Everything Na from You E Come

One old king stand for front of big crowd, with treasure all around am. Gold, silver, bronze, heaps of precious stones. And e raise im hands up and talk: none of dis one really be our own.

King David don near di end of im life. For many years, e don dey dream to build house for God for Jerusalem, temple wey go stand permanent, to replace di old tent. But God don tell am no. David na man of war. Na im son Solomon go build di temple, di son wey im name sound like di Hebrew word for peace. So David don do di next best thing. E don draw di plans, gather di materials and arrange di workers. Now e call all di leaders of Israel together: di officials of di tribes, di commanders, di people wey dey manage di king property. E get something to tell dem, and something to ask dem.

David begin. My son Solomon, di only one wey God choose, still young and e never get experience, and di work big well well. Because dis palace no be for man, na for di Lord God. Then e tell dem wetin e don do. With all im strength, e don prepare gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx and all kinds of precious stones and marble, plenty plenty. And on top of dat, because e love di house of im God, e dey give im own personal treasure too: thousands of talents of gold and silver, to cover di walls. Then e turn face di crowd with one question. Who dey ready today to give imself to di Lord? Who go give?

And dem give. Di heads of families, di leaders of di tribes, di commanders of thousands and of hundreds, di officers wey dey oversee di king work. Dem give gold and silver, bronze and iron, in big big amount. Anybody wey get precious stones give dem to di treasury of di house of di Lord. And di writer of Chronicles talk dis one: di people rejoice, because dem give willingly, with full heart. And King David too rejoice with great joy. Picture one old man, wey no go ever see dis temple when dem finish am, wey dey shine teeth because of how im people dey give.

Then David pray for di front of everybody. Blessed be you, Lord, di God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Your own na di greatness, di power, di glory, di victory and di majesty. Everything wey dey heaven and earth na your own. Riches and honour, na from you dem dey come. And then, di heart of di matter. But who I be, and who my people be, wey we go fit give like dis with willing heart? Because everything na from you e come, and na from your own hand we take give you. Every gift na God own before e become dia own. David ask God make e keep dis willing spirit inside di heart of im people, and make e give Solomon full heart to follow am. Then e tell di whole assembly: Now, bless di Lord una God. And all of dem bow down and worship.

One small word for dis chapter show when dem write am down. Verse seven measure di gold with darics. Di daric na Persian gold coin, wey dem first make under King Darius di First, about five hundred years after David live. Dem write Chronicles after di exile, and di writer count David treasure with di money wey im own readers sabi.

Everything Na from You E Come. You go find am for First Chronicles chapter twenty-nine, verse one to twenty. David give for house wey e no go ever see. Plenty churches still dey talk im words when dem dey bring offering come front: all things come from you, and na from your own we don give you. For Christmas, Christians dey remember di greatest gift of all, wey also come from God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. David talk say every gift wey e give, na God first give am. Wetin God don give you wey you fit give back dis Christmas?