Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
A week of thoughts on giving
The 6th thing I said I’d do in my articles of war, along with anyone else who has committed to be a Salvation Army Soldier pledged… I will be a faithful steward of my time and gifts, my money and possessions; my body, my mind and my spirit, knowing that I am accountable before God.
I just gave a message on giving and Michelle and I have been led to give more. So on the topic of tithing and giving I re-read The following writing by Keith Drury, taken from a blog from 2006 entitled "What Evangelicals Believe About Tithing" - let me know what you think...?
----------------
I’ve been closely watching the laity the last few decades and I think I am ready to describe what evangelicals believe about tithing. Read it and see how much you agree.
To evangelicals… 5. “Whoever thanks the most gets the most giving in the future.”
Pastors will hate to hear this but it is the truth—the more you thank people the more they’ll give in the future. Parachurch organizations know this. They have to know it—or their money’d dry up. Parachurch organizations study giving patterns and know what encourages people to give. They never scold people to give. They never take gifts for granted. They even hire people to do fund raising. (When’s the last time you heard of a local church hiring a fund raiser?) Local churches take your giving for granted. They act like you owe your tithe to the church and you’re robbing God if you don’t “pay your bills.” Yet even the tiniest parachurch organizations hire fund raisers while giant mega churches still don’t have them. Why is this? They know you’ve got to go about getting money professionally, and not assume people will just give “because it’s right.” Fund raising folk know human nature. They know you’ve got to thank people to get money later. So, let’s say you did send off a $500 check for your nephew’s kayak trip. BAM!—you get a personally signed note thanking you by return mail—five days later, from the President of the ministry, and he includes your tax deductible receipt with a scribbled note on the bottom saying, “Thanks for this—Kevin will be a delight!” Then two days later you’ll get a fancy little wedding-announcement-quality card from Kevin thanking you for your generosity. Then a month later the President of Kayak ministries will send you a really cool CD with last year’s “Kayak Choir” singing hymns. You love the CD and start to play it every Sunday morning before attending church. And of course the following January you’ll your year end statement from the Kayak ministry’s President—this time he’ll write with a bright blue marker on your letter, “Thanks once again for your generosity—I just sent an email this week to Kevin.” This is the sort of gratitude a parachurch organization does routinely. But what of your local church? Let’s say you gave several thousand dollars there last year? I know what happens in most churches. In January you’ll get a computer-generated statement detailing your giving along with a photocopied letter from the pastor “to the congregation.” At the most you’ll get a quarterly statement. Right? No wonder parachurch organizations are getting such a chunk of tithes—they understand people better. Gratitude breeds greater giving. Sure, I know…evangelicals ought to give without being thanked, and they do. But in the future I bet they’ll increasingly be giving where the gratitude comes back the most—and I suspect the local church is going to have to face this fact about people sooner or later.
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
To evangelicals… 5. “Whoever thanks the most gets the most giving in the future.”
