Can you understand?
Today’s devotion is based off of week 4 of Unlikely Heroes: A Translator (WATCH HERE)
The fact that you are reading this devotion means one thing: You understand the English language.
This may be a simple statement and reality, but if you didn’t understand English, you either would be really challenged to read this or just give up and wish you had something to read in your native language.
To miss a daily devotion or a conversation with a stranger because of a language barrier isn’t that big of a deal. However, to miss out on the single most important message the world has ever known is a big deal.
But we may have never considered what it takes to overcome the language barrier to bring the message of Jesus to people groups that don’t have any portion of the Bible in their own native language.
With over 7000 languages in the world and only 750 of those languages having a Bible in their language, there is much to do to bring the message of Jesus to the world.
Yesterday at Crosspoint, we had Dr. Chris Pluger and his wife Janine share the work they are doing in Ethiopia to bring the Bible to 20 new languages in that country. While mission work is not foreign to us, this type of mission work is not one you usually think of.
At Pentecost, here’s the miracle that God’s Spirit worked:5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
What takes translators today years to accomplish, God accomplished in the miracle of translation given to the disciples. Without any training in foreign languages, the disciples were able to communicate the wonders of God in the native tongue of those that were there.
While it takes much longer, the hand of God is still at work in people like the Plugers and those with whom they work to bring the wonderful Word of God into the native tongue of the people who don’t yet have access to the Bible in the language they speak.
Why do the Plugers and others part of Lutheran Bible Translators do this? Why might I encourage you to consider supporting their work with a monthly financial gift of $25/month?
Because, like at Pentecost, the truth is this: (Acts 2:21) And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ So many more might be saved, the work of translators brings the name of the Lord and the Word of the Lord to souls that need him.
Apply: Take time to listen to this week’s message. Go to https://lbt.org/missionary/dr-chris-and-janine-pluger/ to read more about the Plugers and give a gift as the Lord moves you to do so.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for people like Dr. Chris and Janine Pluger who are using their God-given gifts to bring your Word to people in their native tongue. Grant them safety and blessing as they do the great work of translating your Word! AMEN.
How to excel in giving!
Today’s devotion is based off of week 3 of Unlikely Heroes: A Widow (WATCH HERE)
So how do I get better?
Generosity is something the Lord desires we grow in.
“see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
As we end the week, here are a few practical tips to work at to grow in your heart and ability to give.
- To grow in the heart of giving, grow in your love for what God has given to you.
The Apostle John said, “We love because he first loved us.” Every aspect of the Christian life is driven and motivated by the love God has shown to us. John also recorded Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16). God’s generosity to you is immense and is THE reason we can be generous with the wealth he has given to you.
- Prayerfully plan your giving.
To often giving is an after thought. Perhaps you think of it on a Sunday morning in church and give spontaneously what you have in your wallet or purse or quickly write a check or give an online gift. The better approach is to consider the income God is giving you every week or month (or distributions, dividends, bonuses, etc.). Take time to thank him for giving it to you. Then set aside a percentage (make 10% your minimum goal) and give it regularly (weekly or monthly) through an offering at church or through online giving. Remember, God is giving you income even the weeks you don’t make it to church! Here’s the encouragement from Paul to the Corinthians 1:Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
- Get better at managing your finances.
Excelling in the grace of giving also means getting better at managing the day to day expenses and income in your household. Maybe you didn’t learn good financial habits and planning in your early years. Maybe you are used to impulsively buying and wondering where all the money went. Maybe you have large debt on student loans, credit cards, car loans, boat/toy loans and mortgage. Maybe you’ve resigned yourself to living in debt and paycheck to paycheck. Excelling in giving will become easier if you learn to get on a budget, defer gratification, live within your means and get out of debt. The best tool I am aware of is the “Baby Steps” from Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. (CLICK HERE) (We will be offering this course at Crosspoint in May & June 2025!)
