Monday, January 27, 2020

January 25-27, 2020 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 12:41-44 “JESUS IS WATCHING!”


STEWARDSHIP 3

January 25-27, 2020

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 12:41-44



“JESUS IS WATCHING!”



Mark 12:41-44  Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”



“Jesus is watching!” That’s what a burglar heard as he entered a house one night through an unlocked patio door. “Jesus is watching!” His plan had been to grab whatever valuables he could and get out but the small high pitched voice made him pause. “Jesus is watching!” He looked around and saw no one. Maybe he had imagined it. So he continued searching. About 5 minutes later he heard the voice again "Jesus is watching." He turned his flashlight in the direction of the voice and he saw a parrot. Relieved he said to the parrot "What is your name?" The parrot replied "Moses." The robber then said "What kind of silly people would name their parrot Moses?" The parrot looked up and said "The same people who named their pitbull Jesus!" Now some of you may have heard that joke before. I got it first in one of the email forwards from a member when I was in Texas. It brought a smile to my face to see it again in Forward in Christ, the magazine of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Then Synod President Karl Gurgel had used it in an article. Jesus is watching. What comforting news it is that wherever we go Jesus is with us. What uncomfortable news that is to realize that all the things we try to hide from other people Jesus sees. Jesus is watching!

And Jesus was watching. As you heard Mark tell us in the Gospel lesson, Jesus was watching something else. Jesus was watching people bring their offerings. What surprises us here is how blatant he was about it. He didn’t peek to see if the person next to him in the pew put something in or try to see what numbers were written on their envelopes. Jesus blatantly sat down and watched people what people put in as their offerings. What might surprise you even more is when Jesus did this. It was Tuesday of Holy Week. He has precious little time with His disciples before He will die and rise and then ascend to heaven for good. Surely he had better things to be doing! Watch for a place to hold the Passover, Jesus, so you can bless us with the Lord’s Supper. Watch your back, Jesus! They are plotting your death. Watch what people give? It’s un-American, unLutheran at least. But Jesus was watching. He sets His priorities, not us. This was important to Him.

What did He see? “Many rich people threw in large amounts.”  That isn’t out of the norm. We expect that those who have more should give more. That’s actually Biblical. In Luke 12:48 Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” That makes sense. What Jesus saw next did not. “But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.” I don’t know if you can see this, but this is what she gave. Two of these. Can you imagine the thoughts of the disciples who were watching with Jesus when He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.” What, Jesus are you crazy? She just put in the bare minimum she could get by with for the Temple tax. The only way she could have done worse is by giving one or nothing. How could she have put in more than all the others? Jesus explained. “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Ah, so what was Jesus really watching? He was watching people’s hearts. What he saw was a bunch of people giving to God what they would not miss. They were giving large amounts but they had plenty more to live on. The widow was different. She didn’t offer to God her best. She gave her all. She wasn’t giving to God the frosting on the cake because she didn’t have any cake. She gave her bread money, her milk money. All she had to live on.

          If you were one of the disciples there what would you have told her? I know what my heart would prompt me to say and do. “Ma’am, keep that. You need it. I have plenty. Let me pay for you. God knows your heart. He knows what you want to do. Keep what you have for yourself. You need it more than the Temple and the priests.” You’d say that too, right? But you know, if we had done that we would have robbed her of the very thing Jesus was commending her for, complete and utter trust in God. She made no excuses for herself. She would bring her portion even when that meant giving her all. She trusted God and His ways fully. Jesus knew that because Jesus was watching her heart.

