What To Seek In Giving

Well, it's so good to be back with you today. We are a

little jet lag. As Tanner mentioned, we did fly in from Wahaka.

I was with the team. We took a team I think around nineteen students

and then also staff members Tenor and I and then and then many staff members

from our academy. One thing that we have a vision too with here at

Bethesda and at BC our academy, is that we would like to see every

student of our academy go on mission, and so and also every student of

our church go on mission, and so this is a great trip for them

to go and for us a partner. So thank you for your prayers for

us and so traveling there and back and God Reli blasshem, I'm so thankful

for your partnership in the gospel that we can reach people for Jesus Christ right

here in Bethesda, but all the way as far as Wahaka, Mexico,

to Bila see Georgia in October to the ends of the yearth Amen. So

thank thank you for your partnership. And in the end, what will it

be like one day in heaven when we can say together God, I remember

when it was on a Sunday morning in July. We sing Gloria and stand

besides our brothers from Quela Palm, and they say, Gloria to stand beside

our brothers in Tanzania. And they say, Gloria and I stand beside our

brothers and sisters from Georgia. And they say, Gloria and us all not

separated from miles and distance and countries. That's united around the throne room of

God, saying Gloria all Elivia. Amen. And that's what we are a

part of. That's what we get to do when we live on mission.

Amen. So thank you for that. I want you to turn with me.

We've been in the series and Philippians and I you know, I'm a

long window preacher, so it's hard for me to finish a section, and

so I want to go and finish today Philippians chapter four. So if you're

with me, if you'll turn with the Philippius chapter four, and we're we're

starting verse fourteen in just a minute. You know, when we do something

anything in our life, we want to see results. We if we put

time and effort into something, if we put energy into something, we if

we put if we sacrifice part of ourselves or time or money or whatever it

may be into something. We want to see that what we did, the

energy we spent, the time, we the financial parts that we give,

that it was worth it. It was worth what we gave to it.

Right. We all do that. Many of you know, or you may

not know, if you're nu to bits or if your first time here,

your first time watching it. Is that on our campus we ever soccer field.

It is something we built many years ago and it's part of what we

use for the church. It's also part of what we use for athletics and

our academy here, and we have really nice grass on it. It's called

Bermuda grass. I don't know if you're grass connoisseur. I'm really not,

but I'm learning right well. You know, we've kind of for the last

few years that grass is just not gotten the attention that it is needed.

So I have taken it on as mission impossible. I don't know anything about

grass, but I've suddenly become a connoisseur of grass, and I've been determined

that this grass is supposed to be so nice, and we have such a

nice field that I want it to be nice, and so I determined that

I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to figure out what I can

do to get that grass looking good like a golf course. And so,

you know, I started doing some researchers talk Joey, he knows a lot,

and we start putting our heads together and we realize that, I mean,

Bermuda grass needs an inch of water every week. And so we realize

we have a sprinkler system where we haven't been using the sprinkler system for many

years. Well, so I got in there. I said, oh,

I need to figure out how sprinter system works. And I worked on the

irrigation system. I figured out how to schedule it, got that work,

and so now it's getting water four times a week. So very excited about

that. Well, you know, not only does it need water, it

also needs sunlight. We've gotten plenty of that man lately, so I don't

need to provide any of that. And so but it also needs like nutrients,

right, it needs ingredients, and so I decided like it needs some

fertilizers. So we I asked Joey, and Joey and I are measured and

we did all kinds of stuff and figure how much fertilizer we need. And

then Joey came with came along and I had we had two long moors and

we fertilized the whole soccer field. And we did that just before I left

for wa Hawka. And I tell you that because last night we came in

at one o'clock in the morning, late flight. We got everybody here,

We had some of our you know, some of the people got their luggage

picked up at the office, and so we dropped them off and I made

sure they got in their cars. And you know what I did at one

o'clock in the morning. Yeah, you're you're realizing where I'm going. I

had my flashlight on the soccer field because I knew y'all had a lot of

rain last week, and I was looking, it's got a lot of work,

it's got to be growing. And why why did I do that?

