Something about giving and stewardship has been on my mind for the last several days and I wanted to share it with you.

Over the last several months I have witnessed at Calvary Church a humble obedience through the Spirit of God. In February I challenged all of us to ask what God would want us do to Seize a God-Sized Opportunity. That opportunity was to buy a piece of property for the future. To do this we would need to raise enough money to offset the need for the interest income we use in the general budget. What took place was humble obedience. People prayed and people gave. Some gave in the thousands, some in hundreds, and some in tens. Every gift was a sacrifice that reminded me of something Jesus observed:

⁴¹And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴²And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. ⁴³And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. ⁴⁴For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44 ESV)

I know this has been a sacrifice for everyone who has given. This is money that would normally be used to buy groceries, or pay off a credit card balance, or go to the movies, or out to eat, but humble obedience to the Spirit was far more important than food on the table or a good time out. The amount is not what is important to God, but the humble obedience is. No matter what amount was given it blessed the heart of the Father...and your pastor as well.

Grace & Peace, Scott