Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

First Chronicles, chapter 29, verse 9, then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly.

For with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the King also rejoiced greatly.

And that's a great picture. The people are giving offerings for the construction of the temple

and they are rejoicing as they give, like there is joy in giving. When that giving is done willingly,

the people rejoiced because they had given willingly. For with a whole heart they are offered

freely to the Lord. You see the descriptions of giving here, willing giving, free giving,

out of the overflow of their whole hearts. And this kind of giving leads to great joy.

David the King also rejoiced greatly. And so we see in First Chronicles, chapter 29,

verse 9, a principle, a truth that we see all over the Bible that goes totally against the grain

of the way we are wired to think in this world. We are wired every one of us to think that joy

is found in getting and having more. If we want to be happy, if we want to experience joy,

then we need to get more stuff. We need to have more things even that joy is found in hoarding

and getting and having far more than we need or could ever need. And the Bible tells us over and

over again that joy is found not in having and hoarding, but in sacrificing and giving generously,

not because we have to, but because we are willing to willingly freely with a whole heart,

because we get to, because God has given us grace and the possessions we have to be able to

give for the good of others and to be able to give for the glory of His name.

Oh, God, produce this kind of joy in our lives, we pray. I hope us to trust you that there is joy

found in giving, not in storing up more treasures on earth, but in storing up treasure in heaven.

God, we pray even especially as we come to the end of a year and as we think about

giving in our churches and giving to the work of the gospel around the world. God,

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