It's the holiday season... Thanksgiving (and the piles of delicious food) are only a few days away. And once that's done (and you've fallen asleep in front of a football game with a piece of pumpkin pie), we're just about 30 days away from celebrating Christmas.
It's also a time of year where you're asked to give - not just presents to family & friends, but donations to a wide variety of organizations & ministries. Here at NewLife, we'll be promoting:
- Operation: Christmas Child (today is the day to turn in your box... if you haven't done so already, you're welcome to drop it by the church office this afternoon/evening for delivery tomorrow)
- the Fresno Rescue Mission (our yearly Community Thanksgiving service offering goes to the Mission, along with donations of canned food and freshly made pies)
- Jews for Jesus (who will be bringing the message next week as they talk about the presence of Christ in the middle of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah)
- the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (as we help to fund missionaries sharing Jesus around the world)
With all those opportunities (and so many more), I want to offer you an important Biblical concept: your giving to those worthy ministries should be above & beyond your regular giving to the church (your tithe). This is not the time to "borrow Peter to pay Paul" - if you feel led to give, you need to add it to your normal giving rather than simply shuffle a smaller dollar number around.
OK, Pastor Mark, where do you get this biblically? Those of you who've been around church a while will probably anticipate an appeal to Malachi 3:10 (the "first fruits" passage)... and while that could apply here, I want to go another direction today. Let's look at Ephesians 5:25 (NLT):
Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her.
This doesn't require a lot of textual criticism or commentary... and if Jesus loved the church enough to give His life up, then it ought to be the first & most important place for us to give.
I urge you to prayerfully & wisely consider how you give through these holiday seasons... to consider a level of generosity that goes "above & beyond" your normal level of giving. And while you do that, also take time to pray about how you choose to give year-round... when the Salvation Army folks aren't wringing bells & "the spirit of giving" isn't being celebrated in one TV commercial after another. Maybe, just maybe - God is using this time to jump start your generosity!
Quotes of the Week
At its best, giving is an act of worship.
Cornelius J Dyck
As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life.
Richard Foster
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