First Yourself, Then Your Gift

And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. (2 Corinthians 8:5)

My wife asked about a friend we hadn't seen in years. "Whatever happened to that jacket he borrowed?" I laughed. "You know, I completely forgot until now. I guess I'll never see it again."
 
Notice how differently we feel about things based on who has them. When someone you trust has something of yours, you don't worry. But with someone you barely know—that's different.

This same principle applies to our relationship with God. People who complain most about giving are usually those who haven't given themselves fully to Christ. They hold back because they haven't answered the question: "Who owns my life?"
 
The woman with the alabaster jar didn't struggle with pouring out her perfume. Why? She had already poured out her heart. The expensive gift was just the overflow of a life already surrendered. She gave herself first, then her treasure followed.

This cuts to the heart of our resistance to generosity. We clutch our resources when we haven't settled who really owns them. We ask, "How much must I give?" instead of "How much can I keep?"
 
The disciples saw her gift and cried, "Waste!" But Jesus saw something different—a heart so transformed that holding back was unthinkable.

What does God see when He looks at us? People who have given themselves first, making all other giving natural? Or people still calculating, still clutching, still trying to maintain ownership of what was His all along?
 
Here's the truth: Until you give yourself completely to Christ, you'll always struggle with giving anything else. But once you settle the ownership question—once you recognize that everything is on loan from Him—giving becomes gratitude rather than obligation.

Today, before asking what you should give, ask if you've given yourself.