Rev. Brent L. White

I recently created a 14-day devotional booklet for my church called “Supplying Every Need.” We’re using it to prepare for our upcoming Stewardship Commitment Sunday on November 8. I will be posting a devotional each day between now and then. Enjoy!

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

Christmas season will soon be upon us. One of my favorite holiday traditions is re-watching my favorite Christmas movies and TV specials, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Zacchaeus, in today’s scripture, is a real-life Grinch. He’s a tax collector, the most hated man in Palestine. Like the Grinch, he literally stole from other people—and because he had the army of the Roman Empire backing him up, the people he stole from were helpless to do anything about it.

Jesus, however, like the Whos in Who-ville, loves this Grinch and invites him share a meal with him.

Even more importantly, Jesus invites Zacchaeus into a saving relationship with God. And like the Grinch, Zacchaeus repents and gives back all that he’s stolen—and then some. “Today,” Jesus says of Zacchaeus, “salvation has come to this house.”

It’s easy to see that just as the Grinch’s life was transformed by the love of the Whos, so Zacchaeus’s life was transformed by the life-changing love of Jesus Christ. And one symptom of this change was Zacchaeus’s newfound generosity.

Has your life been transformed by the love of God through Christ? Has salvation come to your house?

If so, this is the best reason to be generous in our financial giving: because God has been generous with us. God didn’t spare his Son but gave him up in order to save us. “Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

If, like Zacchaeus in today’s scripture, you’re ready to receive God’s gift of salvation in Christ, begin by praying this prayer:

Almighty God, I confess to you that like Zacchaeus, I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness. I know that because of my sins I deserve nothing better than death and hell. But I also know that you loved me too much to leave me this way. I am sorry for my sins and with your help I am turning away from them now. I believe that your Son Jesus is Lord. I believe that through Jesus—through his death on the cross and through his resurrection from the dead—you are offering me forgiveness and eternal life. Enable me to receive that gift now. I promise, by your grace and power, to be a faithful follower of Jesus for the rest of my life—in this world and in the world to come. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please let me or someone else know. I would love to help you as you begin this journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I recently created a 14-day devotional booklet for my church called “Supplying Every Need.” We’re using it to prepare for our upcoming Stewardship Commitment Sunday on November 8. I will be posting a devotional each day between now and then. Enjoy!

Scripture: Leviticus 27:30-33

In the Old Testament, God’s people were required to give a tenth of their income to God’s work and to the poor. For Christians, the tithe remains the biblical standard for giving to church.

I’ve heard some Christians object to the tithe: “Yes, but tithing is from the Old Testament—it’s from the Law. We’re not under the Law anymore. We don’t want to be legalistic—like the Pharisees.”

In a way that’s true. We Christians certainly don’t believe that by tithing we are contributing one iota to what Christ accomplished for us on the cross: we are saved completely by God’s grace alone. As I said in an earlier devotional, even 80 percent of Warren Buffett’s billions wouldn’t do anything to move him closer to heaven.

And I agree we don’t want to be legalistic about the tithe. But that goes in both directions: ten percent of our income may not be enough! God might want us to give more than ten percent!

I like John Wesley’s three rules about money:

1. Make all you can. (We Americans like this rule!)
2. Save all you can. (By this he didn’t mean “save it for a rainy day” or invest it so you can enjoy a comfortable retirement. He actually meant “save it by not wasting it”—being thrifty.)
3. So that you can give all you can.

From Wesley’s perspective, then, the point of making money and handling it wisely is to give as much of it away as possible for the sake of God’s kingdom.

If you don’t want to tithe, then I invite you to follow Wesley’s three rules. But I suspect it will help you be even more generous!

Are you afraid tithing or being a more generous giver? Why? Tell God about your fears and ask him to help you overcome them. 

I recently created a 14-day devotional booklet for my church called “Supplying Every Need.” We’re using it to prepare for our upcoming Stewardship Commitment Sunday on November 8. I will be posting a devotional each day between now and then. Enjoy!

Scripture: Luke 11:5-13

My wife, Lisa, has an older brother, Frank. When she was away at college at Auburn, Frank was away at college at Georgia Southern. Their dad would periodically send them money when they were at school—which they would use to buy food and other necessities. Since Frank considered beer a necessity, he always managed to spend more money than Lisa.

So a few times a year, Frank would call her: “Hey! Can you call Dad and ask for money? And then when he sends it to you, can you send it to me?” And she’s would say, “Why don’t you call Dad and ask for money yourself?” And Frank would explain that he’d already called a couple of times and asked for money. It wouldn’t look good if he called again! Since Lisa never asks for money, he would gladly give her some.

And because Lisa was a good little sister, she did this for him.

Unfortunately, too many of us approach our heavenly Father the way Frank approached his earthly father: We don’t want to ask God for too much or too often. In fact, I’ve heard even pious Christians say that they don’t want to ask God for anything; rather, they pray that they could learn to “accept God’s will.”

Obviously, this isn’t at all what Jesus teaches his disciples to do. He wants us to ask!

Speaking as a father, I’m happy to give my children what they ask for—as long as it’s good for them; as long as giving it to them won’t harm anyone else.

God our Father isn’t less of a father than us human fathers! God will do things in response to our prayers that he wouldn’t do if we don’t ask.

So let’s pray boldly, especially during this stewardship season: Let’s pray that God will enable our church to have all the money we need to accomplish all the ministry that God wants us to accomplish. Let’s pray that we can be more generous with our own money, believing that God will supply all our needs.

If you’re a parent, think about the joy you’ve experienced in giving your children what they ask for. Remind yourself: God is my Father. It brings him joy to give me what I ask for. 

Or if you’re not a parent, think of a time you received something from your parents that made you deeply happy. Remind yourself: My heavenly Father wants to make me happy in that same way.

I recently created a 14-day devotional booklet for my church called “Supplying Every Need.” We’re using it to prepare for our upcoming Stewardship Commitment Sunday on November 8. I will be posting a devotional each day between now and then. Enjoy!

When I answered the call into ministry eleven years ago, I can see now that I did so with an unspoken agreement with God. If I could put it in words, it would sound something like this:

“God, if I do this for you—give up a relatively successful engineering career, uproot my family, sell my house, go to seminary, make all kinds of sacrifices—I need you to ensure that everyone—including my district superintendent and bishop—will love me and praise me and think I’m God’s gift to preaching and pastoral ministry, that I’ll move up church ladder of success, that I’ll make plenty of money, and that I’ll become bishop before I’m 45!”

Maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but my point is this: I wanted success on my terms. I wanted things to go according to my plans.

A part of what it means to be disciple of Jesus, however, is giving up our plans. It means surrendering them to God.

This is exactly what Paul has done in today’s scripture. He’s in prison. He’s suffering. In fact, he says in chapter 1 that he’s not even sure if he’s going to survive or not. Things weren’t going according to his plans. Yet somehow, in the  midst of all this suffering, Paul has composed his most joyful letter by far: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

How is Paul able to be so happy? Because he knows that no matter what he’s going through, God is not only with him, God is working his plan through him. And God’s plans are always better than our own!

Paul’s words in verses 12 and 13 remind me of the John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer. Let’s make his prayer our own:

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.