Day Ten

First Fairhope

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Day Ten

Examine Commitment

October 24, 2023 • 2 Corinthians 8:1–5

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2 Corinthians 8:1-5

'They gave themselves first to the Lord, and, by the will of God, then to us." (2 Corinthians 8:5)

Have you ever watched a tee-ball game where the children are just beginning to learn baseball? Have you ever seen a child, so excited to hit the ball off the tee that the youngster runs directly to third base and then races back to home plate to score?

Too often we think of giving to the church as a financial decision rather than as a stewardship decision. We shortcut the ground-rules, like the child running directly to third. We rush to start off in the wrong direction. We hurry the process. As a result, we may make a donation to the church, but we do not make a stewardship commitment.

To make a stewardship decision, we have to go all the way around and touch all of the bases. Reaching first means making a faith decision before we even consider the financial aspect of our giving. Reaching first means calling to account our lives of faith before doing any financial accounting.

In 2 Corinthians 8:5, Paul says of the Macedonian church, "they gave of themselves first to Lord, and then to us in keeping with God's will." Getting to first means determining your commitment level before deciding your financial position. Making a stewardship decision means responding to a deeper calling of faith, not reacting to a quick accounting. A stewardship decision is first and foremost a faith commitment, not a financial calculation.

First things first. They gave themselves first to the Lord. That is the place to begin a conversation about a stewardship decision.

Prayer: Lord, first let me give myself more fully to You. Then let my decisions grow out of what I believe ... and out of what You call me to be and to do.

Action Item First things first. Instead of rushing to the calculator or the budget, answer these questions first. What does God call me to be? What does God call me to do? What is God doing in my church now? How is God working in my life now? What could God do through me? How can I give myself more fully to God?

Day One

Colossians 4:12–13

Colossians 4: 12-13 "Epaphras is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, and be mature." (Colossians 4:12) Wrestling is an ancient sport. In the first century, wrestlers struggled for their lives, not for TV ratings. In the language of the day, the wrestling ring was called the agony, and the wrestlers were called antagonists. Such is this word-image that Paul uses to describe the work of prayer from a spiritual leader of the Colossian church, Epaphras. Paul tells the church that Epaphras wrestles in prayer for them. We would catch Paul's wordplay if we say that Epaphras agonizes in prayer for them. What a powerful image - and a biblical image too - like Jacob wrestling with the angel all night for a blessing (Genesis 32:24-31) - and tike Jesus praying so fervently in the Garden of Gethsemane that his sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:41 -44). What is so important that Epaphras would pray so fervently? That the Colossian church would grow in their knowledge of God's will and in their maturity of faith. Our capital campaign “Love Gives” is a call to prayer for you and for our congregation. You and our congregation will be encouraged to reflect on a simple question -- What would You do through me Lord to make Your will happen in this church? Genuinely reflecting on that question will mean prayerfully wrestling with God's will in your life and with God's will in our church. This challenge is a time to exercise your faith. The struggle to respond faithfully will not be - nor should it be - easy. As Paul would later say of Epaphras, "I vouch for him that he is working hard for you." The process of making a decision will not be - nor should it be - short-lived. Like Jacob, you may spend more than one restless night wrestling for an answer and a blessing. Your church needs an Epaphras or two just now. Your church needs people who will pray earnestly to seek God's will. Would you be willing to pray, to wrestle hard, for the future of this church? Prayer. Lord, lead me in prayer to wrestle hard with Your will. I will hold fast to You until I find Your blessing. Action Item: Decide now to make a prayerful decision about your participation in this campaign. Set aside specific time (at least l 5 minutes) every day for the next three weeks to spend in prayer and reflection using this devotional guide. Make an appointment with yourself (and with God) right now. Write down when and where you will spend your prayer time each day for the next three weeks.

Day Two

Luke 11:9–11

Luke 11 :9-11 "And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." (Luke 11 :9) Most of us are good at the first baby step of prayer. It is easy to ask God to do something! Unfortunately, after the asking, we think that we are finished; we think that since we have already asked, we are expected to do nothing more. The first step in any journey is critical. We do need to ask in order to receive. But asking is just the first step. It takes many more steps to continue a real journey of prayer. Jesus offers his disciples a model for such a prayer journey. Ask - yes, of course! But then seek. And finally, knock on the doors that you find. Seeking God's will is much more work than simply asking; seeking takes time, attention, listening, looking, and searching. That journey of prayer will lead us far past asking, deep into new paths of seeking God's way for our lives. Along those paths we will discover doorways - places where choices and decisions must be made. Do we have the courage and commitment to knock on those doors? And when those new doorways are opened, will we step into a new way of life? Simply asking demands little of us. Seeking means searching for God's will in our lives; and such seeking will undoubtedly change us -- redirecting us in God's way. Knocking on the doors that God would open to us may well lead us down paths that we never imagined! We do not know what God has in store for us when we begin such a journey, but one thing is certain - such a journey of prayer will change our lives. After all, changing us has always been the real power of prayer. Prayer. Lord, I seek Your will and Your way in my life. Lead me down Your paths for Your name's sake. Open new doors that I might find a new way of life! Action Item: Capture this journey of prayer that you are committing yourself to by journaling your adventure. During your prayer time over the next several weeks, write down what you are asking and what you are given, what you are seeking and what you are finding, what doors you knock upon and what is opened to you.

Day Three

Matthew 28:16-20 Go therefore and make disciples (Matthew 28:19) When a church has a capital campaign, everyone seems to have the same kind of question - Are we building? What does the building look like? What color will the carpet be? Or perhaps, what debt are we eliminating? What am I going to get out of this? What is my part to play? Fundamentally, all of those "what" questions are far and away the least important questions to ask. The most important question in a capital campaign challenge is not what, but WHY. Why are you building? Why are you expanding ministries? Why are you eliminating debt so the church can invest itself better in ministry programs? Why is our church here? Why are you here? No church builds a structure just to have a nice building. No church expands ministries just to be a bigger church. No person makes a sacrificial financial commitment just to get some kind of service or program benefit. People - and churches - do not give their lives or their resources or their selves to a building or to a program or to being bigger. What people will give their lives to is a God-given purpose, a higher calling. So the most important question to answer in any capital campaign is not what are you doing, but WHY are you are doing it. Why is our church doing these things? In other words, what does God call this church to be and to do? What is the purpose God calls you and our church to? And how does this capital campaign provide tools for our congregation to respond to that calling? The last commandment Jesus spoke for every Christian was, "Go ... make disciples of all nations ... teach them all that I have commanded you." Every church and every Christian has a God-given purpose. Why are we building? To be and to do what God calls us to be and to do. This campaign is not simply about buildings or finances. This campaign is about reaching and teaching and changing the lives of people with the good news of Jesus Christ. The resources raised provide the necessary tools to help us better reach, better teach, more effectively change the lives of those people. You needed Christ. Your life has been reached, taught, changed by the witness and ministries of this church. Would you like for other people to have a story of faith to tell and a purpose for their lives? Their stories depend now on your faithfulness. Prayer: Lord, grow my passion for Your purposes in my life and in my church. You have brought me here for a reason. Show me what You would do through me. Action Item: Make a list of WHY these projects are important. How many people will they help our church reach? How many people will they help our church teach? Can you put a value on what changing those people's lives may be worth? When you focus on the WHY question, how important do these projects become for you?