          Wow! That is humbling. I have to honestly admit I don’t think I could do what she did. What am I saying? I haven’t even though I could and have no plans to. I have no plans to have one massive rummage sale and empty all my bank accounts to give it to God to use in this church or any other. I’m guessing I’m not alone in that. Hats off to the widow woman. What do you think happened to her? You kind of want a Paul Harvey “And that’s the rest of the story.” Did she go to her spot near the city wall to wait for the hunger to pass and weakness to lead to the sleep that would take her to heaven? Did the Lord turn her life around and send a Boaz to rescue her from poverty? Was every day a day where with delight and amazement she discovered how the Father gave her daily bread in a brand new way? We aren’t told. I have my own ideas. But at some point earthly life ended and this poor widow woman became as rich as anyone can be. Why? Because of Jesus. You heard what God had the Apostle Paul tell us in 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus gave up all, the glory and riches of heaven. He became poor, one of us, so that by living His life for us and giving His life for us we will one day be the richest people in the universe, co rulers with Christ, whatever that means. This is going to happen not because we are so good at living the Christian life, not because of anything we do or can do. It has nothing to do with our offerings to God. It’s a gift through faith in Jesus Christ.

          Now, friends, Jesus is watching. He’s watching our hearts. Has what He has done for us changed them in any way? Does His sacrifice mean something to us so that we want to live for Him and not for ourselves? Jesus is watching, every area of our life and yes that means He is watching our giving. Today we conclude this year’s stewardship emphasis and yes, it’s been all about money, only not, if you’ve been listening. Let’s review what we learned. We learned that giving what is precious to you is a meaningful way to show LOVE. God so loved He gave Jesus. His one and only Son. We love God so we give what is precious in our society, money. We learned that firstfruit giving, giving to God right away when we get paid or receive income instead of waiting to see what bills come and giving to God our leftovers each month shows TRUST. We learned that proportionate giving, a percentage of our income cheerfully and joyfully given shows HONOR.

          The question before all of us here is so now what? This whole series was designed to have you think about why and how you give offerings to God instead of doing it mindlessly, casually, because you have to or because the church is behind in the budget. It was designed to help you grow in your Christian living so that you can cheerfully give in a way that shows love, trust and honor for God loves a cheerful giver. If your way of giving already reflects that, great, keep it up, put your money where your heart is. If for whatever reason this has not been something you do here is an invitation, try it! “Hey Mikey, he likes it!” Many of you remember that memorable commercial for Life cereal. You, too young people, pull out your phones after service and google it. Three brothers are around the kitchen table. Two older ones are trying to decide whether they want to try this new cereal called Life. They decide to make Mikey try it first because he hates everything. Lo and behold Mikey tries it and starts devouring the cereal. “Hey Mikey, he likes it!” Just had to try it first.

          In your service folders you see an example of what will be coming to you in letter form soon. It’s a 10 for 10 invitation. It invites you to deliberately and purposefully consider why you give and what you give. 10% is a suggestion. Doesn’t have to be that. You could be like the widow and give 100%. You could be like Zacchaeus and try 50%. You could follow Bible greats like Abraham and Jacob who long before there was an Old Testament law called tithing, on their own, felt that amount would show God honor and thanks. You can pick 5% or something else. Do you know what the average American gives away for all charities combined? Around 2.5% of their income.  I guess I’ve never thought  that what an average American would do is good enough for my God. I believe that you too want to do better than average for our Lord. For Chris and myself we like giving 10%. It gives us joy. We feel it honors God. The math is easy too. We started that when we were first married and had a double income with no kids. And God always took care of us and we had what we needed and more. We continued when we had a single income with kids at home. God still took care of us, gave us what we needed and more. Double income with kids at home. Same story. Double income with kids pretty much on their own. All we need and more. That’s stayed the same even though the amount of our income changed vastly. Jesus has been watching--over us. He watches over you too. Chris and I have decided we will make an increase for 10 weeks and make the math harder. Each of you will need to decide for yourselves. No matter what you decide, heaven is your home. Jesus made sure of that. Whatever you decide make sure it comes from heart that loves God, trusts God, honors God. That’s what Jesus is watching for. Amen.


