Friday, February 25, 2011

Monday's Meditation - February 28, 2011- The Giver's Love

It was February of 1999. For several months, I had shared a series of instructional thoughts on giving with my local church congregation just prior to the collection of the offering during Sunday worship service. As I sought the Lord for guidance concerning what to share for the upcoming Sunday, I was drawn to the spiritual symbolism embedded in our Valentine’s Day tradition. A clear and simple principle emerged. Love gives.

In today’s episode, we begin to affirm the importance of what the gift reveals, even though God is actually interested in more than the gift itself.

I invite you to receive Monday’s Meditation as “food for thought “ for the week, then let it become “fuel for action” for the weekend and beyond.

The full audio podcast is available on my website: morethanthegift.net and the iTunes Store. Links are provided in the "Additional Resources" section of this blog.

After listening to the podcast in the iTunes Store, I encourage you to offer a review and to send an invitation to a friend or loved one to listen also.


Use this blog for your comments, questions and testimonies regarding the episode.



Keep praying with us!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Monday's Meditation -February 21, 2011 - The Gift and The Giver's Faith

There is a big difference between talking about faith and applying it. If God gave a college class in faith, it would be entitled "Applied Faith" rather than "Faith Theory". God wants faith working in every aspect of our relationship, even in our giving. As Hebrews 11: 6&7 remind us: without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

In today's podcast episode we continue to examine why I believe that even though God gives us scriptural instruction to give offertory gifts, He is actually interested in more than the gift itself.

Receive Monday's Meditation as "food for thought" for the week, then let it become "fuel for action" for the weekend and beyond!

The full podcast is available on my website: morethanthegift.net and the iTunes Store. Links are provided in the "Additional Resources" section of this blog.

After listening to the podcast in the iTunes Store, I encourage you to offer a review and to send an invitation to a friend or loved one to listen also.

Use this blog for your comments, questions and testimonies regarding the episode.



Keep praying with us!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Monday's Meditation - February 14, 2001 - God's Interest In More Than The Giver's Hand

God is spirit. He has no temporal needs. God is the creator, sustainer and owner of all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. His ownership has not diminished with time. His wealth is immeasurable. Yet, He still asks for our gifts. What could God possibly be seeking from us?

In today's podcast episode we continue to examine why I believe that even though God gives us scriptural instruction to give offertory gifts, He is actually interested in more than the gift itself

Receive Monday's Meditation as "food for thought" for the week, then let it become "fuel for action" for the weekend and beyond!

The full audio podcast is available on my website and the iTunes Store. Links are provided in the "Additional Resources" section of this blog.

After listening to the podcast in the iTunes Store, I encourage you to offer a review and to send an invitation to a friend or loved one to listen also.

Use this blog for your comments, questions and testimonies regarding the episode.



Keep praying with us!

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Tithing Times 10

Through the messages of the More Than The Gift Ministry, I've tried to redirect our focus away from arguing over tithing. It saddens me that we often fail to see the irony in trying to benchmark how little we can give to the God of the universe, the Great I Am, our Lord and Savior. Today's sermon at my church (Wheaton Bible Church) centered on Ephesians 5: 1 &2. As Pastor Bugh touched on these verses this morning, the core message of my ministry kept resonating within my soul. God desires more than a tenth and more than a material gift. He desires that we would give our total selves back to Him as an act of love. He leads by example and asks that His beloved children would follow that lead by mimicking the actions of His Son. The ESV translations of these scriptures read:

Ephesians 5:
1) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2) And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

He gave Himself up for us because He loves us. The question each of us must answer is whether we love Him enough to give ourselves back to Him in return.

Friday, February 04, 2011

Prayer Request

A few weeks ago, I heard a brief discussion on offertory giving on a morning Christian radio show. The host seemed a little frustrated by the divergent positions taken by the different guests that had appeared on his show over time. As you probably know by now, I believe that the messages God has given me help harmonize some of the divergent views. I felt led to share a copy of my Internet Bible Study entitled "God's Plan For The Financial Support of His Ministry". I sent it to the show by email. I wasn't motivated by self-promotion. I simply wanted to bless the host. I knew my email would be screened and might never get to the host but I felt led to send it anyway.

Last week I received a response from a staff assistant acknowledging receipt of the material, thanking me for it and promising to pass it along to the entire team. So, I solicit your prayers that this excerpt will be a blessing to the staff members of that show.

Monday's Meditation - February 7, 2011 - God's Interest In The Giver's Relationship With Others

It is interesting to note that God often assesses our giving by first assessing the condition of our human relationships. While we focus on our gift, He chooses to examine how we are treating one another. Even the earliest scriptural account of giving (the story of Cain & Abel) speaks not only to the issue of the acceptability of Cain’s offering but also to issues involving Cain’s relationship with God and Cain’s relationship with Abel. How revealing it is that in a story about giving, Cain asks the eternal question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The fact is that while we may desire for our giving to be viewed and judged as an independent spiritual activity, God refuses to do so and He purposefully keeps Cain’s question ever before us even while we give.

In today’s podcast episode, we continue to examine why I believe that even though God gives us scriptural instructions to give offertory gifts, He is actually interested in more than the gift itself.

Receive Monday’s Meditation as “food for thought “ for the week, then let it become “fuel for action” for the weekend and beyond.

The full audio podcast is available on my website and the iTunes Store. Links are provided in the "Additional Resources" section of this blog.

After listening to the podcast in the iTunes Store, I encourage you to offer a review and to send an invitation to a friend or loved one to listen also.

Use this blog for your comments, questions and testimonies regarding the episode.



Keep praying with us!