More Than Enough - Generosity

 

I want you to think for a moment about what you are good at when it comes to your money.  I’ll give you a few options… are you good at spending your money?  Let’s be honest, there are some people who are really good at spending money.  They excel at shopping, they know the UPS driver’s name and entire life history because they come to the house with packages every day.  You are the ones who know how to navigate all the online shopping sites and have one click shopping set up on Amazon.  

Or are you a good bargain hunter and always able to save a few dollars?  My grandmother had a box of coupons and I remember cutting them out of the paper and going through them with her.  She was very good at finding sales.  I learned from my grandmother a little bit about bargain shopping, for example, if an item is buy one get two free - it’s always a good deal.  That’s why I have a few pork loins in my freezer.  Do I cook and eat pork loin a lot, no, but when they are buy 1 get 2 free, you buy them.  If it’s not coupons, then maybe it’s thrift store shopping or yard sales.  I’ve seen people whose homes look like something from a magazine and they decorated it all from thrift stores and yard sales.  They are good at finding bargains.  

Or maybe you are good at saving.  My family and friends would probably say this about me.  I had a friend in seminary talk to me about one of those personality tests you can take and she said, I would call you miserly.  It was one of the categories.  Miserly.  I was kind of hurt but then she said, Andy, you never go out with us, you never spend your money.  I’m not miserly, I’m just naturally good at saving.  

So are you good at spending?  Bargain shopping?  Saving?  It might surprise you, but there is no teaching in the Bible on how to be good at spending or bargain shopping or even saving.  Now saving money is a good thing, but the Bible doesn’t encourage us to store up treasure on earth, in fact, the exact opposite is true.  Jesus said that we should not store up treasure on earth where moths and rust can destroy.

What the Bible is full of, however, is teaching and instruction on giving. We are in a series talking about how it is more blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE and we are looking at Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.  Last week we heard Paul encourage the people of Corinth to give the way that the people in Macedonia had given.  If you weren’t here last week, let me share just part of that encouragement because Paul’s words are just amazing.

They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.  Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all: to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.  

2 Corinthians 8: 3-5

Paul is trying to encourage the people of Corinth to give because they had planned to give to an offering Paul was collecting to help people in need, but for some reason they had stopped.  They had good intentions and wanted to give but then didn’t follow through.  Sound familiar?  We plan to give, we want to give but then for some reason, we don’t follow through.  So Paul sent one of his companions, Titus, to go to Corinth with this letter of encouragement to remind the people to follow through and give.  

So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.  

2 Corinthians 8:6-7 (NLT)

Paul reminds them that they wanted to give and that they excel in many other ways when it comes to their faith so they should think about excelling in the ministry of giving.  I love Paul’s description of giving as a ministry.  It’s easy to think about praying as ministry or leading a Bible study, or singing in the choir, or working with children, youth, and older adults, or visiting those in prisons, or going on mission trips.  We see all those things and more as ministry but forget that giving is also ministry.  In Romans 12 there is a list of spiritual gifts given to the church and one of those gifts is the gift of giving.   If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously.  Romans 12:8

If we want to grow spiritually, we have to talk about how to become generous because becoming a generous giver won’t just happen.  We will never wake up one morning and suddenly find ourselves outrageously generous, in fact, most of us can probably think about a time we wanted to give, felt called and maybe compelled to give, but then didn’t follow through.  

I’ve shared this before. One year when I was a student at MSU, I went home for the Christmas holidays and a friend went with me to visit some family he had in New England.  On our trip we stopped in New York City for a few hours and were walking down the street when I saw a woman wearing a maroon windbreaker huddled in the crack between two buildings.  She was homeless and sitting on grocery bags filled with all her possessions.  I remember her so clearly because the maroon windbreaker she had on was exactly like one I had at home and there was no way it would have been able to keep her warm.  

At that moment, I felt something tell me to give her my coat.  It was a warm fleece lined brown corduroy coat that I loved, and I didn’t give it to her.  I made all kinds of excuses why not to give, and that decision has haunted me ever since.  While I still feel bad about that, I am thankful for the memory because that moment taught me a lot about how I can give and be generous.  