Friday, January 24, 2020

January 19th, 2020 Pastor Waldschmidt


What Really Matters is Knowing The Master
Matthew 25:14-30  “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I’ve done my best to hide it but I’m very much fashioned challenged.  I have to ask my wife or my daughters if this shirt looks ok with these pants.  Does this tie match?  With a big barrel of mismatched socks at home, I sometimes just grab a pair of those and sneak out of the house.  I have to ask my wife because otherwise even more, I just would not look right.  Our God is a God of order.  He created things to look right and be right.  In Jesus’ parable about servants there is something that just doesn’t look right.  Something in the response of one of the servants that just doesn’t look right.  It doesn’t fit the master.  The other two servants know the master and knowing the master makes all the difference. 
Jesus tells the story of a man who went away on a journey.  He put his servants in charge of his finances.   He gave one of his servants 5 bags of gold and another servant two bags of gold of gold and another 1 bag of gold.  Two of servants got busy right away and put the master’s money to work.  They invested it.  One of the servants was a lazy servant.  He buried the bag of gold he had been given in the back yard. 
Then the master came back home and asked his servants how things had been going.  The man who had been entrusted with 5 bags of gold  brought the 5 more he had gained and the same with the man who had been given 2 bags of gold to take care of.  He brought 2 more.  They heard the master’s praise , ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
All three of the servants were entrusted with a lot of money, just like God has entrusted us with many things.   The Lord is always serious about how we manage what he entrusts to us. Seven times in the New Testament Jesus repeated that hell is a place of eternal darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who rebel and turn away from God. The wicked servant’s rebellion was not dealing drugs with the master’s money or funding people who do nasty stuff.   It was doing nothing—not using God’s gifts for God’s glory.  His rebellion was… “Leave me alone so I can do what I want!” 
My little sinful mind likes to think that I’m the 5 bag of gold guy or maybe the 2 bag guy- using the gifts God has given pretty well.  But then I hear the lazy servant talk and I hear his voice in my throat.  Maybe it’s that he is just kind of coming of with excuses for his laziness.  I knew you were a hard man master.  I didn’t want to mess it up and besides you gave that other guys more money for investing- no wonder they did well.”  If we have a nice place to live, a nice car to drive, and maybe even a nice TV to watch, that’s not wrong or sinful at all. Those are gifts from God, thank God for them, and take good care of what God has given you. But also take inventory of every good thing he’s given you and figure out the answer to this question: How much of what God has given you have you buried in the ground of self-advancement or self-enjoyment rather than directing every gift you’ve been given toward the glory of God and the good of others? The first commandment that requires perfect love for God buries us in guilt that goes way over our heads.  The excuses might be different but the fact remains.  We haven’t, I haven’t always used God gifts well and to his glory. 
Here’s the thing about those two faithful servants. They weren’t perfect. They were sinners, too. But their story started long before their master went on a journey and entrusted them with bags of gold. There was something that was already firmly in place, something that had been created inside them, so that when they were given that money and the master traveled abroad, the first and only thing they could think to do was to devote themselves to activities and projects that would be pleasing to him when he returned. What do you think that something was?  They knew their master cared about them.  That love drove them to devote themselves so completely to working for him while he was gone. Of all the things they could ever have had for themselves, hearing “well done” from him was better than anything. The master’s great love was also what the wicked servant was missing.   Isn’t that something that imperfect sinful servants like us know too?
The master showed his great loved for us when Jesus took our place in the spot where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Before you were born and before he created all things, God the Father had already made that choice of love. On Good Friday he acted on that choice. The thick, unbreakable cords of perfect and eternal love that bound the Father to the Son—God the Father sliced through those cords, severed them, and dropped his beloved Son into the torturous, darkness of God forsakenness. Even in that hell of hells, with the guilt of everyone counted against him, Jesus did not gnash his teeth in anger against God. In silent suffering he was condemned and  died for you. Your Father in heaven kept you and me … and cursed his Son.  You know the master’s love. 
God has given us so many gifts and talents including the treasure of his son worth far more than gold or silver.  As we try to use his gifts faithfully what really matters is knowing the Master. Love is what’s in his heart for you. Let it be love that is in your heart for him.  Let it be that love that love that moves us more and more to put God’s gifts to us to God’s glory.  History people might know that on September 22, 1776, Captain Nathan Hale had been discovered and arrested as a spy, and he was due to be hanged on a British gallows. The Captain rather famously stated, “I only regret, that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Knowing God’s love for us isn’t that a good thing for us to have in our hearts? —It’s too bad that I have only this one life that I can live for God!  

