Overflow

As I discussed earlier this week on The Meeting House, this is a season of the year in which believers have opportunities to show mercy.  And, that really an important consideration of the Christian life
throughout the year, on a consistent basis. Luke 6 challenges us:
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Those are the words of Jesus, who showed ultimate mercy by giving His life on the cross.  We recognize that God our Heavenly Father, according to James 1, is the giver of all good gifts, and can give Him the glory and praise for the blessings we receive - material and otherwise.  He will also bless us in order to bless other people, so that His love can be expressed and perhaps people can come to receive His love into their own lives and come into a saving knowledge of Jesus.

+++++

In 2nd Corinthians chapter 9, we can read about how our generosity actually affects our degree of
thanksgiving. We see:
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God...

As we enter in to this season of Thanksgiving, we can take time to thank God for the spiritual blessings that flow from a relationship with Christ.  And, if you have been blessed materially, it's a good time to reflect on what you have experienced.

A new LifeWay Research study shows how positive economic conditions have affected giving to churches.  The survey summary states:

Today, 8 in 10 Protestant pastors (79 percent) say the total offerings at their church this year are at or above last year’s levels, including 42 percent who say this year is ahead of last year. Few pastors (15 percent) say giving is not keeping pace with last year.

Those positive giving numbers have followed the economic upturn, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

“The increases in offerings so many churches are experiencing coincide with what most economists refer to as ‘full employment,’ as well as increased wage growth in 2018,” McConnell said.

McConnell adds that those who receive Social Security, who he cites as "likely some of the most faithful donors in many churches," have received above a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for two consecutive years.

According to their pastors, almost half of churches with over 100 members have reported increases, while just over a third of churches with less than 100 have seen increases.

The survey summary points out how pastors view the economy related to their churches:

For the first time since LifeWay Research began asking pastors economic questions in 2009, more pastors say the economy is having a positive rather than a negative impact on their church.

Today, 45 percent of pastors see the economy as benefiting their church, while 35 percent say it is having no impact.

McConnell also adds that, "Most trackable forces in the economy have been positive for several years. Pastors’ perceptions are finally catching up to the economic reality." He points out that it may be too early to tell how last year's tax reform bill has affected giving. The survey shows that about half of pastors do not believe theirs will be affected, but about a quarter of them believe it will impact their church finances positively.

There are a few considerations for us today related to this survey:

For one thing, the economy could certainly be considered a spiritual issue.  Our attitude toward money and the amount of money we have can certainly affect how we walk with God and how we give to our churches and to ministries.  As we walk in His wisdom and consider economic conditions and trends, we can make good decisions on savings, investments, and the ways we spend our money.

We can also recognize that if God has blessed us materially, we have the opportunity and even the responsibility to share those blessings by giving to the Kingdom.  We see from Scripture that God provides the seed, i.e. funds that we can use for the benefit of others and for God's glory.  So, if our coffers are more full, that could be a sign that God has a special purpose for those resources.

We can develop a sensitivity to how God is directing us to use our resources.  As Ron Blue has said, it all belongs to God.  We are stewards of the material so that we can ultimately impact the spiritual, and we can acknowledge that as we give, God is moving through our finances.