MAKE A DECISION

Want to be involved but not sure how? Are you enthusiastic about giving to this program, but not sure where to start?  Prayerful conversation with the Lord, your family, and your peers remains critical.  Ask the Lord, and be confident in His direction:  “God, what do you want to do through me to accomplish your will in my church?”  Be attentive, according to John 10.27; be humble, be willing, and then be obedient.

FIRST, DISCUSS. 

Your treasure is already where your heart is; ask yourself if both are submitted to His Lordship. Bringing your requests to God and receiving wisdom from Him is every believer’s privilege and responsibility. He wants to reveal His heart and His will to you; be proactive and ask Him. Similarly, engage those here on Earth that you trust and with whom you walk daily. Swap stories, ideas, and testimonies, and stir up generosity in one another.  As Paul exhorts us, “Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Heb 10.24)

THEN, DECIDE.

Giving out of your income is a great place to start; perhaps it’s a bonus or an unexpected commission that could be set aside. Consider assets: did you know you can give land or a home directly to your church and avoid paying any capital gains tax while still getting a fair market value deduction? Then there’s “stuff”: you move it, you store it, you insure it, and you dust it. Perhaps you could give it? Most importantly, consider a sacrificial gift. Set aside funds you normally would have spent on something you can do without or even something you think you can’t.

NOW, DO!

Follow through! Faith without works is dead; we must set it in motion to produce its results. Making a commitment is about anticipating what God will do with what you give through your humility and obedience, not about how or how much you give. Your job is to ask, listen, and respond. His role is to bring seed to the one who would sow. He is faithful, and we are to likewise model that faithfulness.