A Cheerful Giver

The Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life. Welcome back to wonderful words of life. I'm Bernie Dakin I'm here again, we are glad you're here last week, Mike talked about generosity by being the recipient of someone else's gift today. We talk about being a cheerful giver, and that our offerings are donations in our ties are an act of worship. This is not a popular subject, to tackle for pastors, but when we truly believe that all we have every good and perfect gift comes from above. Then we understand that it was God's to begin with, and we are now stewards of those gifts, absolutely not. And I think that God gives us wisdom to stewardess gets we talked about wisdom from the very beginning and and that's why I believe a important component of what were talking about when we talk about stewardship and whether you know it's it's how we spend our money on the necessities but also giving to other people and what that looks like and for me. I know that I've really just learned to listen to God and asked him how do you want me to intentionally selling to your kingdom to bless someone else and to be a cheerful giver for me it's a celebration when were able to give back it literally. We talked last week about you know a lot of people wanting to be even anonymous when they're doing their giving it I'm okay with that. I am to definitely don't want to receive the accolades from that because it is all glory to God for what is given will next week is our final episode in this series with Mike Harrison.

We want to thank him for coming on the show making the trip to Atlanta and sharing his wisdom with us on this subject. If you're looking for more resources and some professional advice on your finances, especially when it comes to retirement. We do want to mention that we had planned on having a representative from AIG retirement services join us COBIT 19 had other plans.

You can learn more about them and get in touch with someone@thealick.com that the AL IC.com welcome back everybody.

We've Artie introduced Mike several times.

He's our friend. Hopefully you consider him for abuse, child of God. The Salvation Army officer, a husband, the father, a very accomplished tuba player. If you didn't know, but his role as the Salvation Army's finance secretary in the state of Texas lends him a bit of expertise as a relates to the financial things.

His heart as a follower of God gives him some biblical perspectives on that sort of expertise and that he's he's continuing to share with us in the series about all things financial Mike today we get to talk more about perhaps the giver about the recipient and the giver of it as a someone who makes money at a job I get an opportunity to give and you've Artie talked to us about the idea of tithe and let that being the first portion that comes out of what were going to give giving the Lord our best.

Where do you want to take us this week. Specifically, the type try these is is a interesting subject. It's amazing how many doors exceptionally offices avoid this subject because it's controversial because it becomes very pushing its watching what people say swimming that's mine. Well the truth is, believe everything is Gulch the real stewards of what he has and the way that I interpret tithing in Scripture is its response to God is the giving of the firstfruits, firstfruits or biblical calls of roadway through the Old Testament used to the idea of giving him the firstfruits, not the leftovers. Occasionally we got a few ideas that one of the remarkable stories in Scripture to me when it talks about giving please would ties. We quickly think 10% I think that the giving is way bigger than that gauche if you give 20% to the good W held to the 10% is linkable, but it's the is the story of the widow's might.

One of the things that we forget to do with the widow's might, perhaps, is to look at the context what's going on when she gives that money and if you want to read the story of the widow's might show the monks accounts of it. You see that it's off to the triumphal entry. So Jesus is now in Jerusalem just days away from his his crucifixion. So what you've got is every possible person and in any sublevel of of leadership, the high priest.

The Pharisees of the book describes the teachers little public enemy number one. So the context in month 12 is all these people trying to catch Jesus or she got the chief priests of the Jesus tells the parable of the tenancy, but the chief priests looking for ways to arrest Jesus the Pharisees come in they question him on Imperial Texas when Jesus was give to Caesar what is Caesar's and the Sadducees coming. They talk about marriage in the resurrection trench challenge him on that particular subject than the teachers of the law in which people one after the other they come in and what is the greatest commandment that will trying to catch him out. That particular thing that Jesus bore the weight when people about the teachers available what's happening as he sees there speaking as a rabbi. People putting money into the temple treasury is been happening this whole time and suddenly along comes this widow puts in portion and suddenly Jesus stops everything if you read it. He says he called his disciples to him stops everything and he pulls the disciples to him. Did you see that. Did you see what just happened. Watching people all day long giving making a big show of their wealth, giving only out of their wealth. But this widow just came and put in a might and it was everything she had was that tell you about how Jesus feels about giving. The precious moment for him. He notices what we give. He notices to choose when we give hee hee notices who give. Sparingly, he notices who gives generously that should not be lost on any one of us giving a Sony tithing is very relevant to Jesus and he is paying attention that I love your perspective on that story and I the idea that the widow gave all that she had. We had the key word in that I think is the word widow because again knowing Scripture will recognize the widow has no means of support. Support is gone so so young. That's why they they would probably feel if it's a people could glean the fields of the end so that widows would have something to eat it. She released what little she had just let go, trusting God with trustee do something with full disclosure which you, knew the next chapter. What happened when she went home what was there for her because I very sure that God did not leave her to die if you will. I'm pretty sure that some wonderful things happen to the widow but we don't have to know that piece the story we have to know is the Jesus story is relative relevant and important, and we trust the Lord to use what we give them gifts that there's a great him and in the Salvation Army that was written by one of our musicians William Himes, he took these words that his wife on her deathbed and in a sense inspired him to write and they are there simply all that I am all I can be all that I have all that is me except and use Lord as you would choose name right now today and in the case of the widow's mite. She gave all that she had absolutely and as our listeners are friends. We pray that as you choose to give. And as you consider giving the Lord the firstfruits that she would find a piece and that giving and no that the Lord will continue to provide as he sees fit in your own life. Amen we pretty been blessed by the series. In this episode, we've got one left for you to join us in with Mike.

So come on back next week and hear what more he has to say about all things financial, particularly from a scriptural point of view. May God bless you and the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs.

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