Theme of the Week: The Goodness of Generosity
Bible Verse: On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Corinthians 16:2
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 16:2
My wife is part of our school’s parent council, essentially running fundraisers. The amount of times parents have groaned on the playground with the arrival of yet another fundraiser has prompted the ‘Write a Cheque’ campaign. Simply put, it is a fundraiser to simply give money so they don’t have to volunteer or canvass family and friends with another fundraiser for items they don’t really need! One ‘fundraiser’ to eliminate all other fundraisers. The world is full of “asks” for money; the need seems endless. Can you imagine a world with no more fundraisers?
The Scriptures speak to the topic of tithing, about setting aside money on the first day of the week, etc. For today, let’s agree that the Scriptures teach that we should plan how much to give and what we give to. Planning is the foundation that a life of generosity is built upon.
Pause for a minute: I want you to imagine that a financial miracle has occurred. Tomorrow you wake up, and Christians everywhere have begun tithing.
If that happened, a few hundred billion dollars would suddenly become available to God’s people each year. A few hundred billion!! One article imagines how we would use it: One billion dollars would fully fund overseas mission work. Thirty billion could eliminate illiteracy, relieve global hunger, and solve clean water and sanitation issues within five years. There’d be over 100 billion left to be spent each year. No more fundraisers, just celebrations to report what God is doing through giving already done! All of that, if Christians just tithed.1
Picture this, a man named Abdul was a workaholic. Christ snuck up on him, and everything changed; he’s now known for loving his kids, prayer, generosity, and kindness. A lady named Sherry was abused; it’s not a stretch, to sum up her earliest days as perpetual trauma. Thanks to an on-campus ministry, she’s been set free from that hell and utterly transformed by the Lord and His gospel.
I’m asking you to imagine millions of stories like that. Imagine what Christ wants to do in our world. Thank Him for how He’s blessed you. Then out of gratitude and spiritual imagination, plan how much you’ll give and where you’ll give it! Here’s to eliminating the need for fundraisers together.
Prayer: Lord, enlarge my love of giving and help me give wisely. Inspire your church to be more generous! Help us, Lord! Amen.
Reflection: If someone asked you where they should plan to give their money, what would you say?
1 Holmes, M. (2021, June 15). What Would Happen if the Church Tithed? RELEVANT. https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/church/what-would-happen-if-church-tithed/
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