Are you ALL IN?

Someone who is ALL IN with Jesus understands everything belongs to Him and we get the honor of managing the resources He puts in our hands.

The biggest question of faithfulness to Jesus is not “What would you do if…?”, but rather, “What are you doing with what you have now?”

Are you faithful now? Are you investing what God has given you in a way that makes a difference for others regarding eternity? Is He FIRST, or is He getting some leftovers?

These are deeply personal, but important questions. The way we deal with the money God has given us shows where our heart really is.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV)

Who’s is it?

On Monday we said the Comprehensive part of “Comprehensive Investment” means EVERYTHING.

King David echoes that same truth regarding our money and wealth as he and the people gave to build the temple of God.

“Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:12-14 NIV)

He clearly understood it ALL came from God.

Yes, we work for a paycheck, we study to learn how to invest, we get a side hustle to make a little extra…….but it ALL comes from God.

So when God says, now return to me the first portion, it’s the first portion HE GAVE US. It’s all from Him. When we give to His church, His mission, we are now investing HIS MONEY in HIS MISSION. And because of that, we take His blessing and become a blessing!

Where does it come from?

We’re going to spend one more week on our E.P.I.C. Life Commitments.

• Every Day With Jesus
• Practical Love
• Intentional Ministry
• Comprehensive Investment

This week we dive into “Comprehensive Investment”.

We’ll get to the Investment part, but let’s start today with the Comprehensive part. When I first came up with our EPIC acronym, I struggled to find the right word for the letter C. Then it hit me…COMPREHENSIVE! It means EVERYTHING!!

Everything is our time, abilities, creativity, energy, resources, experiences, relationships and more. Everything is EVERYTHING.

So, what would happen if we truly understand EVERYTHING came from the Lord and we get to use it ALL in a way that can impact others for eternity?

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV)

Will you serve HIM?

As we’ve looked at the importance of serving, and serving together I want to talk about one more aspect…and it’s a powerful one.

When you serve others, you’re serving Jesus!

It may at times feel like it’s not a big deal, but serving is ALWAYS a big deal. It may seem like no one notices your extra effort, but there is ONE who is always aware of what you do for others. It may feel like you’re not making a difference, but let me encourage you…YOU ARE! That’s why we call all the volunteers around here CHANGE MAKERS.

Being INTENTIONAL with our ministry and service is always worth it. I watch with amazement as our Change Makers go into action all throughout the week. And know this…we can also serve in our Valley throughout the week. Keep your eyes open and be ready to spring into action. You never know WHO you might be serving today!!

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40 NLT)

Can you say WE?

Today we’ll dive a little deeper into what “Intentional Ministry” looks like. We know we ALL have gifts God has given us to be used to serve others well. But, there’s more:

We serve best and make the greatest difference when we serve TOGETHER! All of the ministry done at Community is done in TEAMS. That’s because we simply work better together. Different people with differing personalities, gifts and passions help a team function on all cylinders.

If you’re already on a team at Community, take the time to thank others on your team for their effort and unique contribution to the team.

If you’re not on a team YET, please know how valuable these other people are going to be in your life. We have people who’ve formed great friendships by serving side-by-side on their team.

The Bible often refers to the Church as the “BODY of Christ”. We need each other!

“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NLT)