Heaven’s Refrigerator Door!

Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you

Deuteronomy 16:16-17

When you open a gift the most important thing is not what is in the box. The most important thing is what is in the heart of the one who gave the gift. The difference between a gift and a bribe can be seen only in the motive of the giver.

Money given to someone with a need can be a loving and compassionate gift or it can be a bribe to get something in return. The Bible says that God gives “good and perfect” gifts, and He does! God’s gifts are motivated by love and are in no way bribes to get men and women to do what He desires. That is clearly seen in that His rain falls on the just and the unjust!

No loving father tells his children that he will give them food and clothing and shelter if they will always obey him. Giving these gifts to a child is never contingent on the child’s obedience.

But what about my gifts to God, when I give some of what God has given me back to Him what is in my heart? Do I give because it is my obligation, or do I give because I love God and want to bless Him in whatever way I can?

For me, the best gifts are the pictures that hang on the refrigerator that were carefully drawn by my grandchildren. Each of these drawings is a few moments of focus to bless me by showing me what they can do. The wonderful part of those gifts is that my grandchildren wanted to give me something. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, I am blessed!

My gifts to God are like refrigerator pictures. I diligently work with paper and crayons! I try to imagine what God would really like from me, and then I give my gift! If I am trying to bribe God to bless me by giving my gift to Him, my gift will do more harm than good. But if I give to God because I love Him and want to bless Him, then the picture I have drawn is hung on HEAVEN’S REFRIGERATOR DOOR!