The truth is that we are not naturally generous people.  Take a toy away from a 2 year old and at first they might laugh or give it to you, but in time they are going to want it back or you will hear about it.  If that doesn’t convince you that we are naturally selfish and self-centered, let me ask you this.  When you look at a group photo, who is the first person you look for?  You look for yourself - right?  And if you don’t look good, then the picture is bad.  Even if everyone else is looking great, if your eyes are half closed or your mouth is hanging open you will say, that’s a horrible picture.  We don’t need to learn how to be selfish, we need to learn how to be generous.  To get better at anything takes time and intentionality and practice.

To play the organ/piano/guitar it takes practice.  No one ever wakes up one day being able to play like Carol/David.  None of us will become outrageously generous without being intentional and learning how to give.  Generosity comes when we plan to give and then stand firm in our giving, or following through.  This is how God tells us to become generous people.   

Generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.  Isaiah 32:8 (NLT)

Generous people make plans to give and then follow through and give.  Like learning how to do anything, we start by making a plan.  We figure out what we need to do and then we have to actually do it, we have to follow through.  The same is true with giving.  While there might be times when we give spontaneously, I guarantee you that those times won’t come until we make giving and generosity an ongoing part of our lives.  So let’s consider 3 qualities of generous people and how we can plan and stand firm in these areas.

1. Generous people give willingly.  

This is what Paul tells the church in Corinth.  They started out to be generous because they wanted to give, they were willing to give.  

Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.  2 Corinthians 8:10-11

Is it our desire to give?  Does our heart truly want to give?  Are we willing to give?  Most of the time God doesn’t care about the amount we give, He cares about our willingness to give.  Is our heart in it when we give.  If we are giving out a sense of duty or obligation, it doesn’t honor God because God doesn’t look at the gift but the heart.  Let’s look at a story about Jesus that teaches us not only about giving but about our attitude and willingness to give.   

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” 

Mark 12:41-44

Maybe the first thing we should stop and think about is that Jesus was sitting there watching people give.  We need to remember that God watches our giving and the reason He watches is that He wants us to live and love like He does and He wants to bless us when we give.  But when God watches our giving, He is looking at our heart.  

As Jesus watched all the rich people give, He could see that some were giving out of a sense of duty or obligation.  Others were giving to get noticed.  Their offerings would have been all coins and they were being placed in large metal boxes so the sound of giving a large offering would have drawn the attention of the people.  Those giving a lot loved that people were watching them.  While they gave a lot, their hearts were not right.  

The woman who put in her two coins was recognized by Jesus because she was willing to give.  She didn’t have to give, and she didn’t have to give that much, but she wanted to.  She was willing to give and Jesus saw that desire and willingness in her heart and honored her.  What does Jesus see in our hearts when we give?  Does He see us giving grudgingly because we feel like we have to or does He see us giving willingly.  The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver because a cheerful giver is one who wants to give.  

If our heart isn’t right in giving, we need to ask why we aren’t willing or wanting to give.  What is the fear, or resentment that might be holding us back?  How can we change our heart so that it becomes our desire to give?

2. Generous people give proportionally.  

Again, we hear Paul say this to the people in Corinth when he encourages them to be generous.  2 Corinthians 8:10-11

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

We give according to what we have.  If we have a lot we should give a lot.  If we have a little, we should give a little.  Our giving needs to be in proportion to what we have been given.  In the Old Testament there are two concepts of planned and proportional giving that we read about over and over again.  We talked about it last week and that is giving our first-fruits and a tithe.

God called the people to literally give to the priests some of the first fruits of their harvest.  Giving first is important because we have to sit down and actually plan our giving.  We aren’t giving as an afterthought or what we have left over, first fruits means making a plan to give at the beginning.  We will not grow in our giving without a plan.  We don’t wake up one day and just find ourselves giving more, we have to plan to give so we can learn how to be generous.  

We have to plan to give and we have to think about giving proportionally.  Trust me, no one gives a tithe without sitting down to think about it and planning on how to make that happen because 1/10 is a lot of money.  I remember writing my first tithe check when I became a pastor.  I had never tithed before and when I sat down and figured out what 10% was, I realized it was a lot.  I had to figure out how much I then had left and how I was going to use that to meet all my other bills.  

Not only does the Old Testament talk about planned and proportional giving, but Paul did too, and he encouraged the people in Corinth to do just that.  