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

January 11-13, 2020 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Haggai 1:1-11 “GIVING TO GOD JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!” (OR DOES IT?)


STEWARDSHIP 1

January 11-13, 2020

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Haggai 1:1-11



“GIVING TO GOD JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!”

(OR DOES IT?)



Haggai 1:1-11 “In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’” 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD.9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”



          “It just doesn’t make any sense.” We say that quite a bit, don’t we? Oh there are plenty of things in life that do makes sense. Like 1+1=2. When things follow a predictable pattern. When Lucy crouches to hold the football and pulls it again. What were you thinking Charlie Brown? But there are many others that do not. He was such a good kid, from a good family. How did he get hooked on heroin? It doesn’t make sense. She took such good care of herself, worked hard, ate right and she had a heart attack? It doesn’t make sense.

           It seems that the Old Testament people of God at the time of the prophet Haggai had one of those going on. Giving to God, doing His work first. That didn’t make sense to them. At least the way they lived showed that was what they believed. Roughly around 535 BC, after 70 years of captivity in far off Babylon God brought some of the people back. The Holy City of Jerusalem looked like a ghost town, walls and gates broken down and crumbling, the Temple a heap of rubble overgrown with weeds. But God had brought them back for a purpose, to rebuild and they started with gusto. They rebuilt the walls of the city. They set up a new altar on the Temple Mount. Soon they would lay the foundation for a new temple.

          But you know how people are. Soon they lost interest in the Temple project God gave them to do first. There were other things that it made more sense to do first. They needed their own homes to live in. They needed to be busy planting crops and gathering food to eat. That makes sense. You have to take care of yourself first. How could they be expected to do the work God wanted them to do if their own lives were a mess? How could they spend precious time and shekels building God’s house when their families were growing. I don’t think “Happy wife, happy life” is a new saying. Once everything was right at home, then they could turn their attention to God’s work and you know God is God. What does He need a house for and if He wants one, can’t He just build it Himself? Giving to God didn’t make much sense.

          Well it was 15 years later that God stepped in to help them. “Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD.9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

          The problem was not with God’s abilities. He could most certainly rebuild the Temple Himself and a better one that human hands could make. The problem was with the hearts of the people. No human being can be complete unless their heart is at rest with God. And no heart can be at rest when it is putting God in second place. There is a reason the First Commandment is the first. No other gods. No other number ones. Not self. Not others. God did not give that commandment for His good but for the good of people. He knows how He made them. He knows their real need. So God helped them. He showed them that putting God second does not make sense. You worked so hard and you have nothing. The same God who can make five loaves of bread and two small fish feed thousands made thousand of  bushels of grain feed no one. The same God who made clothes and shoes last 40 years while the children of Israel wandered in the desert made clothes wear out way too soon. As they worked hard to increase their income for themselves God worked harder to increase their expenses so in the end they had nothing. God is God. He knows what’s best for His people. He helps them. Even when He has to hurt them to do so. He could not let them go on putting their faith life with God last. This would eventually lead to unbelief and Hell. He loved them too much for that to happen. So He used Haggai to call them to repentance. It worked. Then, when their hearts were right, their priorities were too.

          That’s why giving to God does make sense, great sense. And it’s all about what’s going on in our hearts. Let’s review why. At our Christmas Eve service we rejoiced to know that God so loved us. How did we know? Say this passage with me. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” How do we know God loves us? He gave. What did He give? What was most precious to Him. His one and only Son. Jesus. Giving to God makes sense because it is a meaningful way to show we love God. We have to be honest here. Money is precious to us. Not because we like copper, tin and zinc or special paper with green ink but because money allows us to live comfortably, eat well and have fun. Things we value. Now read the next passage. “We love because he first loved us.” Since the measure of love is giving what is precious to you, giving to God makes sense. It shows we love God.

