Insecurity

“The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” – The Apostle Paul

 

I’m feeling a real need to shoot real straight tomorrow morning in my message to the body about financial generosity to the church family. Not because we need to meet our budget (although we do), and not because I want to be a “straight shooter” (although I do).

 

God is straight about it. Serving God and Money can’t be done. It can’t be done. It just can’t.

 

This is such a heart issue. Speak the truth about it, pack it in as much love, and people still react with either soft hearted receptivity, or hard hearted opinions that protect their own status quo.

 

I’m really nervous about it, for some reason. Strange, sometimes, what rocks my boat. I’m not quite sure what it is that’s rocking it this time. I’ve got a huge blind spot here. I don’t think I feel insecure about my own stewardship…I feel like I’m currently giving sacrificially, and striving to position myself and my wife to give more in order to see the limits of God’s provision when we act in faith. I don’t think I’m insecure about what the Bible says on the stuff…I feel like I believe solidly in what I need to say.

 

What is it?

 

Maybe I just wish people did their own work on this?

Maybe I’m afraid some soft-hearted people will feel guilty about not “giving more”.

Maybe I don’t want to see the ugly side of folks who hate confronting their own battle with money-centeredness.

Maybe I’m afraid that out of all the Bible has to say about this, I won’t pick the best stuff.

Maybe I’m struggling with asking people to trust God and His appointed leaders more deeply.

Maybe there is something that I feel is deeply wrong somewhere, and this is just scratching the surface of it, exposing to me that I have more work to do here.

 

Whatever it is, it’s not a requirement for me to figure it out. It’s just a chance to speak the truth and let my speaking it do whatever it will do to me.

 

If you get this before Sunday morning, pray for me, would you? Ask God to speak.

If you get this after Sunday morning, pray for me, would you? And thank God for having spoken.