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Corinthians 16:2

Paul encourages the people to sit down at the beginning and set aside a portion to give.  Set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income.  If you have a little, set aside a little.  If you have a lot, set aside a lot.  Planned and proportional giving was going to help them be generous and learn how to give the way they wanted to give.  I would encourage you to do the same.  If you aren’t tithing, sit down and plan to set aside a portion of your income or resources to give.  It is a necessary step in becoming generous people.

3. Generous people give sacrificially.  

Ok, this is where giving gets hard.  Sacrificial giving is giving in a way that we actually feel its impact on our lives.  To be honest, when we get to a place where we give 10% each year, we can grow comfortable.  It’s not that it’s easy, but we grow accustomed to it so it doesn’t really stretch us.  For someone who is naturally good at saving money, I got pretty comfortable with giving 10% of my income and saving all the rest - storing up treasure on earth.  

But then I asked myself one day, what is my income?  Is it just my salary?  One of the blessings of being a pastor is that I live in a parsonage.  Am I giving to God in return for that gift?  I challenged myself to see if I could tithe on my full benefits package.  And then I wondered about giving more than 10%.  I had thought of the tithe as the goal of giving instead of the beginning, so I started to give more and while I don’t have an amazing story about how God blessed me in a profound way each time I gave more and grew in giving, I have never been in need.  God has faithfully and quietly provided the more I give.  I am more blessed when I give.  

I continue to ask myself what it looks like to give sacrificially. Sometimes it looks like giving up something and taking that money to give to something special like hurricane relief or OCC.  Sometimes I challenge myself to give to someone when I feel God asking me to give.  I still remember that woman in NYC and tell myself, if I feel God calling me to give, I need to give and I need to give now because the moment might be gone tomorrow.  

Sacrificial giving is what Jesus also commends in the widow’s offering.  While she only gave 2 small coins, Jesus said it was all she had to live on.  No one else that day gave sacrificially.  No one else gave in such a way that they had to sit down and reprioritize all their spending and saving.  

When was the last time you gave a gift that was really difficult for you financially?  When was the last time you gave up something in order to give?  When was the last time you gave in a way that pushed you outside of what was comfortable and easy financially?    I’m not suggesting we give that way every day, but we will never become generous people without at times pushing ourselves to give sacrificially.  

What does sacrificial giving look like for you and your family?  What does proportional giving look like for you and your family?  What does a willingness to give, a growing desire to give, look like for you and your family?  If we can find ways to grow in these three areas, we will become more generous people.  Generosity doesn’t just happen, we have to plan to be generous and then follow through on it.  

You will hear a lot of messages these next 6 weeks about how you should spend your money.  You will feel compelled to spend on family and friends at Christmas, you will look for bargains and maybe think about not spending too much so you can store up for the future.  You will also hear about ways to give to God and others and God just might show you someone that you need to give to.  I encourage you to listen to God.  

Consider how He is calling you to plan your giving and how you can give proportionally and sacrificially.  Listen for God’s voice when He says to you, here is where I want you to give.  It might be a woman on a street in a windbreaker, a server in a restaurant, a family you see in church, a neighbor you know is going through difficult time, or a single mom or dad who will struggle to provide a holiday for the children,   Make a plan now to give when God calls you to give - and then stand firm - follow through.  

More Than Enough - Love Gives

 We are entering a season of the year where we begin to focus on giving thanks and giving gifts.  Because of this, it’s a great time to reset our priorities and remember that it is always more blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE.  We often say this, but do we believe it?  I mean, do we believe it to the point where we have ordered our life according to this principle?  Do we prioritize giving?  Do we look for ways to give our time, energy, faith, and money.  

While we know it’s better to give than receive, we also know it’s pretty nice to receive.  We enjoy getting gifts and having people care for us and provide for us.  It's a nice feeling, but we tell ourselves that it is better and more blessed to give, but why?  Have you ever stopped and asked why it is more blessed to give?  Is it just that the good feeling we get when we give is better than the good feeling we get when we receive, or is there something more.  

One reason we might believe this principle and strive to follow it is because Jesus said it.  In  the book of Acts, Paul quotes Jesus by saying, we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Acts 20:35

That alone should be reason enough for us to follow this teaching and trust that the blessing of giving is better than the blessing of receiving, but beyond the words of Jesus and the truth He brings, there is a more compelling reason why it is more blessed to give.  When we give, we embody and reflect the heart of God and what could be better than being a reflection of God and His love.    

