Everyone has habits.  I’ve been known to do annoying things like tap my foot incessantly or chew my nails (disgusting, I know).  I also have learned helpful habits: how to hold my pencil or trying to chew with my mouth closed.  The thing these habits all have in common is that that I seldom have to think about doing them.  That’s why bad habits are so hard to break, and why it’s so hard to see the annoyance of our own habits.

Most of us have giving habits. The automatic transfer goes through, the envelope goes in the plate, and we move on to the rest of the day. Habits are not a bad thing; often they are how faithfulness lasts. But Paul invites something more: to make up our minds about our giving. Not necessarily to give more, but to give on purpose.

Here is the surprise:  Paying attention does not create that joy; it makes room for us to notice it. Joy tends to come when we look up and see what God has done with what we gave.

And there is a lot to see. Your gifts fill backpacks so children have food at home. They provide a safe place to sleep for families with nowhere else to go. They raise walls with Habitat for Humanity, clothe and feed our neighbors, and make sure there is a smiling face to welcome everyone at the corner of Prairie and Ferris.

Today is Consecration Sunday. As you fill out your pledge card for 2027, make up your mind, and then watch what God does with it.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

— Scott

Ministries
Adult & Family Ministries