"God is good. God is with me. God will take care of me." Those words change the way I look at life, and they change the way I want to participate in life. I want to be part of what this good God is doing. I want to be part of something bigger than me. I want to be part of God’s Kingdom work. My financial gifts to the church are an important part of my response to a good God who is always with me.

Patty and I have always given a tithe of our money to church ministries. Not all of it has gone to the local congregation, but all has been given for service in God’s kingdom. It sometimes causes us to tighten our budgets or to do without some things we would like, but it has never caused us to have to do without the things we need. In fact, our experience is that over the years we have received far more blessings from giving our tithe to God than we have ever had to give up.

In giving significant portions of our income to the church, we have learned some important lessons over the years. Giving a tithe helps us keep God first in our lives. It helps us remember that we are not here on earth for ourselves only, but that we are here to serve our God and to be participants in his ministry. It has taught us not to hang on to our material things too tightly, that there is real joy in giving and in helping to support something worthwhile, and that we really can trust God to supply our needs. In putting our contribution first in our budget, we find that we no longer miss it. In fact, we rejoice that God has entrusted us with some of his resources and given us the privilege of using them wisely for his work on earth.

You know that this is the time of year in which we begin to prepare for the coming year at church. Our finance campaign will begin in the next couple of weeks, culminating on thanksgiving Sunday. We will once again be asking each person to give generously in support of the work of the church. All that is important. We do need your support. We do have a 2012 budget to support and a 2011 budget to underwrite. All that is true. I hope, however, that those will not be the only reasons you give.

Rather, I ask you to consider that God has given you the privilege of participating in his ministry. I pray that we will each learn to give with hearts grateful for all that we have received from God. I commend to you the biblical model of the tithe, knowing from personal experience how much joy it can bring, as we learn to put God first in all things. No matter where you are in your level of giving, I hope you will see the privilege of supporting the ministry of the church. Let us work together in the coming weeks of this year to give all that we can to God, so that we can accomplish all that we can for God.

Remember, in all things let us put God first!
Bro. Jim