          It’s also a way to show trust. Read this passage with me. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits from your entire harvest.” You notice that the manner in which we give to God demonstrates how we honor Him. He says give firstfruits. Now, talk about not making sense. Because we live in an urban and not rural community and a money based rather than agrarian economy we might miss something here. First fruits are exactly what they sound like. The first and best part of your harvest or your calves or your lambs. Now try to think like a farmer. Start in winter. You have been living off of last year’s harvest. It feeds your family. You barter with it to get other things you need. Spring comes. You plant some of last year’s harvest. You continue to eat down and spend down what’s left in your barn all spring and all summer until nothing is left. Now it is fall. The first part of the harvest is ready. What should you do with it? Store it up in the barn of course, just in case something happens to rest of the harvest. You pay yourself first. Just about every non Christian financial advisor will tell you that. Save for yourself first. That makes senses. You save the best of the calves and the lambs for yourself because when they breed they are likely to have better offspring. It makes sense to keep the first and best for yourself…if you are all about yourself. If you don’t trust God to be the one to give you a full and bountiful harvest. If you don’t trust that God will give you more and better lambs and calves. Giving to God first makes sense, if you trust Him. That’s what it’s all about. When God’s people who farmed gave the first part of the harvest they showed they trusted God would provide the rest. When God’s people who raised cattle gave their best animals they showed they trusted God would provide them even more healthy animals. When God’s people who work regular jobs and get regular checks give the honorable portion they have decided on as the first check written it shows they trust Him for the rest of the week or month. Firstfruit giving, not leftover giving, does make sense because it shows we trust God.

          Let’s go to our next passage. Say it with me. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” God so loved He gave. We love Him so we give. If you are an average member and your weekly connection to St Jacobi is the weekly worship services and special worship services you might wonder why it costs 1.4 million dollars to operate this place and that does not count building expansion expenses. You do some quick math on your giving to God at St Jacobi and you could come off feeling you are getting ripped off. And you are, if you only care about yourself. But if you actually want to try to love others as yourself then you care that other people get visited even though you don’t need to. You care that others get Biblical counseling even though you don’t need it. You care that others are getting Bible class time even though you don’t want to. If you want to try to love others you care that children are carefully trained in God’s Word so they can continue to be the salt and light that America needs.  You care whether they are your children or not. You actually consider all the children to be yours. And what about the additional $180,000 we plan to give to Missions? That shows love to people we will never even see until heaven. Giving to God does make sense because it shows we love others.

          And finally if you are really money smart giving to God really makes sense. Those who are considered money smart in America will tell you to invest for your future. Put money away early and often so you will have plenty for later in life. I have a question for you. Let’s say you have $100,000 in investments right now. How much do you think it will be worth in 50,000 years? How much good will it do you? Let’s look at what God says. Read with me what Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21. “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Treasures in heaven. Eternal investments. What are they? People. Only people last to heaven. Brothers and sisters giving to God makes great financial sense when the money we give is used to spread the Gospel. Where the Gospel is proclaimed the Holy Spirit goes to work. Where the Spirit works there will be believers. Those are treasures in heaven. Giving to God does make sense because it helps us store up treasures in heaven.

          Over the next couple of weeks God’s word will help us take a good hard look at how we give to God, what we give to God and why we give to God. We are all going to be challenged to try some serious firstfruit giving for 10 weeks. Let’s not close our ears to this because talking about money and how we choose to spend it makes us uncomfortable. God is interested in what we do with the money He gives us because it shows where are hearts are really at. He desires for us to show that we love Him above all else, that we trust Him above all else. Let’s not make Him treat us like He did the Israelites at the time of Haggai who learned to fear Him above all else. Instead let’s remember why we love God. Because He loved us first. God loved so much that He gave Jesus who forgives us all our sins and will welcome us into heaven whether we get good at giving or not. My prayer for us though is that we can grow find joy in this part of our Christian life that shows we love God, trust God, love others and value treasures in heaven so we can be an even bigger blessing to more and more people. Amen.