God's not done with me yet

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“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” —Romans 12:1–2 There was a 7th grade Sunday school teacher who told me about a time when she was working with boys one Sunday morning. One in particular was really cutting up quite a bit. He wouldn’t stay in his seat, wasn’t listening to the teacher, and was disrupting the whole class. So the teacher took the boy outside and asked him, “Who made you?” to which the boy replied “God did.” The teacher responded, “That’s right. So why aren’t you acting like it?” The boy thought for a second and said, “Well, maybe He’s not done with me yet!” You know, there’s a lot of truth in the words of that little boy. That’s because as long as we’re here on this earth, God is still working on us, conforming us to His image and making our hearts more and more like His! So if you’re struggling today with any hurts or bad habits, keep moving forward. Remember that God isn’t finished with you. He’s taking the old and making it new day by day. Live with hope knowing you’re growing more and more like Christ as you obey Him daily!   SUBMIT YOURSELF TO CHRIST DAILY, AND GOD WILL MAKE YOU MORE AND MORE LIKE HIM!

Monday, October 29, 2018

Fear and Finances

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:”

Matthew 25:24–26

Many churches and ministries struggle financially when giving declines. It is undeniable that economic fluctuations greatly impact financial support. And certainly if someone loses a job, they will not be able to give as they did while they had a steady income. But the problem in giving is not always a lack of resources. Sometimes it is a lack of faith instead. Someone said, “Many Christians are giving less than they could, not because they are making less, but because they are worrying more.”

If our lives are governed by fear for the future, we will tend to hoard rather than give. While the Bible teaches the great value of wise planning for what lies ahead, and good financial management, it also teaches that it is more important for us to lay up treasures in Heaven than here on Earth. Either we believe what God said when He promised to meet and supply our needs, or we do not. And the clearest evidence of that faith (or the lack of it) is found in our attitude toward giving.

Everything we have belongs to God. We only hold it as stewards, and we will be held accountable for what we did with the resources left in our care. Just like the trustee of an estate, we must remember that the funds we have do not belong to us, and are not ours to disperse as we see fit.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Our willingness to give to God’s work is directly related to our willingness to trust His promises.