In John 3:16 it says, God so LOVED the world that He GAVE.  So God, who the Bible tells us is love, loved the world, and because He loved, He gave.  And when God gave, He didn’t just give a little, He gave a lot.  In fact, God gave all He had.  God gave His one and only son.  So God, who is love, gives, which means that love gives.  So if we want to love God and love others, we have to GIVE.  In fact, if we don’t give, we don’t love.  

The disciple John, who Pastor David pointed out a few weeks ago always called himself the beloved disciple, not because he thought Jesus loved Him more than the others but because John just knew how much Jesus loved him, said,  

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.  1 John 3:17-18

So the love of God is not in us, it is not part of us, it is not reflected in u0,s if we do not give.  When we do give, the love of God is not only in us but we reflect that love to the world.  But to be truly blessed when we give, we need to give like God did, that means we don’t just give a little, or grudgingly, or by force, we give joyfully, freely, generously and sacrificially.  

My guess is that many of us do give this way.  I saw that huge pile of shoeboxes almost disappear last week and I watched families walk out with multiple boxes.  I have seen the offerings pour in for Western North Carolina and know that we aren’t done giving to support the rebuilding of people’s lives in that region.  I know we want to give and give all the ways God does, but I also know it can be a struggle for us to think about this kind of giving and then to actually give.  

Too often we think that our struggle to give is a problem of resources.  We don’t have enough time to serve in more ways and help others.  We don’t have the money to give more because we’re already behind on our bills.  We think we have a resource issue, but it’s not a money problem, it’s a mindset problem.  We are living with a mindset of scarcity instead of abundance. 

As we talk about the blessing of giving, let’s look at an amazing example of what giving looks like when we give like God.  The example comes from a group of churches we hear about in the New Testament.  

In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he wanted to encourage the people to give so he talked about the giving he saw from a group of churches in Macedonia.  These churches were in Philippi and Thessalonica and they were not wealthy.  Paul says that out of their poverty, they begged him to let them give to those  in need.  

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.  2 Corinthians 8:1-5

We aren’t told why the people of Macedonia faced extreme poverty, many scholars think that the political instability they faced over time, and being ruled and governed by several different nations, kept them from building any kind of wealth.  But their poverty didn’t keep them from giving and giving generously.  Look at how Paul described their giving.  

Rich generosity, they gave beyond their ability.  They gave freely, urgently pleading with Paul to let them give.  They exceeded Paul’s expectations.  They gave first to God and then to Paul and the people.  What was it that moved them to give this way?  They didn’t have a surplus of money, so it wasn’t a money issue, they gave because they were of the mind to give and they knew they had more than enough to give.  They didn’t approach this situation, or life in general, from a mindset of scarcity, but a mindset  of abundance.  With God they knew they had more than enough to give and give generously.  

In the Bible we find two different mindsets that can determine how we give.  The first one is a BAG mindset. We hear about this from the  prophet Haggai who said to God’s people: 

You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a BAG with holes in it.

Does this sound familiar?  You work hard but never seem to get ahead.  You think you have to get another job to pay off your bills or to be able to finance the new car you know you need.  Too often this is how we look at our life.  We just don’t have enough.  What we have doesn’t meet our needs  We are putting our money in a bag that has a hole in it because we never have enough.  With this mindset, we will never give, and we will never give generously.  

The problem with this mindset is that we think it is a money issue so we tell ourselves, when I have more money, I’ll give.  The problem is that when we have more money, we still won’t give because we still won’t think we have enough.  Money doesn’t make us more generous, money will just magnify what is already in our heart.  

Studies show that the more money people have, the less they often give. The total dollar amount they give might be more, but the percentage of their income that they give is often less.  While we tell ourselves we will give more when we get more, when we get more, we never end up giving more.  Giving and generosity is never a financial issue, it is a faith issue. If we aren’t faithful and generous now, more money will not make us faithful and generous.  

A Bag mindset puts us into a cycle that looks like this:

God provides

We spend what we get and if we get more we spend more

We don’t have enough

We live in fear, always asking God to provide more.

The second mindset we hear about in the Bible is a BARN mindset and there are few places we hear about it:  

Proverbs 3:9-10.  Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your BARNS will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.  

