Excited to Give More!
Pr Nick Dyrud // Senior Pastor
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:19
We have a generous church.
The cheer was deafening! I almost had to plug my ears: 160+ Vacation Bible School kids were happily and energetically screaming because they were so excited that they had raised a large amount of money to support a ministry that reaches kids in neighborhoods with the Gospel of Jesus! We didn’t have to motivate them or tell them to give cheerfully; it was a natural overflow of their hearts. Long ago, Jesus told us, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive”; the same is still true today. Whether the kids fully understood the deeper meaning to all of their excitement or not, it was a great picture of the joy and blessing of giving.
That same energy, outlook, and generosity was also seen in our amazing VBS volunteers. Every morning 70+ volunteers showed up. Some had sleepy eyes and others were wired with their favorite caffeinated beverage, but they all pushed though the noise and chaos to experience the joy of serving the Kingdom and seeing the Word of God impacting young lives.
Keep on being generous.
This summer we have been going through a sermon series called, “Get Your Mind Right”— a study through the Book of Philippians. As we finish the series, we are ending with the Apostle Paul’s closing words to the Philippian churches in 4:19. It says this, “God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” It’s in the prior verses that Paul thanks God for their financial gift to him while he was imprisoned. We know from his letters to the Corinthian church that Philippi was an impoverished area and yet they gave sacrificially to support ministry and provide personal support for him while he was in prison at Rome. (The Romans wouldn’t feed or take care of inmates so if you didn’t have support you would waste away in prison awaiting your trial.) So Paul was very grateful for their generosity; and with that in mind, he says in return, “God will supply every need you have”. Which is to say, when you give sacrificially, God will supply the difference. He will never let you down.
Church, in one way or another, the Lord will bless your generosity. It may not be the way we might think it should be, but it is a promise you can take to the bank. Just as Proverbs 11:25 tells us, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Or what we see in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Have you personally experienced the blessings of sacrificial giving? It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to seeing in my ministry over the years. The generosity of peoples’ giving, being multiplied and rewarded with further blessing. Have you seen this yourself?
This is not a sales pitch for your time, talents, or money. God doesn’t need us or our money; instead, He loves us so much He allows us to be a part of what He is doing here on earth. Ultimately, His desire is that we would find Him to be our treasure rather than things.
So I encourage you to start giving generously, or keep giving generously, that which is already rightfully His. And keep saying ‘Yes’ to Jesus. Just as we need Him as Savior and Lord of our lives so does the world have need for His saving grace and forgiveness. It’s always worth whatever we experience because He is worth it all.