And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done.

Genesis 8:21

I love my wife’s cooking. Undisputedly, she is the best cook in the world. That is why I don’t eat at parties, and when I have to, I eat just enough because I cannot miss her food and sleep well. I can smell her cooking from my office when I am hungry. The aroma of her food greets me at the door with such delight that if I have had a bad day and look grumpy, a smile breaks on my face. It goes into my greeting when I enter the house. She could ask me for anything, and I would oblige without hesitation (Don’t tell her, please). When I finally taste it, oh, glory! Like they say in Ghana, she has finished me. She knows what I like, and without holding back, she gives to me with pleasure. Why does she do it? Why does my wife take her time to cook that well for me, even when she is cross with me? It is because she loves me and wants to delight me with her best.

Noah’s sacrifice after the floods reminds me of my wife’s cooking. After the waters subsided, Noah led his family in worship and offering thanksgiving to God. He could not hold back from giving his best to the Lord for such a great salvation (Genesis 8:20). He took extra care to make it right. God smelled the pleasing aroma and was pleased. He resolved in his heart never again to curse the ground or destroy every living thing, but to renew the seasons (21-22). Noah’s offering touched the heart of God.

We please God when we give Him our best. Like Noah’s sacrifice, our offering must have a pleasing aroma around it. After working for us, such great salvation through Jesus, how can we give Him anything less than our best?

Ask Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, the early believers in Acts, the saints in Macedonia, and they will tell you about the joy of giving to God without restraint. It’s not that they had too much, but even “out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Cor. 8:2-5).

They gave because they considered it a privilege to give to God. Undeserving, unable to provide anything of their own, not able to repay God for all His mercy in salvation (Rom. 12:1), they gave back to God without restraint what He had given to them. Paul calls it grace-giving—giving that touches God’s heart and draws His blessings toward us (2Cor 9:6-11).

Try this grace-giving, and you will know why the Macedonians begged for this privilege of giving to God in the collection to bless the Jerusalem church (2 Cor. 8:4).