Why was I so anxious? Because I've put time, I've made the grass,

I've got the irrigation, we put the fertilizer. We've been all kinds

of time, time and energy and sacrifice into that field. And now I

want to see what kind of growth there is right now? I would say,

not only do we do that with with things in our life as simple

as a soccer field, but we do that in an area of our life.

We do that as a church. I mean, just you just think

about our mission trip that we went on. Do you know that we've been

I think it's five times, four or five times we've been to Wahaka.

We've been three times to this city called this little village called Quilapalm. This

is my first time going with them about our students and our leaders have been

going for many years. And you know, you go to this and you

you know the reality. Reality is we spend a lot of money flights to

get there, right, It takes a lot of time. We sacrifice a

week out of away from our families, a week out of work. We

take a lot of time. It takes a lot of sacrifice to get there.

It takes a lot of time. We spent probably eight hours, maybe

four hours five hours a day training every day to get ready for what we're

going to do that night. We spent three or four hours with the children.

And so we invest seven days and all the money that goes along that,

all the time that goes into that, all the sacrifice it goes in

that and then you're there seven days and you let's just be real. There's

times that we would ask ourselves, is it really worth it? Really there

seven days, these people who lived there every day of the week, is

it really worth it? Can I tell you today? Eleven years ago the

church at Quilipalm was started. And you know what started. It was started

out of a church just like us, who went on mission and said,

you know what, we want to go to an area where there's not really

church. And they started the Church of Quilipom in there and own that land.

There was nothing, was it a church building? Was it was nothing?

It was a bare piece of land, put up a little tents and

had their first vacation bible and time like we did vacation backyard Bible club or

whatever it was. And there the church was started. And can I tell

you the pastor just this week, said you and your church has been with

us year after year. And he started showing me and he got his phone

out. He said, you know when I first came, he said,

I started and he said I was telling people about when they got saved and

need to be baptized. And he said people didn't want to be baptized,

and some people got upset and they left. It was really hard in our

church, he says, But y'all kept coming, and your students kept coming,

and you started sharing the gospel with these children. And he says,

put out his phone, he said, let me show you. Last year,

he started showing me baptisms that some of the children that we were being

sharing with. You see, the investment of sharing the gospel and the investment

of going does make eternal impact. And so by us going, whatever financial

time, whatever time, sacrifice, we make whatever we do by going,

and sometimes we even go with this where prayer walks, right, is it

really worth that we're going. We're going every month and we're not seeing the

rapid numbers of people coming to our church. I tell you, God bless

faithfulness. If we're faithful to him, he'll be faithful to us. And

we see that this week well, as we come to Philippians Chapter four,

Paul is really addressing the issue of when we give, like when we financially

give, like when we give our ties and our offerings. What's would we

look for? What are the things that you and I should look for in

our lives? What are some things that we should seek and say, you

know what, if I give, this is what I should look for.

These are if you want to say, these are the results. Maybe that's

not a great word to say, but what are some things that we should

seek when we give? So let's look at that together. It's Flippians chapter

four, and we'll start in verse fourteen, and I'll put me end up

going back. So stand with me, and let's read fourteen through twenty.

And the Bible says this, this is the worth of Lord. And he

says Philippians four fourteen. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.

You and the Philippians yourself know that in the beginning of the Gospel,

when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and

receiving. It said you. And even in this unlikah, you sent me

help for my needs. And once and again not that I seek the gift,

but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I received full

payment and more, and I will supply it. And I received from Aphrodite

as the gifts that you sent, a fragrant offering a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing

to God. And my God will supply your needs according to His riches in

glory in Christ Jesus to our God and Father, be glory forever and ever.

Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we love you. We thank you

Lord for this morning. Lord. We all of us. At times when

we give our time, our talents, our sacrifices, we manytimes we question

whether it was worth it, whether there's really making a difference in our life,

in the life of others. God, we thank you Lord for your

word today and how Paul expressed the impact of the Church of Philippi's giving in

their life. So Lord, tonight today as we look at your word or

pray that we would evaluate, examine the impact of the giving our giving is

making in our life. And Lord, may we seek Lord, fruitful giving

giving that's pleasing to you. Lord. And God, may we seek Lord

your provisions in our life. Or we love you, we think you Lord

for your word today. Or I pray that you would anoint me. Lord.

