There is a story about a financially successful man who had trouble with the concept of tithing. He went to his pastor and said, If I tithe my $500,000 salary I would have to give $50,000. The pastor listened to his problem and agreed that $50,000 was a lot of money to give, so the pastor offered this prayer for the man: Dear Lord, please help my friend earn less money so he finds it easier to tithe.
Tithing is the practice of honoring God with one tenth (10 percent) of our incomes. A $50 gift and a $50,000 gift are both important from perspective of Biblical stewardship. God is most concerned about the heart of the giver. How is it with your heart? Do you find it easy to give or is it a bit or even more than a bit of a challenge for you? If we are blessed with a good job or other financial success that is what is to be represented in our giving to the Lord. When we think that our tithe is too much to give to the church, would we want God to answer the pastors prayer and give us only income to match what is easy for us to tithe?
God wants us to give willingly and cheerfully out of hearts filled with love and gratitude for our present and eternal lives. Remember God loves us. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus for us. In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven! By the power of the Holy Spirit we are molded and transformed into stewards who follow Gods ways and become more Christ-like in of Gods grace through his Son. With hearts filled with Gods love and grace, we can excel in the grace of giving.
We give our money to the church to be faithful to our calling as Christians who follow Jesus Christ. It is a joy to know that our money goes to help cover the expenses of running the church as we seek to fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. At first it may not be easy to give, especially a large amount like a tithe, but if we are bold enough to try, we quickly find that we are the ones who are blessed.
Our stewardship theme this year is Excelling in the Grace of Giving and our challenge is Give Plus One As you prayerfully consider your relationship to the Lord and your walk of faith, consider increasing your giving one percent or more. You will find a worksheet and commitment/pledge sheet here in the newsletter you may use. On Sunday October 24, Commitment Sunday, bring your commitment sheet to one of our special times of worship where Rev. Joe Richard will be bringing us Gods Word from Acts 20:32-35, Excel in the Grace of Giving You may also return your commitment/pledge sheet to the office.
The Apostle Paul said, But just as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us see that you also excel in this grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7). Just as Paul urged the people in Corinth to give, we are urged to excel in this grace of giving. No gift is too small - or too large when it is given in a response to the call of faith in Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Mary Arnold
