Put Yourself in the Offering Plate - by Joyce Meyer

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.

— Romans 12:1

In 2 Corinthians 8, when Paul was talking to the Corinthian believers about their giving, he gave them the example of the churches in Macedonia. He said in verse 5, Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God].

That just amazes me, because they didn’t just give their money—but they gave themselves.

I wonder how many of us are willing to write our names down and stick that in the offering plate. Romans 12:1 says we should offer all of ourselves as a sacrifice to God.

This means living for God outside of church. It means being willing to give money, but it also means being ready to love anyone God brings across your path. It means being willing to use any resource you have for His kingdom.

So the next time you’re in church and the offering plate comes around, I encourage you to tell God that you’re giving all of yourself to Him!