You know that I'm tired. Lord. You know Lord, I don't

have the strength today. God, I need you, So I trust in

your power today. I trust in your spirit that God you would feel me

and pour me out. That Lord, that I trust today that Lord you

would speak and not me, and that God you would move in power and

it would not be my power, but it be yours your name. We

pray, Amen, you may be seated. So what should we seek when

we give? It's a good question, right, because all of us God's

commanded us a gift as part of our vision as a church, because we

believe that it's faithful according to God's word that all church members should and we

as a church of but that is it should be a church that glorifies the

Lord like we've done in song. We should be a church that grows in

our faith, and we should be a church that gives. We give our

talent, we give our time, we give what God has given us,

we give our provisions to the Lord. And then lastly, we believe as

a church, God's commanded us to go like Matthew like Great Commission says we

are to go on mission. We should go here. But that's what we

should go into the earth, and that's the mission for us as a church.

But that's a mission of every church member that's here. Right that you,

as every church member, you should go. God's called you to glorify

the Lord God's called you to grow every individual. That's what God wants for

you. God has called you to give your time, your talents to him,

to serve him and use what He's given you in glory and to bring

glory to him. And lastly, you should go. You should go be

on live on mission at your workplaces, in your schools, and also to

the ends of the earth. God called us all to that. Well,

if God's called us all to yeah, then when we give all of us

at times, I mean, let's be transparent, all of us at times

when okay, the plate is passed a little bit, when we give.

Okay, God, you want me to give, and I'll give. But

God, what really do I get out of it? And hear me,

I've got to be very cautious at this, but I think you'll see as

we impact the passage of Scripture. But many times in our minds, we

don't see the benefit of giving. We don't see what it may be producing

in us. And I want to be very clear here as I start this

passage, it's not a financial benefit. Right. We're not saying God,

I'll give you one and I know you'll double it. Right, I'll give

you a hundred. I know, because I give you a hundred, you're

gonna give me two hundred. That's prosperity gospel. What I'm saying in this

passage scripture that Paul says that there is something that when we give, we

should seek. And I want you to see what he says Paul in this

faster scripture, and I've got to go fast here. Pall in this fast

scripture is in prison. He's in Rome. And the church in Philippi was

a church that he started on his second missionary journey. It's actually his first

church he started in Europe. He started that church and after he left Europe,

that church began becoming a financial partner to help Paul in his ministry and

his mission work. And Paul outlines that well, part of his letter to

the Church of Philippi is actually to send him a thank you letter. Right,

many times people give you a gift, right, whether it's a wedding

gift, or you have a baby and you have baby showers, right,

And when they give you a gift or whatever it may be, somebody that

you right, well, I thank you card to say thank you for giving

to me. Well, this letter to the letter of Philippi the Philippians is

actually a thank you letter, and so he kind of ends his letter by

giving by thanking them. And if you go back to the very beginning of

verse nine, I mean verse eight, he says, finally, my brothers,

I'm sorry wrong verse verse ten, I told you I was sleepy,

little jet lack. Verse ten. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, and

now you have revived. You're concerned to me. You were in deeedconservable,

but you had no opportunity. And so he finally says, hey, I

rejoice in that you have given to help take care of me. And then

in this passage of scripture, in verse fourteen, he begins unpacking a little

bit about the gift that they give, and he starts expressing the different ways

that they've given them. Lit'sten. Just read verse fourteen fifteen sixteen with me

again, he said, Yet, it was kind of you to share with

my troubles, sharing in that they have given a gift. Understand, in

prison, there was not an allowance, right, he was in prison.

There wasn't like prison meals like there is today. Right, In order for

Paul to survive, he'd depended upon people to bring provisions to him that he

could survive, food, clothing, everything. So when you're in prison,

that's way it worked in Greco Roman world. You were in prison, you

were bound there, and if you were going to survive, it was only

because your friends and your loved once were going to bring you food and clothes.

