Marked by Sacrifical Giving

Content library Marked by Sacrifical Giving
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Southeast Christian Church

Dec 17, 2021

We have been challenged to examine our hearts to see where our treasures lie. What many of us find is that we like to hold onto the promises of God in one hand and the promises of the world in another. We can’t fully commit to whole-hearted kingdom living because we are afraid of what we will miss out on if we do.

Whole-hearted kingdom living doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to live in a tiny house, drive a beat-up car, eat canned food, and spend your days at church or preaching to people on the street. But we should pause and ask ourselves why those things matter to us. Why does it matter what neighborhood you live in? What car you drive? What job you have? Where your kids go to school? What meals you eat? What clothes you wear? Where you spend your time? Why do we care so deeply about these temporary, worldly things? This isn’t to say that these things are bad or evil, but it does mean that we may be holding onto worldly treasures and easily forsaking the kingdom of God.

We’re so afraid of what we will miss out on if we drop our hold on our worldly pursuits and run full-force toward the Kingdom; but spend time with someone who is running toward the Kingdom—whose life is marked by sacrificial giving—and you won’t find an ounce of regret. The more we pursue kingdom work, the more the world will lose its shine and glamour. If you spend your days investing in some high school students so that they may come to know Jesus, I guarantee that when you see Christ’s redemption bursting forth in their lives you won’t be wishing you had stayed home and binged more shows on Netflix.

Instead of worrying about what we’re missing out on in the world, the better question to ask ourselves is, what are we missing out on if we don’t live a life of sacrificial giving? We miss out on a front-row seat to the work of God in the lives of his people and we miss out on the work he can do in our hearts. We miss out on experiencing the fullness of God’s love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, faithfulness, and power when we choose the fleeting pleasures of the world over the eternal joy of working in the Kingdom. Our greatest fear should be to miss out on a life of Kingdom work.

Discussion/Reflection Question: How might you start pursuing the Kingdom of God rather than worldly pleasures?

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