We can say all day long that something belongs to the Lord or that we have dedicated something to the Lord, but until we have actually set it apart and given it over to the Lord, it is not really His. The Pharisees would say “Corban” over their wealth, supposedly dedicating it to God, but the way it worked out practically was that they kept that wealth to themselves for their own personal use and would not use it to help the poor or even their own parents. 

Christians today do the same thing. Christians today dedicate their children to the Lord, but don’t give them over to His purposes - they don’t really want them to become missionaries; they do all they can to encourage them to excel in sports, school, social life, and business instead. Christians  say they belong to God, but if you look at the way they spend their time, the façade is obvious - most dispensable time is spent on entertainment, pleasure, and self-indulgence of every kind. 

Christians say, “God is my co-pilot” but really just do whatever they want to do and sanctify it by saying that they felt led of God to do those things. Christians today say that all they have belongs to God, but their giving doesn’t even match the Biblical standards of generosity; they are like the rich young ruler, unwilling to sell all he had to give to the poor, and thus in danger of losing his soul. Whatever we dedicate to the Lord must be removed from our possessions and irrevocably given to God, just as the memorial portion was totally burned up on the altar to God.

Nate Wilson
Caleb Project