And so Paul says, here, yeah, it was kinme for you

to share in my trouble. I was in trouble, I was in prison,

and you cared for me. And listen to he says in verse fifteen,

you flippies yourself know at the beginning of a gospel. And now he

begins to explain, like, this is not something you just started when I

went in prison. This is something you started from the very beginning. And

listen way he says. He says, the beginning of the gospel. I

left Macedonia. No church entered in partnership with me in giving and receiving exaid

you you've been there from the very beginning. But I started my mission and

I started my work. You were the first church that gave to me.

And then listen what it keeps going, he says, But look at what

And then he says in verse sixteen, He says, even in that'son like

it, you sent help from my needs once again. You know, only

started, but you continue to get to me. And then you ever.

I told we were talking to Wednesday Night group and I shared this passage with

them a few weeks ago. You know, it is kind of it is

something to be a pastor and know that when people give that part of the

giving is going to help God is using your giving to help provide for the

needs of you, right, and Paul knows that in this passage scripture.

And Paul doesn't want them to think that, hey, I want to praise

you for your giving that you might give me more. So he's very careful

of that. So he so what he's explaining then is not that I seek

that you would continue to give. You hear me what I seek, and

you're giving, and I want you to hear this because it's very important.

Paul explains, when you give, this is what I want to see.

These are the results that you that I want to seeing you. And as

a result from Paul saying this, this is I believe is what we should

seek when we give. And listen to what Paul says, Listen to me

he says here, he says, not that I seek the gift. Listen,

Church, I'm not after your money. I'm not after your offerings.

I'm not after that you give to me. And it's very clear, and

for the second time, I don't have time to go through that. But

Paul's been very clear, even than the passion before that he's content with what

with having little or nothing, right for having abundance or having very little,

to being hungry or being wellful. He founds his contentment not in the gifts

that he gets from someone. He finds a contentment in Christ. And so

Paul says here, just as a reminder, listen when I thank God for

your gift, but listen, I'm not seeking your money. What do I

seek in for you? Listen to this? This is what he says,

not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to

your credit. You know what Paul says here, Listen to this. When

you gave to the Lord, and you gave that the ministry can continue,

that people could be reached for the gospel. What I sought when you gave

is the fruit that increases to your credit. Now this is interesting, and

I'm terrible. You know, if you financial people, I'm going to use

some financial terms, probably going to brutalize on them. It's and brutalize.

It's probably not even the word. Okay. So it shows you how bad

it's going to be that he's using like profit and lost terminology. Right.

You have expenses, right, and you have income, right, Paul is

saying here, what I seek is a profit for you. Now I think

about that for a second. The church at Philippi did not get money.

It was not a it was not income. It was an expense. It

didn't look at this way. You have deposits in your checking account and you

have withdrawals. Right. The Philippians when they gave it was what it wasn't

a deposit, it was a withdrawal. Paul says. When you gave to

the Lord, it wasn't a loss in your checking account, it was a

gain in your spiritual account. And when you give, I'm not concerned about

what you lose monetarily. What I seek is what I see this does spiritually

for your spiritual walk with the Lord. And that's what I seek. Can

I say, you and I when we when we we say what do we

look for? What do we seek in giving? We should seek giving that

is fruitful, not fruitful. And I give one hundred dollars and hope I

can get a two hundred dollars back. No, I give because when I

give, it does something for my walk with the Lord. It may be

a loss in my chicken account, but spiritually there's growth. I want to

ask you a question, as you just think about this just for a minute

in your life, how is your spiritually? Have you grown in your giving?

You know, a few years ago I've probably told you the story before.

I know i've told you sore because I talk a good bit about this.

But I like to have a little garden. And a few years ago

I had my first garden and we put a little raised planner in the yard,

and and man, that my little tomato plants are growing. All my

plants were growing, and I went through a whole season. But you know

what, they look beautiful. They were like tall as the hills, these

tomato plants, and many of my plants. But I had no fruit.

You know, they looked like they were growing. They looked like tomato plants.

They were green, they were growing, but there was no fruit.

