It was a gigantic gift, but something wasn’t right. In 34 BC, the Roman general Mark Antony gave Cleopatra and her children a copious collection of territories in an event known as the Donations of Alexandria. Foregoing meager gifts of gems and gold, Antony went above and beyond by awarding them the lands of Syria, Cyrenaica, Armenia, and Parthia. In response to such a prodigious present, most people would say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have!” And given that Antony neither possessed nor was authorized to give away these lands, such a reaction would have been entirely justified!
His “gift” to Cleopatra was also incredibly disproportionate to the assets she already possessed. She had an estimated $95.8 billion in today’s dollars, making her one of the wealthiest women in history. That’s like donating a penny to a billionaire who owns the factory where pennies are made! Antony thought that his land grants were a big deal, but Cleopatra was a bigger deal herself. He gave her gifts that weren’t his, and they paled in comparison to what she was actually worth.
And all of our “gifts” to the King of kings and Lord of lords are the same way. We ultimately own nothing and God supremely owns everything (Psalm 24:1). Therefore, everything we may offer to God is already His—we are simply returning to Him what He has loaned to us. We may give God our time, but all the time we have is borrowed from Him (Prov. 22:7). We can offer the Lord our wealth and treasures, but He already owns them, too: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8).
This does not mean God does not want us to give to Him. As a matter of fact, what He desires is that we give all of ourselves to Him: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1; cf. Matt. 22:37). He even commands us to surrender our time, talents, and treasures to Him (Eph. 5:16; 1 Peter 4:10; 2 Cor. 9:7). But nothing we could ever give the Lord is worthy of what He deserves. God’s immeasurable worth, glory, and riches will always surpass anything we can offer. Isaac Watts (1674-1748) got it right when he penned the following words in the enduring hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross:
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Brandon's Desk 