves giving God control of our wealth and fame. Or, perhaps dedicating our homes and workplaces to Him. Or, as we see many times in the Bible, dedicating our children unto the Lord. Ultimately, we are told to “present our bodies to God as living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). This is the action by which we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.

It is important to note that dedicating something to the Lord is a voluntary act on your part. God never forces you to surrender anything or anyone to Him. Because of God’s great mercy, we are compelled to offer ourselves to Him as a way of worship – to offer our bodies to God for service. Every Christian should have a time in their life when they take this important step of presenting their body to God.

What is God calling you to hand over to Him today? Is it your bank account? Or your job? Or your relationship? Or your newborn child? Or your body in service to Him? Whatever it is, God will honor your gift and return blessings to you in “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). The more you give, the more comes back to you, because God is the Greatest Giver in the universe, and He won't let you outgive Him.