Wholehearted Before God
Verses:1 Chronicles 29:2,3
“Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses.”
When it comes to God, He does not primarily look at the magnitude of our activity, the visibility of our ministry, or the eloquence of our confession; He looks at the heart that stands before Him. David’s words reveal something profoundly intimate: “I have set my affection on the house of my God.” His giving did not arise from obligation, public expectation, or royal display. It flowed from affection. Love was the source, and wholeheartedness was the expression. What David offered was not merely prepared resources, but his “own special treasure” that which touched his person, his comfort, his position, and even his sense of security. This is where true devotion is exposed: when what we give to God reaches inward and costs us something personal.
It is possible to serve God, to speak for Him, even to lead others to give or to follow, while carefully protecting ourselves. We can organize, encourage, and direct without our ego ever being challenged, without our inner attachments ever being disturbed. David’s testimony stands in contrast to such distant piety. He did not only give what was already designated for sacred use; he went beyond it. Love compelled him to cross the line from what was safe to what was sacrificial. His affection for God’s presence moved him from external obedience to internal surrender.
When love governs our relationship with God, it draws us inward, to the core of who we are. It invites us not merely to offer things, but to offer ourselves. Such giving may look like loss in the language of the world loss of comfort, loss of control, loss of honor but in the language of love, it is gain. What is released to God in love never diminishes us; it enlarges us. In His presence, sacrifice does not feel heavy; it becomes strangely weightless, because the heart is no longer divided. To give wholly is to stand before God without fragments, without reservations.
There is also a childlike simplicity in this kind of surrender. Like a child who stretches out empty hands, we come with all that we have gathered over time our achievements, our struggles, our possessions, our very identity and place it before Him. Yet here lies a subtle danger that David’s life warns us about: we can say with our lips, “I give myself to God,” while inwardly clinging to pride, ego, and self-importance. Such giving does not move God, because it is artificial. God is not persuaded by declarations that are not matched by inner humility. He receives wholeness, not performance.
Therefore, when we deal with God, it is not partial devotion He seeks, but the whole heart. Not selective surrender, but total availability. The main truth of this passage is clear and searching: love for God naturally expresses itself in wholehearted giving, and wholehearted giving always touches the person, not just the possession. Anything less remains external, but what is given in love becomes sacred. When our affection is set on God Himself, our offering whether seen or unseen becomes acceptable, living, and true.
Prayer:
Father God, we come before You knowing that You see beyond our actions into our hearts. Teach us to love You as David loved You, not from a distance, but with deep affection. Remove from us every trace of divided devotion, hidden pride, and guarded surrender. Help us to give not only what we have prepared, but our very selves our treasures, our desires, our identity fully and freely to You. May our love for You make every sacrifice light and every surrender joyful. Receive us wholly, O God, and shape our hearts to delight in giving You everything. Amen.