Last Sunday, our congregation voted to move forward with a capital campaign. By God’s grace we are seeking to better utilize our facility and make it increasingly effective and accessible for gospel ministry. So needless to say, we are going to push ourselves to give sacrificially over these next few years.
But as we start a new year, it is a good time to consider where you are at when it comes to your finances. Jesus spoke often about money because money is an important indicator of our priorities. What do your spending habits say about your value system? Are you honoring God with the resources that he has entrusted into your care? Is God and his work a priority in your finances?
The Bible often speaks of tithes and offerings. To tithe is to give ten percent of your resources to God and his work. This is a pattern of giving embraced by godly men and women down through the ages. This was considered a baseline for God’s people. The prophet Malachi confronted the Jews and suggested they were essentially robbing God by failing to give a tenth of their resources (Malachi 3:8). The people would then give offerings in addition to the tithe.
Many are not convinced that tithing is a principle for Christians today. But a brief look at the New Testament is even more convicting. Every single instance of giving in the New Testament is in excess of the tithe. It is true that we do not live in bondage to the law of Moses. But God’s grace should not be an excuse for us to give less than the law required.
I hope you are prayerfully considering a sacrificial gift for our facility campaign. We will need every gift (big or small) if we are meet our goal. But I pray that you will give generously even if there is no building project on the horizon. We don’t give because God needs our money. We give because it is right to honor God with all that we have.
Pastor Jeff
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pictures-of-money/17121706878
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