What changes a bag mindset to a barn mindset is the act of giving.  Instead of consuming what God gives us first, and then feeling like we don’t have enough, we give to God first which activates our faith, which tells us we have more than enough to not only give and give generously but to care for all our needs as well.  The act of giving also reflects the heart of God because God so loved the world that He gave.  

The Bible also tells us that when we give to God first, God will bless us and we will never run out of what we need.  In other words, our barns will be blessed and always full.  God makes this promise to us through the prophet Malachi.

Bring the whole tithe into the BARN, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty .Malachi 3:10-11

This is the only passage in scripture where God says that it is ok to test Him.  God wants us to give so that He can give back to us.  The way that God has ordered His world is that when we give first and faithfully, God will give to us.  We will be blessed.  In fact, God wants to bless us so much that He is almost begging us here to give.  Test me, he says, try me, see if I’m being honest with you..  I will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing on you that you won’t be able to contain if you will just give me the tithe.  

It’s more blessed to give because giving reflects the heart of God, and it opens up the floodgates of heaven so God can keep giving to us.  

So let’s talk about the tithe for a moment.  Some Christians don’t like the idea of a tithe because it seems to be tied to the Old Testament law and in Christ we are free from law and live by faith.  I agree, we are definitely saved by grace through faith alone, but the idea or principle of a tithe actually predates the law.

A tithe is simply an offering or gift of 10%.  That’s actually what the word means, one tenth.  We first hear about a tithe when the King of Salem, which was located in the area that today is Jerusalem, went out and blessed Abraham.  Abraham was so thankful for this blessing that he gave the King, Melchizedek, a tenth of everything he had.   In time, giving God a tithe as an offering was set up and different tithes were built into the law.

While we are set from the law and aren’t under any compulsion to give a tithe, we might want to consider it as a measure of our giving because Jesus not only talked about the tithe but he encouraged people to give it.  

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.  Matthew 23:23

Jesus was being critical of the religious leaders who were giving the tithe exactly as they were told to, but then they weren’t being generous in other ways.  They were giving the tithe but then not being generous and caring for those in need around them.  Jesus said, you need to be merciful AND give the tithe.  So Jesus doesn’t wipe out the tithe, He honors it.  So while we aren't under any compulsion to give a tithe, we might want to use it as a Biblical principle that can help us keep a faithful mindset.

The other thing I would say about the tithe is that it is just the beginning of giving, not the end.  Maybe it needs to be a goal you work towards, but if you ever get to a place where 10% goes to God, don’t stop there - keep going. I would say the tithe is where we start giving but the example of giving we have from God is that He gave ALL.  God so loved that He gave His one and only Son so our giving needs to be generous and sacrificial.  

Whether giving is 10%, less than 10% or more than 10% isn’t as important as just giving.  The only thing that breaks the cycle of a BAG mindset is to give, so  find a way to give now.  Don’t wait until you have more money, don’t wait until the end of the year and see what surplus you have, don’t wait until you make out your Christmas shopping lists and see what you have left over.  The longer we wait, the harder it will be to give.  And if we think more money will help us give, it won’t.  It’s faith that helps us give and when we give, God is thrilled and gives us more.   God may not give more money, God may give us those things that money can’t buy.  

The blessing that comes when we give might be better mental health and improved relationships.  If you give as a couple, God might bless your marriage.  If you talk about giving as a family and different ways you can give together, God might bless your family in ways you never thought possible.  As you give, God might show up and show off in your life in ways that will increase your faith.  When God says He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out  so much blessing that you won’t have room enough to store them, the blessing might be those things that money can’t buy.  

Giving is what breaks the bag mindset and starts a new mindset where God provides – we give –God multiples and we have more than enough – and this leads to a stronger faith.  Why is it more blessed to give?  Because giving not only reflects the love of God but it leads to us having more of what God wants us to have AND a stronger faith.  

Learning to give might require us to sit down and reprioritize our entire lives so that God is first, and loving others is first.   Isn’t that actually the point?  

Aren’t we supposed to put God first in all things?  Doesn’t the Bible say to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself?  If we are going to love with all we have, we have to also give with all we have because love gives.  

Let me close with some final words of Paul to the church in Corinth.  He was trying to encourage them to give so that they could experience the blessing of God. 

