Today's Stewardship Pitch

Today I spoke at our 11:00 worship service to promote our current stewardship campaign. Here is the text of what I said:

Remember this saying, "A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest. Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you must give and don't feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others.”

I’d love to take credit for these words, but actually they were written by another man named Paul in his 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 6-8.

It’s taken quite a leap of faith on my part, but I have learned first-hand that the last verse or so is absolutely true. God does love those who love to give. No matter what, [S] and I have always been blessed with whatever we needed at the moment, especially when we’ve been generous to the church.

Since I first came to [this church] 13-1/2 years ago, I’ve received countless blessings, the greatest of these having received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

Brothers and Sisters, I stand before you today because you cared enough to plant a seed that brought my soul to harvest.

Do you have a similar story? Matthew 10:8 says, “Freely you have received. Freely give.”

I understand that a tithe, an offering of 10%, is a stretch for some. With that in mind, remember that God does not want 10% of your paycheck – He wants 100% of your heart. So follow your heart. Take baby steps if you have to. If you’re not giving at all, consider an offering of 1%. If you’re giving 1%, consider raising that to 2% or more. You get the idea. Just follow your heart and work your way up as you feel led.

A few weeks ago, Pastor [D] suggested that each of us read the Bible all the way through. A good discipline to be sure. I’ve been doing that myself, starting with the New Testament first and going on with the Old Testament. It’s ironic that as I was finishing up my second time through the entire Bible this past week, and as I prayed over what I would say to you today, that God gave me these words in the last chapter of the last book.

In Malachi 3:10, God says: “I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing.” Coincidence? As my faith grows, I believe otherwise.

Are you up to the challenge God has placed before you? Are you ready to receive His abundant blessings?

Boy, I do enjoy preaching!