Money makes me glad when I have it and sad when it is scarce. Talking about money and the church makes me nervous. Asking for money scares me. – in my head I know these statements reflect on my bad theology, my buying into harmful agreements with my enemy the devil. But my feelings, my heart, sometimes do not run in step with my mind.
Our congregation is in the midst of a stewardship campaign. We have seen some good things come out of this so far (why should I be surprised?). Two days from now I head off to Romania on a missions trip: I asked for financial support to help make this happen – and praise God, five donors have pretty well covered all the expenses! (why should I be surprised?).
Perspective, philosophy, attitude – the Christian views resources differently than the world. Generosity comes from our generous God – and that changes everything. In that light, I am pleased to share with you a recent post by Pastor Rick Warren.
From Purpose Driven Connection – Rick Warren
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
GIVING IS SPIRITUAL INVESTMENT, NOT EXPENSE
Generosity is helping with what you have where you are so God can get you to where He wants you to go
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God often compares giving to sowing seeds. Like a farmer, if you go out and sow a bunch of seeds, you’ll get a bunch of plants. If you only sow a few seeds, you’ll only get a few plants. And if you sow no seeds, you’ll get no plants. No farmer considers sowing seeds an expense. He sees it as an investment. He knows that if you don’t buy seed, you won’t have a farm. When a farmer plants seeds, he’s excited about it; he’s hopeful about it. He has faith because he puts one corn seed in the ground and expects to get a whole corn stalk full of more seed than he put in. He looks forward to the harvest because he knows he’s going to be blessed. Here are three things the Bible says about sowing and reaping:
The good news is, this works in positive terms too. Give it to God and watch his blessings flow onto others and back to you.
How big a harvest do you want to see in your life? It’s up to you. God says, “According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV).
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