GIVING OURSELVES TO GOD IN THE NEW YEAR

As the year stretches before us, God’s first desire is not our possessions but our surrender. Money follows the heart, and the heart follows the throne upon which Christ is allowed to sit. Before the believer ever gives outwardly, he is called to give inwardly—to lay himself upon the altar of God.

The Bible urges us with holy clarity: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy, acceptable to God—which is your true and spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). All true generosity flows from a life already yielded.

When the soul is wholly given, giving becomes simple and free. There is no bargaining, no anxiety over loss, because the believer has learned that nothing placed in God’s hands is ever wasted. Our Lord Himself modeled this surrender, saying, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). The new year calls us not merely to do more, but to belong more completely—to let Christ direct both our living and our giving.

Let this year begin with a quiet transaction between the soul and God. Place all upon His altar—plans, resources, future, and fears. Where self is yielded, generosity will follow naturally, joyfully, and abundantly.

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Lord, I give myself to You anew; take all that I am and all that I have, and use it freely for Your glory and Your purposes. Amen.

BDD