consecration and Jacob

Living in a society where people give anything from physical possessions to blood donations, I’m constantly reminded of the “gift of giving”. As a child, I was taught to share my toys, give attention to teachers, and give respect to elders. As I grew older, I gave rides to friends, gave time to volunteer, and gave myself to studying. I’ve conformed to society’s expectation of giving, but more recently I’ve been considering another form of giving. Instead of tracking how much I give to people and organizations, I’ve started to consider how much I’m giving to God.

Aspiring to Give All

While reading the Bible, I’ve found many people who were patterns in their giving to God. Out of all the ones I’ve found, I am especially struck by two—Mary and Paul. In Mark 14, Mary poured out all that she had on the Lord. She anointed Jesus with a very costly, pure ointment that was valued at one year’s worth of wages. She didn’t consider the cost of her offering, but simply poured all that she had on Christ. Like Mary, Paul gave all that he had to the Lord. After his dynamic salvation, Paul was transformed from a zealous tax collector and Pharisee into an apostle and “slave of Christ Jesus” (Rom. 1:1). He began his ministry and gave himself so fully to the Lord that he later asserted, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

I want to be like Mary who gave Christ all that she had regardless of the cost. I want to be like Paul who lived fully for Christ and His ministry. Although I aspire to this, I find myself unable to give all that I am to the Lord. Sometimes I struggle, because, despite my wish to be like these two believers, I find myself resonating with someone who is quite different. I find that in my current state, I’m not quite a New Testament Mary or a Paul, but rather, an Old Testament Jacob.

Identifying with Jacob

Not many positive things come to mind when I think of Jacob. When I first read about Jacob in Genesis, I thought, “Wow this guy is soooo tricky and really knows how to take from others”. My thought was confirmed as I continued reading about Jacob’s life. In Genesis 25, Jacob took his brother Esau’s birthright. In Genesis 27, Jacob tricked his father into giving him Esau’s blessing. In Genesis 30, Jacob stole sheep from his uncle Laban. For much of his life, Jacob was a conniving opportunist who really lived up to his name, which means “supplanter”.

Despite all his trickery and taking, there was one significant instance where Jacob gave to God. In Genesis 28, Jacob told God, “All that you give me, I will surely give one tenth to You”. To me, Jacob’s “giving” to the Lord seemed more like an opportunistic transaction with a very low percentage going to God. Despite what I thought, I later realized that this opportunistic transaction was enough for God. Jacob’s promise of one tenth was all God needed to gain everything from him.

Jacob’s promise of one tenth was all God needed to gain everything from him

From Jacob, God gained Israel—a nation, twelve tribes, the people of God, His chosen ones. Thus, it is clear that one tenth was enough for God to gain much from Jacob. This is very encouraging to me. Despite my seemingly judgmental view of Jacob, I must admit that I am just the same as he is. I didn’t steal my brother’s birthright or take my uncle’s sheep, but like Jacob, I have “struggled with God and men” (Gen. 32:28) and most of the time I am only willing to give one tenth, or even less, to God. Even though my capacity to give to God may seem low right now, I know that God will gain something from any amount I give Him. I know because from Jacob’s one tenth, God gained a nation. So, surely from my one fifth or my one hundredth God is able to gain as well. Thus, I am very much encouraged by Jacob’s transaction with God. From whatever I am able to give, God is able to gain.

God Operates in Us the Willingness to Give

One practical lesson I’ve learned from reading about Jacob, Mary, and Paul is that giving to the Lord isn’t about quantity, but about willingness. Each one of these believers gave to the Lord in a different way and at a different time, but each one poured out because of his/her willingness to give to the Lord. But even the willingness to give to God comes from God. Thus, I’ve realized that when I want to give myself to the Lord, my response shouldn’t be to try, but to pray. I need to pray specifically that God would operate in me both the willingness to give and then the actual working out of that giving.

For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure. –Phil. 2:13

If you find yourself like me, finding it hard to give your all to the Lord, I encourage you to simply pray in faith, “Lord, I give myself to You. Lord, be the willing One operating in me. Lord, I know that if I am willing, You are able. So Lord, gain something in me for Your good pleasure”.

Then after you pray, remember this verse:

But to Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us. –Eph. 3:20

If we continually give our little to God, He will eventually get our all.

By: S. Chen

 

Sarah Chen
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