Pastor's Blog

March 30 Day Tithing Challenge; pt. 2

March 30 Day Tithing Challenge; pt. 2

Memory Verse

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6

 Compare your hunger for God with your hunger for other things. Wilbur Reese wrote a book titled, $3 - Worth of God. He stated in the book, "I would like to buy $3 - worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of Him to make me love [other people]  or pick beets with a migrant worker. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth." Similarly, far too many of us only want a tiny bit of God which is clearly reflected in the amount (or lack of) we give to Him.  May we take an exciting step forward by giving to God 10% of our income.

March is our month for the 30-Day Tithe challenge. If you are not currently giving a tithe (10%) to the church, use this month to test God.

 Prayer Points:

   - Saving Lord, move me beyond giving You my leftovers. Move me beyond giving You my peanuts. Remind me, always, that if I sow bountifully, You will be abundantly faithful. 

March 30-Day Tithing Challenge; pt. 1

March 30-Day Tithing Challenge; pt. 1

Memory Verse

“Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.” Proverbs 15:16

 Far too often, Christians opt for seeking great treasure and the trouble that comes with it rather than seeking the contentment that only God provides and to be blessed with a healthy fear of the Lord. One reason Christians do not tithe (10%) their income is that they consider the American dream a priority over what God commands. Pastor Al Jackson said in a chapel address at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY “The greatest obstacle to the Great Commission is not our doctrine, or the willingness of candidates to go, but the American dream.  Either we invest in earth, or we invest in heaven. The American dream is to have whatever I want when I want it.” We show what we value most by not tithing.

 Seek the Lord about tithing over the month of March. If you are not currently tithing (10%) your income, choose now to take the step of faith by prioritizing God in your budget.

 Prayer Points:

• Everlasting Father, You have given Your only Son for my sins. Help me to sacrifice to You. Remind me that my finances are safe and secure in Your hands.  

"It Starts With Me"

"It Starts With Me"

Memory Verse

“…that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us…” Acts 17:27

Byron Paulus and Bill Elliff relate an amazing story of one man seeking hard after God. “It was one o’clock in the morning when the Lord awakened a young man from his sleep, prompting him to rise from his bed and do business with God.” This twenty-six year old chose to do exactly what God asked. The next night, the same thing happened. In fact, for many months following, God woke this man up and poured His life and truth into his willing heart. After sharing with a local church one night how God was working in his heart, Evan Roberts shared again and again. With no planned program, the Welsh Revival of 1904 – 1905 was underway. In one nine month span, 100,000 people came to faith in Christ. What a great revival!

 Prayer points:

• Lord, awaken my heart to You. I want to confess my sin. I want to hold nothing back. I want You to use me as a catalyst to revive my family, church, and community. To God be the glory!