Dear Christian friends:

Two weeks ago, November 2nd, we made our commitments to the Lord for 1981. I have not yet received a report from the financial secretary about that. I'm sure that we have improved. Now is the third time we have asked you to pledge, and each year a few more members accept and make their pledges. Also each year a few members increase the amount of their pledge. Some members are eager and make a generous pledge, while others seem not very eager.

Some members gladly give for the Lord's work while others do not. Why?

In our text we read how King David and his people were happy and eager to bring generous offerings to build the beautiful temple in Jerusalem, If we attend to our text we will learn why some people bring generous offerings to the Lord.


Perhaps you will answer:

"Some people give generously because
they are rich."

One time a Lutheran deaf man said to me,

"If I were rich I would give a large
gift for the new building."

Many church members think like that deaf man. They say,

"When I get rich, I will give much
money for church, but now I can't
give much."

Is that true? Do rich people give generously for church? Some do, but many do not. Many people are rich, but they bring no generous offerings to the Lord.

If you study the records, you will find that low income members and poor members give a higher percent of their income than the rich. Jesus noticed that too. One day Jesus watched to see how the people gave money for church. He saw the rich people give "much", but their "much" was a small percent of what they had. Then He saw a poor widow put "two mites" into the treasury. When Jesus saw that He called His disciples to come to Him and He said to them that the poor widow had given more than all the others put together, because she gave "all she had", 100%, while the rich people gave perhaps one or two percent of their riches. (Mark 12:41-44)

So don't think that the rich always give generously for church. A few rich people do give generously for church. The Stuene family who own the Altadena Dairy have pledged $250,000 for the Forward In Remembrance Appeal. Thank God for rich Christians who give generously! But I am sad to say that many rich members are not generous givers.

Riches or poverty have nothing to do with generous giving. So don't say,

"When I get rich, I will give generously."

If you do not give generously when you are low income or poor, you will not give generously when and if you become rich!

Well, why do some give generously?

It is because they are "rich" in another way. They are rich with the true riches of God. That is what our text shows.

King David and His people were rich with the true riches of God. They also were rich with gold, silver, bronze and iron, which the Lord had given to them. (verses 6-7) But their real riches were the riches of the Holy Spirit. David and his people had the right knowledge of God, that God is the Lord and we are His stewards. They also had faith in God and love for God. (verses 11-13) Knowledge, faith, love and thankful heart, these are the true riches of God.

Some people, therefore, give generously, not because they are rich or blessed with money, although they may be that too, but they give generously because they are rich with the gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 1:5-8)

I am not surprised, therefore, when I see a poor widow in our congregation give $500 twice a year for our church. The lady is not rich with money. We have other members who have more money than she has, but they do not give as generously as she does. She gives generously because she has the true riches of God: knowledge, faith, love and a thankful heart. God has blessed her with a happy heart that is glad and eager for the Lord's work.

We all need more of the true riches of God. We do not need more money. Most of us have enough money. Like King David and his people, we are rich with money and earthly things. We may not have as much gold and silver as King David and his people, but we have many things that David did not have. David had no fine automobile, no T.V., no electricity, no modern plumbing etc. In some ways we are much richer than David and his people. We live in America, the richest and greatest nation on earth. We have good jobs, pensions, social security, medicare and medi-cal. We have much better doctors, hospitals, and medicines than King David and his people. I think we are very rich with money. God has blessed us with all earthly things, more than we really need. We do not need more money riches; we need more of the true riches of God.

We do not need more money; we have enough of that. We need more faith, more love and an eager happy heart in Jesus who loved us and died for us.

Then we will give generously for His work.

Amen.