Let’s start off our week by talking about the third step of obedience….
A man is walking along the shoreline of an ocean when he comes up on a little boy standing in the midst of thousands of starfish that had washed up along the shore. The man watches the little boy as he picks up a starfish and one by one throws them back in the sea. The man watches for several minutes then walks up to the boy and asks, "What are you doing?" The little boy answers, "I'm saving these starfish so they won't die." The man says to the boy..."There are too many to save, it won’t make any difference."
Some would say that the man has a point.. after all...there are so many starfish on the beach... what will throwing a few back do? How can the kindness and generosity of one boy make a difference? Truth is... one person can’t do it all.
But one person can do something. And when enough people do something... big things happen. Lasting change occurs. What once seemed unachievable becomes reachable. Every act of generosity matters... and every sacrifice... every gift... every commitment toward helping someone become the person they were created to be is important.
You have to answer two important questions:
1) Are you obedient in your giving?
2) Are you able to part with the temporary to affect the eternal?
When you follow God’s directive to be generous… you put yourself in a position to be blessed. So many are wondering why they aren’t experiencing the breakthrough in their lives… could it be because they have shifted into worshiping the provision and not the Provider? When we give of our resources, God does something supernatural with the money… making it far more effective than if we’d had spent it ourselves.
Looking back at the starfish story... I want to share with you what the boy said in response to the man’s discouraging words:
“The man says to the boy..."There are too many to save, it won’t make any difference."
The little boy reached down and picked up another starfish and said, "it will make a difference to this one" as he threw it into the ocean.”
You may hesitate to give because you don’t think it matters... that your commitment won’t make a difference. Let me assure you... it does. Your kindness...your faithfulness...and your generosity in supporting the vision of Potential Church affects not only campus development now... but will help assure that future generations will discover and grow in Christ just as you have. It’s my prayer that we wouldn’t see giving as just an opportunity to give resources... but understand it as a chance to change lives with what God has blessed us with. Let’s come together... all of us... and make a difference for the Kingdom.