Pastors will hate to hear this but it is the truth—the more you thank people the more they’ll give in the future. Parachurch organizations know this. They have to know it—or their money’d dry up. Parachurch organizations study giving patterns and know what encourages people to give. They never scold people to give. They never take gifts for granted. They even hire people to do fund raising. (When’s the last time you heard of a local church hiring a fund raiser?) Local churches take your giving for granted. They act like you owe your tithe to the church and you’re robbing God if you don’t “pay your bills.” Yet even the tiniest parachurch organizations hire fund raisers while giant mega churches still don’t have them. Why is this? They know you’ve got to go about getting money professionally, and not assume people will just give “because it’s right.” Fund raising folk know human nature. They know you’ve got to thank people to get money later. So, let’s say you did send off a $500 check for your nephew’s kayak trip. BAM!—you get a personally signed note thanking you by return mail—five days later, from the President of the ministry, and he includes your tax deductible receipt with a scribbled note on the bottom saying, “Thanks for this—Kevin will be a delight!” Then two days later you’ll get a fancy little wedding-announcement-quality card from Kevin thanking you for your generosity. Then a month later the President of Kayak ministries will send you a really cool CD with last year’s “Kayak Choir” singing hymns. You love the CD and start to play it every Sunday morning before attending church. And of course the following January you’ll your year end statement from the Kayak ministry’s President—this time he’ll write with a bright blue marker on your letter, “Thanks once again for your generosity—I just sent an email this week to Kevin.” This is the sort of gratitude a parachurch organization does routinely. But what of your local church? Let’s say you gave several thousand dollars there last year? I know what happens in most churches. In January you’ll get a computer-generated statement detailing your giving along with a photocopied letter from the pastor “to the congregation.” At the most you’ll get a quarterly statement. Right? No wonder parachurch organizations are getting such a chunk of tithes—they understand people better. Gratitude breeds greater giving. Sure, I know…evangelicals ought to give without being thanked, and they do. But in the future I bet they’ll increasingly be giving where the gratitude comes back the most—and I suspect the local church is going to have to face this fact about people sooner or later.
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
--------------------
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A week of thoughts on giving
When speaking about living in a way as to give as much to others in the name of Jesus as possible, William Booth said… “Live simply that others may simply live”
I just gave a message on giving and Michelle and I have been led to give more. So on the topic of tithing and giving I re-read The following writing by Keith Drury, taken from a blog from 2006 entitled "What Evangelicals Believe About Tithing" - let me know what you think...?
----------------
I’ve been closely watching the laity the last few decades and I think I am ready to describe what evangelicals believe about tithing. Read it and see how much you agree.
To evangelicals… 4. “Giving to a cause is more satisfying than giving to a church”
Evangelicals hate giving to “overhead.” They love a good cause. This is why it is easier to get people to give to evangelize Kayakers along the Atlantic coast than get them to ante up for the electric bill at your church. Or, their pastor’s salary. Evangelicals treat such “overhead expenses” like they were “government bureaucracy.” They resent giving to overhead. This is why the Gideons have had such fabulous success in fund-raising—they can honestly say, “All our overhead expenses are covered and every cent you give goes directly to Bibles.” They cover their own overhead expenses and evangelicals love this. It fits with their view of government. This is why they’d rather be inspired to buy basketballs for the youth group than pay the heating bill for the youth center where those basketballs are used. They’d rather contribute to the youth trip to Haiti than give toward the youth pastor’s salary so that the youth want to go to Haiti. Evangelicals know these “overhead” expenses need paid, but they hope someone else will pay them. Over the last decades evangelical churches have started catering to this cause orientation. Perhaps we had to. Now local churches now give a short commercials selling their cause before the offerings, sometimes accompanied by a fancy video. The notion of giving as an obligation to God has largely vanished. Most local churches are joining the parachurch organizations in “selling a cause” though we must admit that few can do it as good as even the worst parachurch organizations!
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
To evangelicals… 4. “Giving to a cause is more satisfying than giving to a church”
Evangelicals hate giving to “overhead.” They love a good cause. This is why it is easier to get people to give to evangelize Kayakers along the Atlantic coast than get them to ante up for the electric bill at your church. Or, their pastor’s salary. Evangelicals treat such “overhead expenses” like they were “government bureaucracy.” They resent giving to overhead. This is why the Gideons have had such fabulous success in fund-raising—they can honestly say, “All our overhead expenses are covered and every cent you give goes directly to Bibles.” They cover their own overhead expenses and evangelicals love this. It fits with their view of government. This is why they’d rather be inspired to buy basketballs for the youth group than pay the heating bill for the youth center where those basketballs are used. They’d rather contribute to the youth trip to Haiti than give toward the youth pastor’s salary so that the youth want to go to Haiti. Evangelicals know these “overhead” expenses need paid, but they hope someone else will pay them. Over the last decades evangelical churches have started catering to this cause orientation. Perhaps we had to. Now local churches now give a short commercials selling their cause before the offerings, sometimes accompanied by a fancy video. The notion of giving as an obligation to God has largely vanished. Most local churches are joining the parachurch organizations in “selling a cause” though we must admit that few can do it as good as even the worst parachurch organizations!