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

We are blessed when we give.  We are blessed abundantly when we give.  It is more blessed to give.  

 

Next Steps November 20, 2024

More Blessed

What memorable gift have you received?  Given?

How did giving and receiving make you feel?  

Which felt better?  Why?

Why is it more blessed to give?  See John 3:16.

There are two mindsets when it comes to giving:

Summarize each mindset  

The BAG - see Haggai 1:6

1. _______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

3. _______________________________________

4. _______________________________________

The BARN - see Proverbs 3:9-10 and Malachi 3:10-11

1. _______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

3. _______________________________________

4. _______________________________________

Which mindset do you find yourself in today?

Giving is what breaks the cycle of the bag mindset.  

How and where can you give now?  

How can you give not only money but time, faith, and love?

Find one new way to give in this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.   

Read what Paul says about the Macedonians’ giving.  

2 Corinthians 8:1-5.  

Is your desire to give as strong as theirs?  

What step can you take today to begin to develop this kind of passion and commitment to giving?  

For further study:  

Consider the principle of tithing.  

See Genesis 14:19-20, Malachi 3:10-11, Matthew 23:23.

Why might tithing be a good principle to follow?

What benefits are there to tithing?

Do you think tithing is the beginning of giving or the end goal of giving?  

Why don't I feel God's presence?

I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.  My body rests in safety…  You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.  Psalm 16:8-9, 11

How many of you can say that you have experienced the Lord with you, right beside you?  How many of you have experienced God’s presence in some real way at some point in your life?  Maybe it was a physical feeling that resonated through your body because you knew God was there.  Maybe you got emotional in worship and found yourself crying, or so overcome by emotion you raised your hands in the air.  Maybe it was a profound sense of peace when your life was completely out of control, or a sense of God’s direction that moved you forward when for months, or years, you had been feeling stuck.  

How many of you have felt the presence of God here today?  It’s ok if you haven’t, I’m not sure I have either.  I’ll be honest, there are many weeks that I have gone through not 1 but 2 services of worship and not experienced the presence of God in some real way.  I trust God has been there, but I can’t say that I felt it.  There have been seasons of my life that I have not felt God’s presence, so if you haven’t felt God here today, or maybe ever, you aren’t alone.  In fact, we are all in good company

David, who wrote Psalm 16 and experienced God so powerfully at times, was also the one who wrote, How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 13:1  At times David didn’t feel God’s presence and wondered if God was even there.  

Paul, the man who experienced the miraculous power of God when prison doors opened and chains fell away, was the same man who toiled away as a tentmaker for 14 years before God moved in his life.  

And we can’t forget about Jesus.  The one who walked with God daily, the one who was actually God in the flesh, asked God why He wasn’t there for Him when He needed Him the most.  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  

Today we are going to finish our series, ever wonder why; by asking, why don’t we feel God’s presence?  Is it our fault?  Are we doing something wrong in how we approach God in worship or in life?  Is it God’s fault?  Does God not want to reveal His presence to us for some reason?  Is it the church’s fault because we didn’t pick the right music for you today?  Were our prayers not filled with enough passion or focused on the right things?  Why don’t we always feel the presence of God?  While I can’t give you all the answers to that question, let me provide a few answers that we can reflect on.

1. We are over-sensationalizing God’s presence.  

Too many times we think that to experience God’s presence means feeling something physical or emotional or supernatural.  Too many people think that unless they have some kind of tangible sign or physical feeling, God is not with them.  The same was true in Jesus’ day.  The people then were also looking for a sign, some kind of miracle or physical experience, to let them know that Jesus was the Son of God.  Wanting this kind of affirmation is nothing new and I’ll confess, I have wanted it at times, and at times, I still do.

At a point in my life when I was really aimless, I asked God to send me a postcard in the mail telling me what I needed to do.  I thought, God can figure out how to send me something through the mail, but I never got that postcard, letter or package.  I can also tell you that when I was commissioned and ordained and had Bishops of the church place their hands on me and pray for me, I didn’t feel God’s presence.  I have served communion over 500 times in my life and I can’t remember any specific time when the power of God showed up in some supernatural way.  