Giving is what Christians do. It’s what the love of Christ motivates us to do. It doesn’t come naturally, but it does come when we resolve with the Spirit’s help to excel in the grace of giving!
2 Corinthians 8:7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
Apply: What is one step you can take today to better excel in the grace of giving?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love, grace and forgiveness. Help me today and every day to not just grow in faith, speech, knowledge and earnestness, but also in the grace of giving. AMEN.
PS: As the LORD moves you, you may want to give a gift to the Crosspoint ministry that enables these devotions to be sent out every week. If so, please click on this link and simply indicate a gift to our general ministry fund which provides the financial resources that make these devotions possible.
GIVING LINK: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZG4W/home
How much should I give?
Today’s devotion is based off of week 3 of Unlikely Heroes: A Widow (WATCH HERE)
How much should I give?
This question is maybe one you have asked.
The answer, when it is given from a trusted source, implies that if I follow it, I am doing the right thing.
So for example, if you ask your pastor this question, and he responds with $100 and you give $100, you feel like you have done the right thing.
But have you?
This question maybe is the right question…but maybe it’s also not a great question.
“How much…” implies that the one asking the question is seeking an amount to be the answer.
“…should I give?” implies that giving is an obligation that has to be taken care of.
To be sure, giving is something that God desires every person who professes faith in Jesus to do. However, he wants the motivation to be much different then simply a legality to be completed. Perhaps this interaction of Jesus with people giving an offering is instructive.
Mark 12:41 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. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Jesus makes evident that in this setting the amount of the offering wasn’t the key thing. While he doesn’t condemn the rich people for giving larger gifts, he also commends the widow for giving two very small copper coins.
However the amount is important as it reflects the heart.
For those that had ample means to give large amounts, there maybe was a smaller “pain” point for those to give. Their gifts maybe wouldn’t alter their lifestyle or other financial obligations they had made. Their gifts, while large, did not take a large faith to give.
The widow on the other hand had a very small monetary gift. Some may dismiss it as inconsequential. However, the amount of her gift reflected a large pain point. Once she walked away from the offering coffer, she had no material means to buy her next meal. Her gift, while small, took a large amount of faith to give.
The widow was giving a gift out of trust that God would provide what was needed. The amount was a reflection of the trust she had in her Savior.
So back to the question, “How much should I give?”
Maybe the answer is this, “Whatever amount causes you to trust God’s promises more.”
What is that for you?
Apply: Prayerfully consider the question of this devotion…but most importantly consider the heart/faith issue attached to the amount you give.
Prayer: Lord, lead me to trust more so I freely give more. AMEN.
PS: As the LORD moves you, you may want to give a gift to the Crosspoint ministry that enables these devotions to be sent out every week. If so, please click on this link and simply indicate a gift to our general ministry fund which provides the financial resources that make these devotions possible.
GIVING LINK: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZG4W/home
Is it really giving?
Today’s devotion is based off of week 3 of Unlikely Heroes: A Widow (WATCH HERE)
Sometimes I wonder if we really should call it “giving” when we talk about offerings to our church.
Why, you ask?
The term giving has different uses in our English language. In its most basic sense is the reality that I move something from my possession to another. When a family member asks for a fork at dinner, I can pick one out of the drawer and “give” it to them. They could do the same for me. It simply implies a transfer of some kind.
However, giving also has a meaning that we use at Christmas and birthdays that implies the giver is the one who owns or buys something and then transfers it to another person, relinquishing ownership and the recipient is now the owner of the item.
Maybe I’m over thinking this. But here’s the point.
Often when we think about our offerings to the LORD through our local church, we think first that the money is OURS and that we then are “transferring ownership” to the LORD for him to use through the ministry of his church.
This is the premise I want to challenge. Because the financial wealth we have is really not ours. Sure it is ours in relation to other humans around us. It is not our neighbors or our relatives. On this earth, it is in our possession and not someone else’s.
But that doesn’t mean it is not God’s.
