From My Heart
Worship and Generosity
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September 2008
My heart overflowed with praise to the LORD recently when a person wrote a note to our staff saying, “The ‘More Than a Million’ project stirred my spirit to support it with $1,000 each year. It’s exciting to be a part of this outreach. I am looking forward to a progress report next year . . .” Enclosed was a check for this and another MTC ministry project.
As I read of this person’s heart being stirred by the way God is using MTC for His glory and His purposes in India, my heart was stirred by his example of worshipful generosity. His note reminded me of Paul’s report in 2 Corinthians 8:2-5 on the churches in Macedonia when they heard of a severe need in Jerusalem. Despite their own hard times and depleted resources, their first action was to dedicate themselves to the LORD. Then they urgently requested the privilege and joy of sharing with their more needy brothers, giving beyond expectations for the glory of God.
To worship God means “to honor Him in ways He accepts.” One way we honor Him is by releasing our grip on resources He entrusted to us in the first place and returning them to Him as sincere, generous, joyful offerings of praise and thanksgiving.
It isn’t that God needs our money; it’s that He wants our hearts. He knows how strongly our hearts are attracted toward accumulating and preserving money. He knows when our giving is motivated by pride, obligation, guilt, favor-seeking—or worship. When He looks into our hearts and sees us worshiping Him by generously and joyfully returning resources that we received from Him, I picture Him in my mind sitting back, smiling, and saying, “I accept that as worship, and I am pleased.”
This is the perspective and motive I pray you have as you participate in the ministry of the Mission To Children. Perhaps God will lead others to follow the example of the person I mentioned earlier and commit an additional $1,000 per year to this unprecedented three-year CSI training ministry in India. Perhaps ten friends might agree together to commit $100 each per year. Two other friends might agree together to commit $500 each per year for the next three years. Others may choose to contribute ten times that amount each year through their business. Whatever the individual amount, remember that it isn’t about money—it’s about hearts.
Perhaps we can call these ministry partners the MTMMs, the “More than a Thousand for More than a Million” group! If you decide to form an MTMM group, please tell us how you did it so we can share some of your ideas with others through our newsletter.
Done as an act of worship, this is one way we can meet the challenge of Hebrews 10:24 to think of ways to spur one another toward outbursts of love and good deeds. And remember: It isn’t about money, it’s about hearts.
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