“...according to His power that is at work within us...”

Throughout the coming weeks, our church family will have the opportunity to personally contemplate and respond to all that Encouraging Today Impacting Tomorrow presents to us. God has blessed our church over the years. Our preschool, children, and youth ministries are literally overflowing. We have also seen tremendous growth in our Worship and Sunday School attendance. In order to accommodate our church family and guests, we have had to explore and implement innovative ways to utilize all available space. Parking is increasingly becoming a challenge and we must prepare for the future.

Scores of our people bear testimony to the incredible impact this church has had upon their lives. Think of how much you have enjoyed the wonderful facilities we now have. Lives have been changed forever. Can you count the many new faces we have seen just in the last year? We must continue to prepare for the future of our church family and for the thousands of lost souls within our community who need to be reached for Christ. To do that requires a sacrifice from each of us.

How do we determine what is a sacrifice? It will be different for each person, but it usually requires giving beyond our comfort zone.

Webster’s dictionary defines sacrifice as “to suffer loss of, give up, renounce or destroy, especially for an ideal or belief.” In order to determine our faith promise, we must first understand what a sacrifice is. To give a small portion out of plenty is not a sacrifice. A loss must actually occur. You must miss what you are giving up.

Sacrificial giving has been an integral part of God’s plan from the very beginning. The children of Israel gave their gold, silver, wood, and tapestries in order to build the tabernacle. Years later, the children of Israel gave to build a magnificent temple. For thousands of years, the Jews gave the best of their flocks to be sacrificed on the altar. David, as a young shepherd, risked his life to fight Goliath. Joseph faced incredible injustice for most of his life, yet he remained true to his faith. The widow demonstrated her love by giving of her last penny. A woman poured an entire bottle of very expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair. All expressions of love and gratitude. All for our Lord. All were sacrifices.

A sacrifice is not a natural act. It is not often that we willingly accept a personal loss so that someone else will gain. It is not in our nature to do so, especially in today’s culture. It is possible only through God’s power that is at work within us. God gives us the wisdom to determine our personal sacrifices. God gives us the ability to give graciously...until we lose something. In that act of giving, in the process of losing, we allow our team, our church, and our community to gain. God has promised that He will always meet our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. In Malachi Chapter 3, God actually challenges us to give. “Try me,” he says. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” God will help determine what our personal faith promise will be. Faithfully seek Him in prayer, do as He asks, and He will meet your every need.

Do not doubt God’s understanding of your sacrifice. God allowed His own Son to die in your place. He knows what it means to suffer a loss. He knows what it means to give.