Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

 

Dear Asbury Family,

A couple of weeks ago, Amanda and I received a record of our church contributions through the midpart of the year. This document reminded us how much of our financial resources we have pledged and how we are doing with meeting our pledge. It also made us think about those times in our life when God’s been faithful to us, particularly in the hard seasons. 

For example, there was a time, not long ago, in which Amanda and I found ourselves in somewhat of a financial bind. I was to blame. At the beginning of the year, I had miscalculated how much money I was supposed to withhold from each paycheck for federal taxes. It wasn’t until the end of June that I discovered my mistake. At that point, the year was already halfway over. Still, I chose to rectify things by withholding double the amount from each paycheck. Amanda wasn’t working at the time, so money became tight. We cut back on our expenses, but one thing we refused to cut back on was our giving to the church. Then, one day, we randomly received a check in the mail from the insurance company of all places. In the accompanying letter, I learned that we had overpaid in insurance premiums two years earlier. The check came at just the right time! When I deposited the money, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was then that I felt God whisper to me, “You see, Chris? Trust me, and things will work out.” 

I don’t share this story to make you think I’ve somehow “arrived” in my faith journey, because I haven’t. (Trust me, I get it wrong more often than I get it right.) I also don’t share this story because I believe we can somehow “force” God’s hand through our giving. Rather, I share this story because, in my experience, when we put God first in our finances and trust God in the difficult seasons, God always provides, and God always comes through for us. Ask anybody who tithes, and that person will tell you, “I’ve always had enough.”  

I think that far too often we as Christians operate from an economy of scarcity instead of an economy of abundance. An economy of scarcity says, “I can’t give my money to God through the church because, if I do, there might not be enough for me.” An economy of abundance, on the other hand, says, “I’m going to put God first in my finances and trust that the very One who multiplied the loaves and fish will also provide for all my needs."

 So, here’s my question: which economy are you operating from? An economy of scarcity or an economy of abundance? (If you’re unsure of the answer, take a look at your bank account and see where your money is going.) Are you trusting God enough to let go of your resources? Just imagine what God can do.

Blessings,

Chris 

 p.s. I hope you’ll join us for worship this Sunday (August 22) as we kick off a new series called “The Short of It: The Entire Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation.” In this series, we’ll be looking at the 6 major movements of Scripture. The first major movement we’ll be talking about is Creation. See you soon!