It’s been a wonderful 2017 at Chenal Valley Church. God has done great things in and through us. You have been generous with who you are, what you have, and the gifts and talents you bring to the table, but let me encourage you not to stop. Keep going. Keep growing.

We want to be a church that is exceedingly generous in loving one another, in serving one another, in sharing grace with one another, and in sharing life together. We want to be a church that is exceedingly generous in welcoming everyone who comes our way. We want to be a church that is exceedingly generous in serving our community, in sharing Jesus with our community in what we say and what we do. We want to be a church that is exceedingly generous with what we have, with our building and grounds, making it available to the community to share with them. In order to keep growing in generosity, here are a few suggestions.

Be Committed to Give Completely. In Matthew 23, Jesus criticizes the religious leaders because they tithe (give 10%) of what they have, even down to their herbs and spices. This is good. What’s not good, Jesus says, is that they neglected the weightier matters of the law like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. God doesn’t want a percentage of our lives. Discipleship requires total surrender. Live for the big picture and the small details will fall in line as well.

Be Disciplined to Give Generously. Whether we are giving of our time, our talents, or our financial resources, each require preparation, budgeting, or in other words, discipline. We have to prioritize and plan for generosity.

Be Prepared to Give Sacrificially. True giving will cost you. It will be inconvenient sometimes. There is no way around that. Mother Theresa said, “If you only give what you do not need, it isn’t giving” Sacrifice is the way of giving because it’s the way of Jesus.