I am overwhelmed as I write this article by the generosity of our people and, at the same time, amazed by the power of God displayed through the offerings received during the month of November. At the end of October, there was some money in our church checking account, but not close to what would be needed to pay for all our coming ministry expenses plus the pending tax bill of $13,810.22 due last month. The size of the pending financial challenge seemed insurmountable. It was beyond what we could manage without a special touch from God. Let me tell you what God did:
Tithes and Offerings Received above Budget - $8,801.23
Balance on Hand after Taxes and Budgeted Ministry Needs - $6,537.22
Today, we give praise to God for what He has done. I also, rejoice in the generosity of our people. Our church family resembles what Paul said about the church at Corinth:
“For consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong…so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD”
(1 Corinthians 1:26-27, 31)
Surely, God showed Himself strong during the month of November here at Grace.
So. Let’s boast today. Let’s brag on Jesus. He is sufficient. Jesus knows our needs and He supplies our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). God is at work in our church. We do not brag about what we have done, but on Him who has turned our insurmountable need into a visible demonstration of His exceeding great power and love for us.
There is a story about an immigrant who bought a ticket to come to the United States. Before leaving his homeland, his mother gave him a loaf of bread to take along on the trip. He carefully calculated how many pieces of bread he would divide the loaf into, so it would last for the whole trip. Each day he would gaze into the banquet hall to see all the people dining before he would go to his room, eat his small piece of bread and pray that God would give him enough strength to endure each day. This happened throughout the trip and he was thankful that God gave him the endurance necessary to make the entire journey. On the last day of his trip, he discovered that the price of the ticket he purchased also included the food served in the banquet hall.
I thank God for His provision. Jesus gives us everything we need to not only survive, but to thrive in serving Him.