The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him, you shall receive the contribution for me.”
– Exodus 25:1–2
So Exodus 25:1–2 is the very beginning of a chapter that is talking about the sanctuary. It is talking about the tabernacle that God will set up. In the midst of his people, as a picture of his glory dwelling among his people. And in order to construct this, including the Ark of the Covenant, which is what comes right after this, and when it comes to specific instructions for that, there needs to be contributions given from among God’s people, contributions for the building of this sanctuary. And I love this phrase in verse two, God says, “From every man whose heart moves him, you shall receive the contribution for me.”
We need to change the way we’re living and spending, not just in our lives, but even in the church.
So think about that, the relationship between the heart and a financial contribution. And this is exactly what Jesus will talk about in the Sermon on the Mount. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Exodus 25:1–2 Teaches Us Our Heart and Money Are Linked
There is a direct link between our hearts and our money. Our money is a reflection of our hearts, where we spend our money, how we spend our money is a reflection of our hearts and where we put our money, our hearts follows there. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And this is an extremely humbling reality for those of us who live in a very materialistic culture, where we put our money in all kinds of things. And we constantly need to step back in our culture and our own hearts and say, “What is my use of money saying about where my heart lies?”
It’s at this point, I don’t want this to be just a plug for Secret Church, but this is what we’re diving into when it comes to Secret Church this year, Secret Church 21, the great imbalance, how we spend in the church. 99% of our mission’s resources, so even money that we give to missions, we spend 99% of it in places where people have already heard the gospel. As a result, our hearts are not with people who’ve never heard the gospel.
Exodus 25:1–2 Leads Us to Pray for the Unreached
We need to change the way we’re living and spending, not just in our lives, but even in the church. When it comes to mission, we are ignoring God’s heart for those who’ve never even heard the gospel. What we pray for all the time on this podcast, people groups who are unreached by the gospel, people groups like the Hani people in Vietnam, 0.01% who have heard and believe the gospel. Most have never even heard it, and 7,000 other people groups like them.
So, God, we pray that you would move our hearts to give toward what is most important to your heart. God, I pray for this in my own life, my own family and the way Heather and I spend money, the way our family spends money, the way my kids spend money, going to pray for this in the church. I’m a part of, and for every single person who’s praying right now, and the churches were a part of God.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray for the Spirit to Move
We pray that you would by your spirit, move our hearts to give toward that, which matters for forever to put our money in that, which will last forever, not to store up treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but to store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, knowing that where our treasure is, that’s where our hearts are.
God, we pray that you would cause a spirit of generosity and sacrificial cheerful generosity at that, based on 2 Corinthians: 8-9. To rise up among your people, that you would move supernaturally in each of our hearts, that we might spend our money on the spread of your gospel and your glory on the things that are most important to your heart.
People in need, people in urgent physical need, urgent spiritual need. God we pray that you would help us, move us, to spend our money on that which is most important to your heart. And in the process, oh God, that you would make our hearts more like yours. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
