Awesome message today that couldn’t be left unshared. And it’s about the touchy subjects of money and time in regards to giving and serving.
Due to our current situation, (and unlike Coors beer), money is not flowing freely from the mountains, ha. However, I loved this message because it affirmed what we’ve already been doing and offered a great sense of accountability for us as well. In a sentence:
We don’t honor God with less than what we can give, and certainly not with our leftovers – we need to pre-plan our financial giving as well as our physical serving.
Regarding money…
Our financial status should not limit our ability to give back in order to further the kingdom. If we let money control our way of thinking then we are basically saying money is more powerful than God. How scary is that? Some great lyrics from Joel Houston that remind me God is bigger – “Your will above all else / My purpose remains / The art of losing myself / In bringing You praise / Everlasting / Your light will shine when all else fades / Never ending / Your glory goes beyond all fame // In my heart and my soul / Lord I give You control / Consume me from the inside out.” And from Chris Tomlin – “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.” In a word: trust.
Regarding our time…
If we wait for service opportunities to just “fall in our laps,” they will either never happen or they will be rare and inconsistent. The pastor gave the example of “unintentionally” falling into a weight room…not going to happen. It takes intention, planning and action to get into shape, not just hopes and dreams. If physical fitness doesn’t work that way, then why would we think giving of our time in service is any different? Good intentions are dead without follow-through.
We often think that we don’t have the time to give of ourselves in service, but something that was mentioned in a previous sermon/gold nugget was the idea of using some of our vacation time to serve others. The pastor asked us to think about what that would show others about our character and what kind of legacy we’d leave if we did that. If we truly want to be the kind of people who make an impact on others lives, then shouldn’t we actually start doing the things that create that impact?
A perfect quote from pastor Shawn Johnson to end this post – “We won’t accidentally become the people we want to be.”
In Christ,
Laura