Sunday was a really sweet day at LCC. Attendance was good (you can tell that Summer is over) and the singing was "over the top". I loved the piano only time of singing. Don't get me wrong, I love our band and God works in amazing ways through them, but it is always nice to mix things up a little. The songs were dead on. The sermon was well received and I really feel like we are starting to "get it". The "ABC's" of being a steward of God's stuff is starting to sink in. I wanted to end with an "aha" e-mail I got from Tom McGee, a long time attender of LCC. Thanks for sharing Tom, I think your e-mail represents a lot of us following this series...
Brian,
As you finished your series on money I had a mini Aha! moment. I am finally able to articulate a spiritual lesson that I have been slow in learning.
Most sermons I have heard concerning money focused on giving. The message was “Put God first in everything, including money, and He will provide.” I took this message to heart but have applied it incorrectly.
I believed I was trusting God with my finances but my thinking was mostly along these lines: Put giving as the number one priority in your budget and God will make the rest work out. In other words, turn your financial mess over to God and He will provide enough cash to pay your bills and keep you out of trouble. It doesn’t work that way, does it? Why did I think it would?
I see now that trusting God with your finances means to trust His plan. He promises financial peace to those who handle money according His principles - to those who are content with what He provides.
Dave Ramsey often mentions giving in his books. Instead of saying that giving is an obligation, he assumes that most of us naturally want to give and shows us that we can have plenty by following God’s principles for financial management.
Brian, your ministry is bearing fruit largely because of your dedication to the precepts of discipleship. You don’t act as God’s enforcer, beating us up for not following the rules. You see yourself as a fellow disciple who has been called to be a spokesman. You show us what God wants from us, pointing out the rewards of loving obedience and the consequences of disobedience.
Straight talk, straight from the Bible. That is why the pews were full for five weeks of sermons on money, in the summer.
Tom McGee
Anybody else have anything to add about the sermon series? Please e-mail me or comment right here on my blog. I would love to hear what you thought and how you were challenged. I also would love to hear what adjustments you have decided to make. What is God leading you to do with His stuff? Don't be shy, let me hear from you, yes, you!