I can remember the time I served the juice before the bread and really confused the congregation, and the time that half the trays didn’t have juice, and the ushers looked at me confused while  the ladies who filled the juice turned all red as they sat in the choir loft.  And I remember the time I showed up on Sunday and there were no elements at all so I ran to Sheetz because it was all that was open and bought the only thing that was red or purple.  It was a cranberry/grape drink infused with ginseng, and it didn’t taste at all like grape juice.  I’m not sure those were signs of God’s presence, but they make great stories.  While we are always looking for and wanting a sign, they don’t always come and for good reason: if we always felt God, we wouldn’t need faith.  

If every moment of life, and every second of our time in worship was filled with a tangible, physical, and supernatural feeling of God’s presence, we wouldn’t need faith.  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen, and unfelt.  Faith is knowing that God is with us because God has said He will be with us whether we feel God’s presence or not.  Let me also say that because we don’t experience God in profound ways all the time, it makes the moments we do experience God that much more powerful and precious.  

While I didn’t feel the presence of God at my commissioning or ordination,  I have experienced God’s presence in real, physical and spiritual ways many times in life.  One of the most recent ones was on my trip to Israel.  While seeing the things that Jesus would have seen, and walking in the places Jesus walked was inspiring, there was one clear moment when I felt the presence of God.  We were at the Wailing Wall at night.  The Wailing Wall is located on the site of the ancient Temple, and some say that the wall is in the exact location of the back wall of the Holy of Holies.     

As I approached the wall, I was overwhelmed with awe, but when I put my hands on the wall there was a jolt that went through my body like electricity.  My entire body trembled for what seemed like minutes as I stood there in the presence of God.  I had never had an experience like it before or since.  It was overwhelming to think that I was standing in the presence of God.  

The next day we again visited the wall and I did the exact same thing.  I approached the wall the same way and placed my hands on the wall and felt… nothing.  No jolts, no electricity, no trembling.  I have to say I was a little disappointed, but the reality was that God was still there and God was teaching me to walk by faith and not by sight.  I need to walk with assurance that God is there and not always looking for a sign or a feeling that comes with God’s presence.  

Just because we don’t feel God or experience physically, emotionally or spiritually, doesn’t mean that God is not with us.  God is always with us because God has promised to always be with us and our feelings don’t determine God’s presence.  Like David we can say, I will not be shaken because God is with me because of our faith and not because of our feelings.  .  

2. Our hearts have become hard and closed to the things of God.   Jesus said,  

You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.  For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Matthew 13:14-15

It doesn’t take much for our hearts to get calloused and hard.  If we have been hurt by someone and have decided we aren’t going to allow anyone to love or care for us again, our hearts will grow hard and we will push God away along with people.  Lingering doubts and fears can cause our hearts to grow hard.  Walking away from God’s word and prayer and worship can cause our hearts to grow hard.  But the #1 cause of a hard heart is ongoing and unconfessed sin.  

When we know there is sin in our life and we are choosing to ignore it, or tell ourselves that it’s not that bad, or that it’s not as bad as what others are doing, it hardens our hearts and freezes God out.  

Pastor Craig Groeschel uses an analogy to talk about how sin can harden our hearts to God’s presence that might be helpful  He says, if it is cold outside, you bundle up with long underwear, a long sleeve shirt, sweater and fleece lined jeans, and then you put on your snow suit, hat, gloves, and scarf .  You put on so many layers that you end up looking like Ralphie’s brother Randy in the movie “A Christmas Story”.  Not only can’t you put your arms down, but you can’t feel the cold.  The reality is that you don’t feel anything.

If we are covered in sin, sin we know is not good for us, and then on top of that sin we layer pride or indifference or apathy, we aren’t going to feel God.  If we aren’t feeling God’s presence, we might want to reflect on our lives and ask God to show us where we might need to confess and repent of some sin.  Has jealousy taken hold of our heart?  Do we struggle with pride or anger or lust?  Have we grown comfortable holding on to bitterness and not forgiving someone who has hurt us?  Any of these things can cause our heart to grow cold and keep us from feeling God’s presence.

3, Maybe God is trying to draw us closer.  

I don’t think God hides from us so that we will seek Him. God doesn’t play these kinds of childish games, but God does want us to seek Him, and He says that when we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him and when we find Him , we will experience Him in a variety of ways.  

