The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters. – Psalm 24:1-2
What does giving mean to God?
I hope you’ve been following along with us this past month (August) as we have been exploring what giving if all about (Hint: It’s NOT about money). We realize that it already all belongs to God anyway and nothing is permanent in this world. The hope we have for the future lies in Jesus Christ and his promise for us of a life beyond this one. Giving is just one way to bring us closer to the life God wants for us. Giving is a discipline that helps us to let go of the material so we can focus on the spiritual.
We’ve been talking about it for the past few weeks because I’m hoping that we can challenge ourselves as a church to dream big and really go all in for Christ! My “What If?” for the church is to have us completely self-sufficient so we don’t have to rely on fundraising to support the church. If we could do that, I am convinced God would transform our hearts and souls in such a powerful way that we would see and feel God’s blessings in a very real, tangible way. If we could take up the tithing challenge and see God open up “the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it! (Malachi 3:10)”
How will we do that?
- Increase giving to meet our needs without fundraisers.
- Do fundraisers for helping others (like disaster relief, social justice, and preventative medicine)
- Change our hearts from giving with conditions to giving unconditionally
- Draw closer to God and watch as more people come to Christ when they see the impact Christ has had on our own lives and our approach to living
This is perhaps one of the most challenging parts of being a Christian – honestly putting our faith and trust in Christ. But what is our faith if we don’t? It’s difficult for everyone, but if we keep pushing ourselves to grow in our faith, we will get there. And it’s not just about giving to God financially. It’s about giving of ourselves in all the ways that challenge us – with our time, talents, gifts, service, and witness. But we can do it! That’s why we are the church! Together, we make each other stronger. Together, we drive one another to greater heights and Cgreater accomplishments that we could not do alone.
It’s the reason I love the United Methodist Church. The foundation of everything we try to do as a denomination revolves around this idea that we can do more TOGETHER! As it says in Hebrews 10:22-25:
“…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Craig
