Our giving to the Lord should include more than handing Him a "tip" on Sunday from money that's left over when the bills are paid. It should include all acts of devotion that cost us something.
In today's Bible reading, God's people had failed to learn this lesson. They didn't offer Him "sweet cane" (Isa. 43:24)--a gift that would have required self-sacrifice.
According to Jeremiah, this expensive delicacy came from "a far country" (Jer. 6:20). It was one of the ingredients God instructed Moses to use in the formula for the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:23), and it was used in the sanctuary to produce a sweet-smelling sacrifice. An Israelite who brought sweet cane was expressing a sacrificial kind of giving that pleased God.
Ask yourself the following searching question: Is my life characterized by acts of self-denial, the gifts of sweet cane that mean so much to the Lord? How grieved the Savior must be when we don't offer Him worship and gifts that come from our heart!
Don't be satisfied to get by with a minimum of giving and service. Offer the Lord the sweet cane of a zealous, sacrificial life. — Henry G. Bosch
The gifts we offer to the Lord
Are by His standards measured;
Our sacrifice and lives of praise--
Such gifts are highly treasured. --Sper
Self-sacrifice is the true measure of our giving.