Recognizing Our Need to Give - Day 25

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16 (NLT)

How much is enough?  What can I afford?  Will there be abundance if I share my possessions?  These are some of the often unspoken questions that run through our minds when asked to give of our "treasure" to support the mission of the church; our church.  Often we look around and imagine that someone else will pick up the slack.  We suppose that our contributions will mean little in the grand scheme of filling the need of our church community, and we let others shoulder the load.

In God's example we are given a glimpse of another way of thinking - of thinking about love.  What is more precious than our children?  Even if you have no children of your own, you certainly have some you love as your own and would sacrifice much for their well-being.  God showed unbounded love by sending Jesus, God's son, to overcome death so that it would be conquered for us.  In this example, we see that giving in its most consequential form was for our lives to also overcome death.

Given God's gift to us, how can we not have the call to also give.  Our church is just a building - but it is a building that represents God's work through us on this earth.  We need to all be participants in the mission of loving God, loving People, and making Disciples by giving generously to make this a possibility.

Lord, we pray that we will be able to use the example that you gave to us of generous giving; not for personal or congregational aggrandizement, but so that we can do your work more effectively.  Be with us as we all participate in building your community.

Author:  Diane Bechtold