Hear me at some point I realized something had to change because all day they

looked like they were growing. There wasn't producing fruit. So something had to

change. And so what did I do? I moved the I realized that

the tomato plants had to have like six to eight hours of sunlight and that

were only getting like three or four. It's had to move the plant or

to a place where it got more of sunlight. I want to ask you

a Paul sets, when we give, we should seek spiritual growth from it.

I want I ask you today, are you growing spiritually from your giving?

And when you give, do you give in a way that says God?

I want to give in such a way that God that that spiritually I'm

growing from it. I want you to see how that how we unpack that

a little bit more, Paul says, look at the passage verse seventeen.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to

your credit, He says, I received full payment and more. I'm real

supplied number. I have received them from Aphrodite, the gift that you sent

me. He says. Listen, I don't seek the gift. I don't

seek your money. Apred Is has brought me the gift, and I have

all that I need, so I don't need anymore. I just want to

see you grow in the Lord. And then then Paul says this about their

gift. Listen to what he says. Listen how he describes their their gift.

He says, their gift. Listen to this, their offering was a

fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. When our girls were

a little we had a little mini van. We called it the Green Being.

It was a toylet of Sienna. It was green. Imagine that.

And you know back in the day, you know, you're you're driving with

your your girls and they're behind, you know, and by that time to

have a fit, and what do you do. You just reach in and

try to find a bottle or something and reach back there and just hopefully get

close right or hopefully they can get it by that time, you know,

and at some point, you know, they can start managing where they can

control the bottle. But at some point, you know, how many times

does it happen to all of us that they take the bottle and they just

chunk it right, And then you know, you get in the you know,

you you get out and you're ready to go, and you get the

carrier out and you're not. You forgot about the bottle, and the bottle

is nowhere to be found, and you're trying to get them in the house,

and so you just go in. And then it's one hundred and four

outside and that bottle is missing, and you get back in the car and

the stench of that rotten milk. You may not see that bottle, you

hear what I'm saying, but you sure will smell it right And from wherever

the deep crevice that milk bottle was in the green bean, it came up

to my nostrils. You understand what I'm saying, And so it smelled the

imagery of this passage of scripture. Paul says, Listen, Philippians, when

you gave to me, when you gave to the Lord, I see you

growing. I see the fruit of spiritual growth in you. But Church,

when you gave, when you gave to the Lord, and you offered it

to the Lord your best, Listen, it left Philippi, and the aroma

of your gift made it all the way to heaven. And God says,

your gift doesn't stink. He says, your gift is a beautiful aroma.

We've got in our carnalities for breathe car since right, So take that milk

bottles. I don't have any more in my car, but we do that.

Why because we get in the car it creates an aroma. He says,

not only their gift is to the Lord, a beautiful aroma to the

Lord, but he also says that their gift is sacrificials in the imagery.

Here he says, a gift that you sind a fragrant offering a sacrifice.

You think about that. In Hebrews thirteen sixteen says, do not neglect to

do good and share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

You know, our gifts should be a beautiful aroma, but they also

should be sacrificial. It should cost to something. He also describes their gifts

this way. Listen what says says their gifts were acceptable acceptable. It says

that their gifts were pleasing. Someone says acceptable and pleasing. You know a

passage that really has just kind of stuck with me, and I've been reading

in my devotion lately. It's passed we read just a while back it slums

one and it says, let my prayer be counted as counted as incense before

you, and then lifting up my hands as an evening sacrifice. The passage

has really burdened me because in that passage, the Psalma says, Lord,

when I pray, I want my prayers to be aroma to you, God,

I want them to be pleasing to you. And I really thought about

it in my mind a lot, Lord, how often is my prayers really

pleasing to you? Or how often that I'm just Lord, help me to

the through this day, or thank you Lord for this fod amen. And

I really want my prayers to be pleasing. But I thought often, as

if read through this passage, how often do I say, God, I

want my gift, my gift to you, my tithe would be pleasing to

you. You know, really, as you put these two together, I

really believe their gift was pleasing because it was a beautiful roma. I believe

their gift was acceptable because it was sacrificial. I'm reading a great book if

you struggle with fear, anxiety, worry. There's a great book called Running

and Scared about Ed Walsh, and I've been reading it this week and I

encourage you to read it. In his book, Ed Welch says the most

dishonest time in a church service is during congregational singing. He says this,

He says, at that time we say things that we've never seen to the

Lord privately, and we if we're real honest with ourselves, we're not sure

we even believe. Yet we sing them. You know, if with what

doctor Welch is saying there, he's singing that we just simply go through the

motions and worship. Right. We say things to God, and we sing

songs to God, and many times we just really don't even mean it.