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
---------------------
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A week of thoughts on giving
In talking about giving of your time, Richard Slater wrote in the Salvation Army Song Book these words… And dost thou ask a gift from me the gift of passing time? My hours I’ll give, not grudgingly, I feel by right they’re thine.
I just gave a message on giving and Michelle and I have been led to give more. So on the topic of tithing and giving I re-read The following writing by Keith Drury, taken from a blog from 2006 entitled "What Evangelicals Believe About Tithing" - let me know what you think...?
----------------
I’ve been closely watching the laity the last few decades and I think I am ready to describe what evangelicals believe about tithing. Read it and see how much you agree.
To evangelicals… 3. “The tithe should go to the church—but the church is bigger than the local church.”
Evangelicals are a generous people. They’ve blessed a thousand parachurch organizations and mission ministries. Many evangelicals count their giving to these organizations as part of their “tithe.” Pastors say, “You ought to give your tithe to your local church and your offerings (above the tithe) to these worthy causes. But evangelicals don’t buy it. They consider as their “tithe” their total charitable giving spread around “the church.” I think they do this because they’ve been told to believe this. This is what the preachers told them, though not directly. Evangelical preachers say, “the church” is not the visible collection of people before their eyes, but a world-wide invisible gathering of born again believers. They preach that whenever there are believers gathered there the church exists. The evangelical laity adopted this doctrine and have simply applied it to their tithing. Thus, they believe “the church” exists whenever “two or three gather together in His name.” So if two or three Christians found a 503(c)(3) corporation for a “kayak ministry” evangelicals are quite comfortable giving $500 of their tithe toward their nephew’s kayak trek down the Atlantic coast. After all, (in evangelical ecclesiology) the three Christians who formed this adventure camp are “the church” every bit as much as the gathered local church. In fact, many who read this column won’t see anything whatsoever wrong with this view of the church—which only goes to show how far evangelical ecclesiology has wandered off from orthodoxy.
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
To evangelicals… 3. “The tithe should go to the church—but the church is bigger than the local church.”
Evangelicals are a generous people. They’ve blessed a thousand parachurch organizations and mission ministries. Many evangelicals count their giving to these organizations as part of their “tithe.” Pastors say, “You ought to give your tithe to your local church and your offerings (above the tithe) to these worthy causes. But evangelicals don’t buy it. They consider as their “tithe” their total charitable giving spread around “the church.” I think they do this because they’ve been told to believe this. This is what the preachers told them, though not directly. Evangelical preachers say, “the church” is not the visible collection of people before their eyes, but a world-wide invisible gathering of born again believers. They preach that whenever there are believers gathered there the church exists. The evangelical laity adopted this doctrine and have simply applied it to their tithing. Thus, they believe “the church” exists whenever “two or three gather together in His name.” So if two or three Christians found a 503(c)(3) corporation for a “kayak ministry” evangelicals are quite comfortable giving $500 of their tithe toward their nephew’s kayak trek down the Atlantic coast. After all, (in evangelical ecclesiology) the three Christians who formed this adventure camp are “the church” every bit as much as the gathered local church. In fact, many who read this column won’t see anything whatsoever wrong with this view of the church—which only goes to show how far evangelical ecclesiology has wandered off from orthodoxy.
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
----------------
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A week of thoughts on Giving
There is a verse in The Salvation Army Song Book that says… Search your heart and then your pocket; In them both your sure to find Ammunition for the fight we are waging for the right oh there’s power when the purse and heart are both combined.
I just gave a message on giving and Michelle and I have been led to give more. So on the topic of tithing and giving I re-read The following writing by Keith Drury, taken from a blog from 2006 entitled "What Evangelicals Believe About Tithing" - let me know what you think...?
