Posted on September 25, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Giving Our First And Best
By Bill McMurtrey
When you think of the phrase "giving it to God," what do you think of?
Are you giving your troubles, worries and concerns to him? Tears and fears? Or, do are you giving him your first and best…of time, treasure and talent?
When a Jesus follower says, “Give it to God,” they mean everything. All of it. God doesn’t just want us at our worst, and he doesn’t want us only when we are at our best either. God wants us to want him at all times. To let him in deeper, to give to him in time of need AND to give him all of ourselves in order to further and fulfill his purpose in the world.
Heartland has not always been in Olathe, Kansas. Prior to our current location at 12175 Strang Line, we were in Overland Park, Kansas, at 8301 Lamar. If someone within our community says "8301" they are referring to our time spent there.
When we were at 8301 Heartland started growing. We would have "bring a friend/neighbor to church” days. As people grew hungry to be more connected to God, our church family grew. Like many families, as we grew we knew we’d need more space to hold the growing community. Raising a family costs money. A growing church family is no different.
As a community, we prayed together over the need. What came from those prayers was a strong sense that God was guiding us to move…and that launched what was called the “Go” campaign. Go was a separate offering, above and beyond, to help us locate and eventually move into a larger church home. Turns out that was right here, in Olathe, Kansas at 12175. It wasn’t easy. The recession of 2008-09 was already in place. But those who had heard God’s leading were on board to make it happen. And we did.
People felt called to make sacrifices in their personal lives to give to God…to this God-sized dream that God had planted in our midst. Some stopped eating out as much, or cut out the morning coffee. Some sold things like their VCR’s (wow, do those still exist). Some gave up cable for 3 months. Some actually put their vacation plans on hold. Seeing a theme? People gave it to God.
And for our faithfulness and unity as a people, we have grown into the beautiful church family that we are today. Heartland is not a glitz, glamour, flash or bling kind of place. We believe that whether you have 30 years, 30 months, 30 weeks, 30 days, or it’s your first 30 minutes you have ever joined us, you are just as important to God as everyone else. That you matter, and that God matters that much to you as well.
As you go about strengthening your relationship with God ask him everyday, how can I give you my first and best, and thank him for making space for you to draw near.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: What do you notice about the people in this passage? What do you notice about their generosity? How has someone being generous made a difference in your life? What would generous giving look like to you? What would be fun about giving generously to help others and help God? Consider where you are at today, and what increased generosity might look like in the future.
In an interesting way, generosity and gratitude go hand-in-hand. The posture of a thankful spirit prepares us to be more generous people. How are the believers encouraged to pray in this passage? What would it look like for us to pray this way, this week, for one another and for our leaders?
We don’t receive letters like this much any more. Maybe an email. Perhaps a text. But this letter arrived at a moment that must have brought great encouragement to the community. Imagine being told about the people you know, and how they are praying for you in their absence from you today. What word of encouragement do you need to hear about following God wholeheartedly? Who in your life can you turn to for encouragement like that? Who, in turn, might love to hear a word of encouragement from you?
Faithful work. Loving deeds. Enduring hope. In this letter we see identity being spoken over the community of believers in Thessalonica. You are loved and chosen. You have God’s spirit with you. You’ve learned of the truth. Who in your life do you have relationship with that you can speak identity over? Where might the power of your words encourage someone up and into the next level of their relationship with God, or up and into a life lived following God? Choose one person who comes to mind and share your words with them.
Whose life and faith have you had the privilege to witness? How are you challenged and encouraged by them? What trait that you notice about this person would you like to develop more fully yourself?
Verse 8 read, "We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too." This is a glimpse of what we are called to be in community. Make a list today of the folks you "love much", the folks you share God’s good news with, and the folks you share your life with. Are they the same people? Are their people that you wish made your list? What would it look like to learn to love your neighbor more deeply, in action and in word?
Take some time to read, ponder, and pray through this passage. What are your takeaways?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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