This weekend is the third of a three-week stewardship emphasis titled Ten for Ten. In this worship series, we are looking at the daily struggle we all face when two paths are set before us, one by God and the other by this world. Shall we live for this life or the life that is to come? One very obvious way that struggle manifests itself is when we plan our finances.
Sometimes Christians will object, “The pastor talks too much about money!” Their quarrel isn’t really with the pastor, but with their Creator. The Lord speaks to us about worldly wealth and possessions over 2,300 times in his Word. Two weeks ago, we heard that the Lord asks, without apology, to be first in our hearts. The Lord’s position in our heart is to be reflected in our firstfruits giving. Last week, we considered the matter of proportional giving. What percentage of the Lord’s blessings do we really need to live on? This week, our series concludes by examining what God has to say about sacrificial giving.
Adding these three themes together, we see that people will invariably give beneath their ability when they fail to put the Bible’s teaching on firstfruits and proportionate giving into practice. Others give at their ability. This happens when people, confident in God’s blessing, prayerfully and thoughtfully practice firstfruits and proportional giving. Finally, one can even give beyond their ability. That’s the case when God’s people step out in faith and give in a way that, humanly speaking, doesn’t add up. Scripture tells us of people who, even in their poverty, opened up their hands and gave beyond their ability. They gave sacrificially, not superficially. How could they do this? They simply trusted in God’s unlimited ability to care for them.
These biblical accounts of sacrificial giving are another one of God’s blessings to us. May we hear them, be inspired by them, and—as God gives us opportunity—make them our own story!
Our worship over the three weeks have followed this path.
Week One: OPEN HEARTS (Firstfruits Giving)
Week Two: OPEN MINDS (Proportionate Giving)
Week Three: OPEN HANDS (Sacrificial Giving)