What a day yesterday!! A few weeks ago our church voted to put in a new A/V system and to pay for it from designated funds that we could pay back and replenish in two ways: in excess funds each month in the budget and 5th Sunday offerings. I did not want us to drag it out through 2012 taking all of our fifth Sunday offerings and I wanted us to have us A DAY! I've been a part of such a thing before and it is exciting. So just a few weeks ago I started promoting and praying for an offering on October 30th that would be sacrificial and significant. I did not know what to expect because of the short notice. If you do such a thing over several months, it can be a very significant offering. Over a few weeks, not normally.
Last week with the Joash's chest on my mind (2 Kings 12), I pulled out my grandfather's tool chest that I inherited and placed it in front of the pulpit. Yesterday, the church walked by it and placed their offering in. In October we had excess funds of $2500 and yesterday's offering was over $67,500 for a total of over $70,000, or about 5 times our weekly average. Absolutely Amazing!! How God rewards our faithfulness!!
We followed that last night with a Tailgate-n-Treat, a combo of two loved events: our Tailgate party and oUr Trunk N Treat. It was one of our greatest events! A wonderful crowd and a wonderful day! Absolutely amazing. What a great day! A joy to be a part of such as that.
On top of all of that my chairman of deacons surprised me at the close of the service with an appreciation gift and the kindest word of thankfulness which was followed by a wonderful round of applause! It was just too much.
Let me get to the text (www.lifejournal.cc). I call this one Bread Crumb Theology. When the foreign lady came to Jesus He challenged her because she was not a Jew. In Mark 7:27 He says- First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” In other words, He was ministering to the Jews, any leftovers others could have. It sounds kind of cold, but it was really just a challenge of faith. Don't get too sidetracked by that passage. God often challenges us when we come to Him with a request and sometimes the challenge is not how we expect. Look at her answer though. In Mark 7:28- “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” In other words, 'Lord, if you will intervene in my daughter's life, I will take whatever I can get.' To all those 'name and claim it' kind of prayer proclaimers, take this as an example. Humbly seek the face of God, not because of what you did or who you are, but because of what He did and who He is, and ask Him to move and work, not to get your will done in heaven but His Will on earth. He'll reward such as that!!
Do it today!! I hope you have a great one!!
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