I just gave a message on giving and Michelle and I have been led to give more. So on the topic of tithing and giving I re-read The following writing by Keith Drury, taken from a blog from 2006 entitled "What Evangelicals Believe About Tithing" - let me know what you think...?
----------------
I’ve been closely watching the laity the last few decades and I think I am ready to describe what evangelicals believe about tithing. Read it and see how much you agree.
To evangelicals… 1. “Tithe means giving not tenth.”
A term has little meaning in itself—it means whatever we decide it means. When we decide “gay” no longer means happy but homosexual then it means homosexual. When we use “worship” to describe music then worship will mean music. Such a thing has happened to “tithe.” While its root meaning may be mathematical, evangelicals now use the term to mea giving, not a tenth. This is why churches now invite members to commit to a “2% tithe, 5% tithe or 10% tithe—the best you can do.” Tithe no longer means tenth. It means “my charitable giving.” And, of course this may also explain why evangelicals give just 2.3 percent of their income on average last year.
To evangelicals… 2. “Tithing is not required by the Bible but it’s a good idea.”
In spite of all the preaching from Malachi and being reminded their “righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees” evangelicals refuse to be convinced the Bible requires tithing. They think it is a good idea. They admire “people who can pull it off.” They’ll even accept it as a goal -- “when we can afford it” but evangelicals are not convinced tithing is a Bible command. To evangelicals the tithing command is like the Sabbath command. They consider Sunday-not-Saturday as the Sabbath and they figure they’ve “kept the Sabbath” if they set aside a portion of the day for rest and worship (about 23%?). Evangelicals accept preaching on tithing “because it is a good plan for financing the church” but not because it is commanded in the New Testament. In tithing the laity follow Chuck Swindoll’s tack—it is a great idea but not supported by the Bible’s command.
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
To evangelicals… 1. “Tithe means giving not tenth.”
A term has little meaning in itself—it means whatever we decide it means. When we decide “gay” no longer means happy but homosexual then it means homosexual. When we use “worship” to describe music then worship will mean music. Such a thing has happened to “tithe.” While its root meaning may be mathematical, evangelicals now use the term to mea giving, not a tenth. This is why churches now invite members to commit to a “2% tithe, 5% tithe or 10% tithe—the best you can do.” Tithe no longer means tenth. It means “my charitable giving.” And, of course this may also explain why evangelicals give just 2.3 percent of their income on average last year.
To evangelicals… 2. “Tithing is not required by the Bible but it’s a good idea.”
In spite of all the preaching from Malachi and being reminded their “righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees” evangelicals refuse to be convinced the Bible requires tithing. They think it is a good idea. They admire “people who can pull it off.” They’ll even accept it as a goal -- “when we can afford it” but evangelicals are not convinced tithing is a Bible command. To evangelicals the tithing command is like the Sabbath command. They consider Sunday-not-Saturday as the Sabbath and they figure they’ve “kept the Sabbath” if they set aside a portion of the day for rest and worship (about 23%?). Evangelicals accept preaching on tithing “because it is a good plan for financing the church” but not because it is commanded in the New Testament. In tithing the laity follow Chuck Swindoll’s tack—it is a great idea but not supported by the Bible’s command.
So that’s what I think evangelicals think about tithing. At least most of them. Or, at least the average evangelical. Or at least the future evangelical. Don’t believe me? Then here’s my dare—do the math: Take the total income from your local church then multiply that figure by ten. Next divide that result by the number of Christian wage earners in your church. Go ahead and do it—even roughly. What’d you get? Is that final figure the average salary of your people. Is it? Or have you discovered what most pastors discover when they do this—if every Christian (even every member) wage earner in their church tithed a full 10% to the local church it would double the church’s income? For many churches it would triple the income. (For my church—five times!) I’m afraid there are few other issues where the laity and the pastor differ more. Most pastors say: 1) A tithe = 10%; 2) The Bible requires it; 3) It should go to the local church; 4) it is an obligation; and 5) it should be given without concern for being thanked. Those five views are just about opposite of the average evangelical’s view above. Which views are right? So what do you think?