We've never said things like to God in our prayer life we're on Tuesdays or

just by ourselves. We've never made promise to God like we make promise to

Him in our songs. So we just go through his emotions. Just something

we do, just something we're supposed to do. It's just part of what

we do on Sundays. I really believe the second most dishonest time in a

church service, this is my opinion, not doctor Welch's, is our giving

time. Ah, we'll just pass the play. That's what we're supposed to

do with Southern Baptist pass it. You're supposed to give a little bit,

because that's what we do as church members. But do we ever say God,

when I give, God, I want to give in a way that

it helps me grow spiritually, not about monetary gain. I want about I'm

about spiritual gain and God. When I give today, Lord, I want

it to be a beautiful romany. I want my giving to be pleasing to

you, God, God. I want my giving to be acceptable that you

would accept my gift. Lastly, Paul says to the church. He says,

first, Hey, what I seek is the fruit of your giving,

he says. Secondly, I see your gift as being acceptable and pleasing.

And then lastly, he says this, and he kind of puts these all

together. Right, When our giving is fruitful, when our giving increases our

spiritual walk with Him, when our gifts are pleasing and acceptable, then we

can seek God to provide our needs. Now, I want you to think

about something. I'll better read the passage first. I'm about to just get

going here. This is the way, he says, This is a path.

What's so funny about this, hear me, is most of you,

as you read this passage Scripture no. Verse nineteen, and you really don't

know the other parts. We just throw out this verse, and my God

shaw supply all my riches neat and according to his riches in heaven, almost

like he's the genie in the bottle. I just rub him in the he

oooh, he's here. No, no, no, no, Before I

just read the passage, I told you read it in Johnson all right,

verse nineteen, and my God shall let me just read it altogether, right,

verse seventeen through nineteen. Not that I seek from my needs, not

that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your

credit. I've received full payment of more, and I well supplied. And

I've ever seen from Aphrodite said you gifts that you sent a fragrant offering a

sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. Now right and now because it's fruitful,

Because your gift is acceptable and pleasing, Now, my God will supply your

knees according to his richest in glory in Christ, Jesus, you see that

we want to do the very beginning. God, I give, and then

you supply. No, no, no, no, no, it's first

right, God, I want my gift, not for what I'm going to

get later. God. I want to give because I want to grow spiritually.

God. I want to give because Lord, I want it to be

not what I get out of it. I want it to be an offering

to you God. And secondly, God, I want to give because I

want to be pleasing to you. I want my life to be pleasing to

you. And then God, when I do that, then God, I

can trust that you'll provide my knees. Now, I want you to think

about a story real quick, and I've got to go fast here. And

Exodus, you remember, Exodus God to his people Israel into the worlder.

Yes, And there in the wilderness they were hungry, you remember, and

they were grumbling over because they need food, and God provided manna. Right.

It's Exous sixteen sixteen through nineteen. I'll just read it for you.

He says, this is what Lord commanded. Gather of it, each one

of you as much as he can eat, and you shall take an omer,

and according to the number of persons that for each has his tent.

And the people of visually did so. And they gathered some more, also

them some less. But they measured with omer. Whoever gathered much had nothing

left over, And whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered

as much as he can eat. And then Moses said in verse nineteen,

and Moses said to them, let no one leave any of it till the

morning. Do you notice that God did not provide for them but for what

they needed that day? Why? You know, I love what Welch says.

God didn't say, Okay, Israel, I'm going to give you a

year supply Manna. Okay, we've got a cold storage there in Jerusalem.