Consider Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
What this means is the material things really are things the LORD has entrusted to me to manage in the way that honors him. While he allows me to use them and make decisions about them, he wants me to understand that they are really his. So that’s why giving to the LORD our financial gifts is much more about stewardship, or managing the wealth God has given to us rather than simply determining how much I want to give back to the Lord.
Jesus told a story to illustrate this truth and how we are to view what has been entrusted to us in Matthew 25:14-30
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So in combining yesterday’s thought and today, when we ask, “Lord what would you have me do with the wealth you have given to me?” He says, “Return the tithe (10%) and see how I will bless your heart that trusts me to continue to provide all you need.” Just test the Lord in this and see what happens!
Apply: Maybe try for three months and set aside 10% of your income to give to the LORD through your local church. See how God works on your heart and the blessing he gives to you and the Gospel ministry that receives your gift!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for entrusting so much to me. Help me grow in my ability to manage the wealth you have given in a way that reflects trust in you! AMEN.
PS: As the LORD moves you, you may want to give a gift to the Crosspoint ministry that enables these devotions to be sent out every week. If so, please click on this link and simply indicate a gift to our general ministry fund which provides the financial resources that make these devotions possible.
GIVING LINK: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZG4W/home
Giving is a matter of trust!
Today’s devotion is based off of week 3 of Unlikely Heroes: A Widow (WATCH HERE)
What keeps us from being more generous with our financial resources?
Certainly we have to guard our hearts against greed and love of money, which is a root of all kinds of evil, but I wonder if one of the key reasons we hesitate to be generous with our giving to the Lord is fear.
Fear I won’t have enough.
Fear the bills won’t get paid.
Fear I won’t be able to retire.
Money can be a security blanket for us, which does challenge us to evaluate our heart and ask, “Am I trusting money for things I should be trusting God for?”
The giving of the tithe was and still is an exercise in trust. It was a beginning point that God challenged his people to return to him through their offerings a tenth of all they made. As they gave the tithe, they were challenged to trust and not fear that they would not have enough if they gave ten percent to the LORD first.
What did they discover?
God challenged them and God blessed them. Here’s Malachi 3:8ff
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, 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. 11 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. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed,for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
Growing in the grace of giving is growing in our trust in the LORD and driving out the fear from our hearts.
This promise that the LORD gives through Malachi is one that I personally have experienced and know other Christians have as well. When you simply decide to honor the LORD by giving 10% to him through your local church, you a) learn to trust he will provide and b) you learn to adjust your cravings for things and live on the 90% that remains. Part B maybe is the challenge because decisions have been made that have increased debt or financial responsibilities. It’s hard to say “No” to eating out or a new TV or a new car. We can feel a sense of entitlement that we deserve it or we “need” to have it. Marketing and advertising are not our friends as they seek to instill discontent and communicate you are missing out on something in life if you don’t buy their product.
For sure the issue can be complex and one may need help learning to better manage one’s financial wealth.
But perhaps this morning let your prayer be this, “Lord, help me to trust you in all things…including my finances so that I can joyfully and regularly give a tenth of my income to you through my church for the work of spreading the Gospel.” And see how God both enables you to do this and blesses you through it!
Apply: Evaluate today how much you make and what percentage of your income you are giving to the LORD through your local church (the primary recipient of the tithe). Begin to ask the Lord’s guidance to increase that from where you are to the 10%…and maybe even beyond!
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for robbing you by not bringing offerings to you. Forgive me for a lack of trust in you and trusting my wealth more. Help me to trust you in all things, especially my finances so that I can joyfully and regularly give a tenth of my income to you through my church. AMEN.
PS: As the LORD moves you, you may want to give a gift to the Crosspoint ministry that enables these devotions to be sent out every week. If so, please click on this link and simply indicate a gift to our general ministry fund which provides the financial resources that make these devotions possible.
GIVING LINK: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZG4W/home