After the people of Israel had seen their nation defeated, God’s Temple torn down, and then been forced to live in exile in a foreign land, they wondered if God was still with them.  They didn’t see God and they didn’t feel God’s presence.  It was during this season of their lives, however, when God told them, I am still with you.  

I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”  Jeremiah 29:11-14

When we seek God with all our heart, we will find Him.  Not only will we find God, but we will begin to see God’s purpose and plan for us.  When we seek God, we will find Him and feel Him moving us back into a relationship with Him where we will hear, know, and feel His presence more personally.  It was Israel’s experience in exile that made them truly long for God and turn to seek Him more intentionally.  While God doesn’t cause dark times in our lives, when they come, it is an opportunity for us to seek the Lord. 

If you aren’t feeling God’s presence today, it’s an opportunity for you to seek the Lord.  It’s an opportunity to return to God’s word, and worship, and prayer, with the expectation that God will speak and move.  It’s an opportunity to examine your hearts and confess your sin and return to walking with Jesus in faithfulness and integrity.  It’s a moment for us to open ourselves up and ask God to help us hear Him, see Him, and most importantly of all, know that He is with us.   

Just because we don’t feel God’s presence doesn’t mean that God is absent.  We can’t trust our emotions to tell us God is with us, we have to walk by faith.  We also need to look for God in the ordinary moments of life and not always the spiritual or what we think of as holy moments.  While I felt the presence of God at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, I have also experienced God’s presence in Bible study when a passage spoke to my situation, or a fresh meaning opened up.  

I have experienced God’s presence when the right song came on the radio at the right time for what I am going through.  I have felt the presence of God through a well-timed card, note or word from a friend.  God longs to meet us in the ordinary moments of life and to tell us in those ordinary moments that He is there, He is here.

This month we have an opportunity to help a child experience the presence of God.  Through Operation Christmas Child, a box is given to a child and there are so many stories of boxes being given to children who got exactly what they needed because God put that box in their life.  The box also lets a child know they are seen and loved by God and God’s people.  For a child who has never gotten a gift, the gift of a  shoebox might be the sign to them that God is with them and always will be.  It might be the experience that helps them build a faith of trusting that God is with them whether they can feel Him or not.  We can help give this amazing gift to a child who is asking, why don’t I feel God with me.  

Let me finish with this.  For many people, this is going to be a stressful and anxious week.  We might not see God in the world around us or feel His presence in all the chaos of the elections.  Depending on the outcome, you might think that God did not answer your prayers, and you might be worried about the stability and unity of our nation and if God is still with us.  We all need to remember that just because we may not see or feel God’s presence this week doesn’t mean that God is not present.  God is right here.  Just when we think God is NOWHERE, we find out that God is actually NOW HERE, and He has been here all along.  

So with David we can say, I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.  Psalm 16:8

Next Steps

Why don’t I feel God’s presence?

Think of a time when you experienced the presence of God.  

● What was going on in your life?  

● Was it during a time of worship? A holy moment or an ordinary moment? 

● Why do you think He made Himself known to you in that moment?

Has there been a time, or season, when you did not feel the presence of God?  

● How long did that season last?  

● What was it like to feel far from God?  

● Are you still in that season today?

3 reasons we might not be experiencing God’s presence:

1. We are over-sensationalizing God’s presence.  

● Why do we think God’s presence should always come with a tangible feeling or a miraculous experience?  

● What kind of sign or feeling do you most often look for?  Why?  

If we always felt God’s presence, we wouldn't need faith.  

● What does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight?  

● How have you learned to do this during your life?  

2. Our hearts have become hard.

Read Matthew 13:14-15.

Reflect on what may be causing your heart to be hard.

● Have you been hurt by others so you have closed yourself to any kind of love or relationship?

● Is there unconfessed sin in your life?

● Are you too focused on your performance as a follower of Jesus rather than the reality of God’s presence?  

3. God wants to draw us closer to Him.

Read Jeremiah 29:13-14.  Who was God speaking to in this passage and where were they living?  

● How have difficult times caused you to more intentionally seek God’s presence?  

● How have difficult times drawn you closer to God even if you didn’t “feel” God’s presence.  

● How can you seek God this week with all your heart?

Consider taking part in this year’s Operation Christmas Child to help children around the world experience the presence and love of God in both powerful and personal ways.  For more information on how to be part of Operation Christmas Child, go to bellefontefaith.com/occ.