WE BRING OUR OFFERING -- Devotional for May 8, from "Good Seeds"

Then Miriam the prophetess took a timbrel and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. And Miriam sang this song: "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; He has hurled both horse and rider into the sea." (Exodus 15:20-21)

I was recently in the company of some fellow pastors at a retreat. I asked one of them, “Who’s leading the music?” He answered with a smile, “We handle that ourselves, for you see, we’ve got our own little pastors’ praise band.” I lamented, “Boy, I sure wish I’d brought my guitar!” “You can’t get out of it that easy,” he replied, “I have an extra!” I must say that our five guitars, all plugged in and switched on, accompanying those well tuned and practiced males voices – well it doesn’t get much better than that! But today, it DID get better, when I heard 50 young ladies from a Bible College singing beautiful melody and rich harmony, accompanied by the “timbrels” of our day (drums, keyboard, acoustic piano and electric bass). Their sound sent my soul to heaven with tears of joy streaming down my face! It was the beauty of the music mixed with the depth of the poetry in the lyrics that did the trick. Even as Miriam of old led an all girl praise choir in worship of the Lord of Hosts who had just delivered her people from certain death or recapture by the Egyptians, so today Holly and Jordan (two of the choir members we talked to afterward), along with their sisters in song, led our tiny audience in worship of that same huge Lord of Heaven. The piece that caused me to swoon – or rather to soar into the heavenlies – was a medley, arranged by one of their fellow students, of two songs which together describe what it is we are doing when we sing to the Lord: We are bringing to Him an offering. God’s chosen people were instructed to bring an unblemished bullock, goat or lamb, and shed its blood before the Lord as a sacrifice for sin. And they also worshiped Him with offerings of the firstfruits of their land and labors. Hebrews 13:15 instructs God’s people today to “continually offer up to Him a sacrifice of praise to God: the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” And Romans 12:1 reveals the true meaning behind such an offering: “I urge you, brethren, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice to God.” RARELY is a believer called on to DIE for His Lord, but DAILY we are commanded to LIVE for him, and give to Him our all. And so, not just on Sundays at church, but daily, hourly,every moment, at home, at work, at play, we bring to God an offering of our time, our talent, and our treasure. For “all that we have, all that we are, all that we hope to be, we give to You…We are an offering”… “Oh Lord, I bring an offering to You.”
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