Giving even after the end

The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I to build a temple for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?" - 2 Chronicles 2:5-6

Wow! Just wow! These two small verses speak volumes.

There is so much we can take and apply to our lives all throughout God's Word and this is no exception.

• "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods."
• Solomon is humbled. He does not claim, "The temple will be great, because I am great." He realizes that nothing is truly great without the power of an even greater God. When we wholeheartedly commit to doing something that honors God, He will make it great. Because His power will be all over it. 
• "But who is able to build a temple for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him?"
• God is not and cannot be contained by us. But, His lack of confinement goes even beyond that. He cannot be contained by time, place, or situation. Just because we are stuck between a rock and a hard place does not mean God is. He can move the rocks and the mountains to overcome any situation, because nothing can contain Him. 
• "Who then am I to build a temple for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?" 
• Our offerings are in our intentions. Solomon was humbled by how amazing God was. And, he knew that God could not be defined or confined by humanly things. Therefore, he made the temple as a place to SACRIFICE! Do you know what that means? It means that Solomon's intent was to build something for God and continue doing things for God long after the building was done. Solomon could have easily said, "I built this temple. I have done my part." But, he made something that He could continuously give to God in. 

Many times we find ourselves doing things for God and think our job is done at the end of a church bingo, a mission trip, or the signing a check. But, our sacrifice and gifts to God shouldn't stop because we think something is completed. God sent His son to die on the cross for us, which should have been an ending, and yet this Sunday we will celebrate the fact that His death was not an ending at all, but a beginning. THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE! 

My question is, "Why do we think that our sacrifices and gifts to God should stop after a certain event? Why don't we feel the need to constantly give everything we have to God?" The answer isn't easy. Maybe it's because giving our everything to God may call us to go places we never would have gone otherwise. Maybe we are afraid that God will call us to give up something we want to harbor for ourselves. Maybe we think that we have already done a lot, now it is someone else's turn to give something to God. Whatever the reason, we need to overcome it and place everything we have into the hands of a Savior who cannot be confined and can use everything we give Him to do whatever He wants anywhere, anytime, any place. We should continue giving even after the end of our "building" whether it be a mission trip, a Bible study, or a church service. Because God didn't stop giving of His love at what should have been the end of His son's life.