Just go get what you need for the old year. No, he doesn't

do that. Why because if God would have done that, they would have

forgotten God. Why because they would they had all that they needed and they

wouldn't need to depend upon God daily. Here's the imagery of giving. I

give to the Lord. Why because when I trust God with my giving and

I surrender and be faithful in giving, it increases my faith, It grows

me spiritually. I give because I want to my giving to be an offering

that's a beautiful offering to the Lord. I want my giving to be pleasing.

But also when I give, I'm giving knowing not that God's gonna fill

me full of a cold sturage for everything I ever want. No, I'm

saying, God, I will give and I'll trust you to provide what I

need today. Not go ahead and lay out me a good four one K

Lord the next thirty years retirement plan and I'll be set for life. No,

no, no, God, I'll give and I'll trust you for today

that you'll supply what I need for today. This is what he ed Welch

said. If you don't tithe, your faith is more likely small. You

hoard because you don't believe God is generous and you don't share the King's heart

of self sacrifice. As a result, you worry and fear will be an

uneasy undercurrent of your life. He's right, isn't it When we don't give

to the Lord, we're saying to Lord God, I can't give to you

because I can't really trust that you'll provide for me. So therefore, God,

I will keep my money and I'll store up my provisions so I can

provide for myself. Because I really can't trust that you will be faithful to

me. I can't trust it you'll really will be my manner that'll provide for

my needs. So God, I know that I should give to you.

I know that it may damage my spiritual growth or stunt my spiritual growth.

I know that you won't be pleasing. But God, really, really,

I'm just gonna have to take care of this one myself. And the heart

of giving is saying, God, I need to grow in trusting you,

and God help me grow. And God, I want to give and away

that brings gold to you. And Lord, I want to give that I

might trust it you'll provide for me. Maver need pastor says. A close

with this is he's a bivocational pastor. He works like forty minutes to an

hour away from the little village that they're at. He actually lives there too.

They've worked three days a week. He's depended upon his welding business to

supply what he needs for his family because there's the church is small and it

can't afford to take care of him, so he has to depend upon that.

And then for midweek he travels forty miles and for four days they spend

invest their life in Wahaka. I mean in Quela Palm. I'm trying to

care for the church, he told me, he said, Pastor, he

said, we just don't have things. We'll have the things that we need

for the building. Their landlocked. They don't really have a lot of land,

they don't have space, and he says, I struggle, he says,

but I've learned in this process. Sometimes I get to where I think,

if we just have this, if we just have this, we just

have this resource, and we just had this, things would be better.

If I just had this education I've just had, he says, But I've

learned that that God wants to trust me to provide for him. And in

all of this, I've seen just how God will provide for me just what

I need. He told me that on Tuesday, and he's showed me how

God had been providing the salvations and baptisms. It was funny. We again

served forty to fifty kids. And one day we were out and we were

playing with the kids and a man drove by in his car. Pastor says,

are never seen him before? He asked. Pastor says, are to

come by and he says, what are you doing? And he says,

well, He's told him there was church from here and we're trying to share

the gospel with the children, and all the children come and most of the

children come from broken homes, don't have a mom or dad. We're trying

to share with them, share the love of Jesus. He says, do

you have enough food for them? He says no, not really. He

says, they'll be back tomorrow. The man that he'd never met, never

seen. The next day came and provided food for all the children while we

were there, trusting in God to provide good today. Could you just simply

say, today, Lord, how am I growing to my giving? And

when I give? God, help my giving be fruitful, Lord, and

my spiritual growth, that it will produce spiritual growth in me. God help

my giving, Lord, be a beautiful offering to you, pleasing to you.

And God help me when I give to trust in You to provide for

me. Will you pray with me? Lord? We love you. We

thank you Lord for this word today and your word for us. And Lord,

I pray that today we would Lord, have hearts of surrender. We

would just walk through the motions and sing songs and or give give an offering

to you that we just go through the motions, But Lord, we would

give at a heart of Lord. Really, won't do you see you do

something in us that we give to you as a as a true offering that's

supposed to be, that to be pleasing to you Lord. And we would

give Lord, that we might live and surrender in trusting in your provisions for

us. Lord, lead us now in this time of invitation or we love

you. We thank your Lord for your word today and your name. We

pray Amen, Jesus, pain and all to