Nehemiah 12

When all the people came together to dedicate the temple, it was a day of great pomp and celebration. There was feasting and music, with dozens of instruments and two huge choirs. Nehemiah says the "sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away." (vs 43) When these Israelites threw a party, they apparently made sure everyone knew about it!

What stuck out to me, though, was the rest of verse 43: "On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy." Their day of celebration included a great deal of sacrifices and offerings, all of which were precipitated by God’s great giving to them. This is the cycle of giving in God’s great circle of life: He gives to us, and we, in turn, give back to Him with hearts full of thanksgiving and praise.

It is God’s giving that inspires us to give—both to Him and to others. God’s generosity always comes first. And when we recognize how generous He is, it can’t help but inspire us to want to be more like Him. And the more we give, the more we receive. With God, the blessings never stop. As James wrote, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." (Jam 1:17)

It’s only when we close our fist and stop the flow of blessings that the cycle is interrupted. Unfortunately, that sometimes happens. But God never closes His fist. His hands are always open, and He is always seeking to pour out blessings on us. And when we recognize His generosity, may we be willing to open our hands in return and give to others as He has given to us.