Erin Church's Daily Devotional : Give without Sparing

Proverbs 21:26 All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. (NIV)

Recently, we’ve had to fix a major repair over at Erin Presbyterian church. Our current building is about 55 years old, and in this part of the country, that’s almost antique! I know that Scottish churches go back centuries, but over here the extreme weather conditions and heat causes buildings to deteriorate at a much faster rate.

Anyway, we’ve got to raise about $40,000 to pay off the repair and so far we’ve brought in about $14,000. We set aside about $16,000 in our budget to cover the costs, but as usual we didn’t know what the damage was until we started to repair it.

What has amazed me is the response that people have made in the last three weeks. Some of our people who have fixed incomes sent in $130 – a dollar for each year our church has existed. Those givers don’t have a lot to spare, but they have given cheerfully. Others have contributed $400 – one percent of the repair costs – showing their commitment to the upkeep of the church over and above what they give each week. Still others have contributed higher amounts without any fanfare. They just want to see the church ‘get better’ as we grow bigger.

I am truly humbled by these responses, and I know that there are others both in our congregation and from the outside who will make donations (even some people who read these devotionals have given to the church – wow!). It is a joy to serve the Lord and to faithfully give of our resources for the enhancement of His work. Glory be to God for the bounty He has given and the blessings we receive!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, all our churches belong to You and we want them to become mission centers, safe sanctuaries, and ministry headquarters. Grant us the gift of righteousness – to give without sparing and to completely love You through the life, ministry and work of all our churches. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Fifty Three Percent

Audio version here

Psalm 96:8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. (NIV)

I was reading a report the other day that startled me. It stated that in the last month, 53% of church attending Christians gave nothing to their church. Zilch. Nada. Absolute zero. I was shocked. How could people call themselves Christians and not set aside something for God at least every month?

The reason that was given for this surprising news was not surprising at all. Americans have over-stretched their borrowing ability and are paying back high interest mortgages, car payments, and credit cards. Giving to God is being given a low priority, for even some Christians – at least 53%? – are having difficulty with debt.

Thankfully, there are some good budgeting programs to help Christians get out of the debt spiral, and if folks are willing to go through them, they discover that there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, those financial programs emphasize giving to church as a number one priority. Why? Because all of our resources, blessings, and wealth come from God. When we give up giving to God we are dishonoring Him. When we withhold from giving to the church, we are disrespecting Christ.

So, maybe next month we should set aside what we give to God first, and then deal with our debts second. It may cause us to spend less and budget more, but after all that’s what good stewards do for the kingdom we are in, and the King whom we serve.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us completely and You are aware of all the financial burdens that we have. You also know about the resources we possess and the gifts we bring to You. Help us to give cheerfully and faithfully, constantly and frequently to Your Church, for in so doing we honor and glorify Your mission on earth and Your ministry to the world. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.