Goodbye, Self-Doubt!నమూనా

A few months ago, as I studied the book of Numbers, I came to chapter seven. Like much of the book of Numbers, this chapter had a lot of—surprise, surprise—numbers in it. 

Chapter 7 speaks of the different tribes of the Israelites bringing their offerings to the Tabernacle. Each of the twelve tribes brings silver plates and silver bowls and gold dishes and flour, oxen, goats, lambs, and rams. In fact, each tribe brings the exact same thing to the altar, down to the specific weight of the silver and gold and the precise kind of animals. Yet, the chapter describes each of the tribe’s offerings individually—a copy-paste description restated twelve times. 

Why the repetition, I wondered. Was the author (Moses) just emphasizing the type of offerings brought to the Tabernacle? I believe it runs deeper than that.  

The passage mentions each tribe specifically because God cared about each tribe specifically. I felt like he was saying to me: Even if it may feel like what you bring is nothing special, your offering is important to Me. Yours. 

Personally, I struggle with the fact that there are thousands of Christian writers out there. Each of us may be offering similar words and sentences, blogs and books. Do my words really matter? Does my offering actually count? Yes. God put His light in my heart so I can share it. God wants my offering because it honors Him. 

We all know the story of the little boy with the five loaves of bread and two fishes. His offering ended up feeding a crowd of more than 5000 hungry people. God can multiply your gifts to bless people He puts in your path. He gives us good gifts, not just for our benefit, but also to bless others. He urges us to lay our gifts at the altar. Just like He speaks to the disciples about the fish and loaves, He speaks to us about our gifts and says, “Bring them here to me.” (Matthew 14:18).

Today, don’t hide behind the lies that there’s nothing unique or outstanding that you can offer God. Bring to God what you have, even though it may seem insignificant or insufficient. Illuminate the shadows with your gift. Let your light shine for His glory. Your offering honors God.

Lean In: Father God, Thank You that You can use what I bring You to bless others. May I not hide behind insecurity that my gifts are not good enough. Thank You that You bless me in order to make me a blessing. Amen