2 minute read
Rags to Riches
Ragsto Riches
2 CORINTHIANS 8:5, NIV
Macedonia was a mess. The early Christians in that area were facing challenges beyond their control and asked God for help. God relayed their request via vision to Paul. “Come over to Macedonia and help us,” a man in a dream called out to the sleeping persecutor-turned-evangelist.
What Paul found as he visited the churches was something astonishing. “In the midst of a very severe trial,” he wrote to the believers in Corinth, “their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability” (2 Corinthians 8:2-3, NIV).
How was that possible? How can extreme poverty translate into rich generosity? The answer is simple. They used Christ’s observation of the widow dropping her mite into the collection plate as a template for their support of church work. “They gave themselves to the Lord first,” Paul revealed, “and then to us” (verse 5).
Their support of the early Christian mission began not in a money bag, bank ledger, or electronic transfer. It began in their hearts. They, like the widow, gave all they had to give, which, by some accounts wasn’t much. However, by God’s account, it was more than most.
Stewardship isn’t about money. It’s not about bottom lines tabulated, financial goals reached, or fundraising campaigns launched. It’s about giving oneself to the God who owns everything. It’s about emptying the heart of the long-held belief that blessings carry dollar signs. The widow’s mite represented very little as the world figures wealth, but it far exceeded anything that’s countable and taxable. The Macedonians had learned that lesson well, and Paul honored it.
So, when you interact with the “collection plate” of the Seventh-day Adventist Church by clicking on www. adventistgiving.org, know that it’s not your money that’s important. It’s not the amounts you enter in the various categories of support. It’s why you’re there and what you’re trying to say to God. Whether your tithe or offering is a plink or thump in that plate, if it’s coming from your heart, God is pleased and will bless your gift mightily. Give yourself first, and your church will benefit in ways you can’t even imagine.
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PERIODICALS
$2,000 Scholarship Supports In-Union Adventist College Freshman
Incoming freshmen at Pacific Union College or La Sierra University now have access to a $2,000 scholarship provided by Pacific Union Conference for the 2020-2021 school year.
Freshmen applying for the scholarship 1) must be first-time undergraduates, 2) must be enrolled full time, 3) must be baptized members of an Adventist church in the Union, or have a parent or guardian that is a baptized member of an Adventist church in the Union, or have attended a Union-operated secondary school for a minimum of one semester.
Applications and verifications for this scholarship are to be completed with Pacific Union College or La Sierra University and submitted as part of the student financial clearance process.
For more information about this scholarship, email the student financial services department of Pacific Union College at studentfinance@puc.edu or La Sierra University at sfs@lasierra.edu.