---------------------
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday's Sermon - Your worship, your wallet, & whatever
To listen to Sunday's sermon now, just click the play arrow here for audio or download options.
For a sermon notes "fill in page" and manuscript - see the full size sermon player at the bottom of this page - next to today's title is a PDF of my preaching notes.
For past sermons or podcasting see the full size sermon player at the very bottom of this blog page. Choose a message by title OR click the podcasting icon at the bottom of the sermon player.
You can also access my sermon player (and countless other preachers) at http://sermon.net/The_Salvation_Army_Homer
God bless your study!
Live holy, preach Jesus!
For a sermon notes "fill in page" and manuscript - see the full size sermon player at the bottom of this page - next to today's title is a PDF of my preaching notes.
For past sermons or podcasting see the full size sermon player at the very bottom of this blog page. Choose a message by title OR click the podcasting icon at the bottom of the sermon player.
You can also access my sermon player (and countless other preachers) at http://sermon.net/The_Salvation_Army_Homer
God bless your study!
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Have a blessed Sunday - Entire Sanctification
Hello Soldiers, fellow followers of Jesus, and friends of the Army.
For what ever reason you may miss time at the corps today (or your local church) here is something to consider.
I invite you to meditate on these words written by Charles Wesley in 1742
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says... May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Entire Sanctification isn't too difficult to explain is it? I was meeting with one of our young people going through soldiership classes this week and described it this way... entire sanctification is the place where you have set apart everything you have and are to Jesus, so that if He asks you to give away your IPOD, you give it away. If He asks you to change your profession, move, give away all your money, change what you watch on TV (or throw it out), witness to the scary guy on the corner, whatever - you have predetermined that whatever God asks for, you have already set it aside for Him to have.
Is there any part of your life (possession, pass-time, or personality) you haven't surrendered to God? With God's help you can give Him what He asks for today. Once you do He will bless in ways you can't possibly imagine.
Live life fully-surrendered, completely abandoned to the leading of Christ's Holy Spirit today.
Lord show me anything I am holding on to today that I haven't fully trusted into your hands, that I may willingly surrender back to you. I accept that everything I have and my very life are a gift from you today. Thank you for it. May an overwhelming motive of love drive every decision I make. Your will be done.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
For what ever reason you may miss time at the corps today (or your local church) here is something to consider.
I invite you to meditate on these words written by Charles Wesley in 1742
Oh, for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free!
A heart that always feels thy blood,
So freely spilt for me!
Thy tender heart is still the same,
And melts at human woe;
Jesus, for thee distressed I am -
I want thy love to know.
Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
Come quickly from above;
Write thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new, best name of love!
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says... May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Entire Sanctification isn't too difficult to explain is it? I was meeting with one of our young people going through soldiership classes this week and described it this way... entire sanctification is the place where you have set apart everything you have and are to Jesus, so that if He asks you to give away your IPOD, you give it away. If He asks you to change your profession, move, give away all your money, change what you watch on TV (or throw it out), witness to the scary guy on the corner, whatever - you have predetermined that whatever God asks for, you have already set it aside for Him to have.
Is there any part of your life (possession, pass-time, or personality) you haven't surrendered to God? With God's help you can give Him what He asks for today. Once you do He will bless in ways you can't possibly imagine.
Live life fully-surrendered, completely abandoned to the leading of Christ's Holy Spirit today.
Lord show me anything I am holding on to today that I haven't fully trusted into your hands, that I may willingly surrender back to you. I accept that everything I have and my very life are a gift from you today. Thank you for it. May an overwhelming motive of love drive every decision I make. Your will be done.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
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