THE REASONS FOR A GENEROUS HEART!
Greetings from Abbotsford! Today I will be sharing God’s Word with the Abbotsford Church family, my home church. It is always a privilege to worship the Lord and present a Bible message to our dear brothers and sisters.
In three days the year of 2019 will be a part of history… As we look back, we should praise God for His guidance and protection given to us through another year. As a Conference, we are grateful to each of you for your dedicated work, vision and passion for the Gospel message, and service rendered to our communities in the name of Jesus. A special appreciation to all our volunteers in every church, school, and at Camp Hope. God’s work would not have prospered without your involvement and generosity – thank you!
We have reached the last Sabbath of the year. While we are still enjoying this season of giving, in response to God’s greatest gift to us, Jesus Christ, I would like to borrow and adapt some thoughts from Pastor Glenn DeSilva regarding why we ought to have a generous heart, one that prioritizes giving:
1 – Godliness brings happiness and is the true wealth (1 Tim. 6:6; Phil. 4:11-13)
2 – We brought nothing into the world & we cannot take anything out of it (1 Tim. 6:7-8; Eccles. 2:8, 13)
3 – The crave for riches is a temptation that brings ruin and destruction (1 Tim. 6:9; Hab. 2:5)
4 – The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil (1 Tim. 6:10; Eccles. 5:10)
5 – The love of money blinds many and causes them to lose their faith (1 Tim. 6:10; Heb. 13:5)
6 – True wealth is made of righteousness, godliness, faith, endurance, and gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11;
Matt. 6:33)
7 – God is our provider! (1 Tim. 6: 13; Phil. 4:19)
8 – We should place our hope in God only, not on earthly riches (1 Tim. 6:17; Deut. 8:18)
9 – God values a generous heart! (1 Tim. 6:18; Matt. 25:45)
10 – In the end, what matters is the eternal life with Christ (1 Tim. 6:19; Rev. 22:12)
On behalf of the British Columbia Conference, thank you for your good and generous heart, for serving Him and His people with love, grace, vision, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and moving forward with His Cause in faith and peace, as His genuine ambassadors!
Please find the link below to our last (simply amazing!) stewardship video for 2019. The heart-touching story of Jolly Grace, Neil and Divina – “It Takes a Village”.
Jolly Grace – Neil – Divina – "It Takes a Village" from British Columbia Adventist on Vimeo.
May God bless each and everyone one of you richly. It has been an honour and a privilege to work together with you all during this year. Happy New Year!
Happy Sabbath!
In His Service,
Wesley Torres
President