There’s a cool story about a twelve-year-old boy named David Grant. One day he went to church with his dad and heard a missionary speak. When the offering plate came around, David did something really unusual—he stepped INTO the offering plate! It was his way of saying to God, “I’m not just giving You my money—I’m giving You ME!”

God spoke to David’s heart that day and told him he would go to India as a missionary when he grew up. And that’s exactly what happened! David Grant had an amazing life serving God in India and helping lots of people learn about Jesus.

The apostle Paul talked about some churches that did something similar. Before they gave their money, they “first gave themselves to the Lord.” That means they said, “God, we belong to You! Everything we have is Yours! We’re going to do whatever You want us to do!”

That’s what God really wants from us—not just our stuff, but US! God made us. We are His children, and we have everything we have because God gives it to us. We can forget about that really easily. He wants us to remember that and tell Him we are ready to use our free time, the things we are good at, and the things we have FOR HIM. He wants us to wake up every morning and say, “God, today is Yours. Help me live for You today!”

Think About It: Have you given yourself to God? It’s kind of like being on a team. When you join a soccer team, you’re saying, “I’m going to follow the coach’s instructions and play for this team!” When you give yourself to God, you’re saying, “I’m going to follow God’s instructions (in the Bible) and live for Him!” If you’ve never done that before, you can pray right now: “God, I give You my whole life. I want to follow You and live for You every day!”