A Purposed Donation To Life, Or Running With No Purpose

A PURPOSED DONATION TO LIFE OR RUNNING WITH NO PURPOSE

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

This is a two part series, or can be done as one part if you move points very quickly!

I take a bow and a quiver of arrows, and hold them in my hands as a point of visual contact.

TEXT:

1 Cor. 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

2 Corinthians 9:6 But I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth

bountifully shall reap bountifully.

7. EVERY MAN ACCORDING AS HE PURPOSETH IN HIS HEART, SO LET HIM GIVE: NOT GRUDGINGLY,

OR OF NECESSITY; FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.

1. A LITTLE GIRL’S OFFERING HUMBLES ME.

I hold in my hand a little offering envelope, it has 48 cents in it. A little girl gave me this 48 cents several years ago.

Mommy had left home, never to return as Mommy and Daddy together again, and this little child slipped this offering envelope in my hand that had 48 cents, how can I accept this?

I started to return the money to the girl or her family, and I felt God say, ACCEPT THIS OFFERING WITH A GRATEFUL HEART! HUG HER AND THANK HER!

It was not that God needed the offering, or that 48 cents would help me, the little girl needed to GIVE!

That envelope has been on my desk for several years, it serves to remind me GOD LOVES GIVERS!

God does not need your gift, you need to learn purposeful giving, planned giving, love giving.

2. LET US DEFINE PURPOSE:

Something set up as an object or end to be attained; intention, resolution, determination;

to propose as an aim to oneself; what one intends to do; what one seeks to achieve...

To often we walk and give without achieving or focusing upon a plan, a purpose.

3. RECENT GIVING HUMBLES ME.

I have recently been touched by giving.

Two different people from church have heard my lessons and sermons on FIRSTFRUITS BELONG TO GOD, and willfully decided to give their first fruit!

One lady came into church, a little late the other day, she was carrying the most beautiful tomato I have

seen, in the palms of her hands. It was her first ripe tomato out of her garden, and she brought it as an

offering to me the Preacher.

Karen said, I dare not eat what belongs to God.

The other giving touch came from a young man about 27. He carried an offering to the man of God.

In his hands were a hand full of small new potatoes in a plastic bag, and some fresh ripe tomatoes, and a cabbage head, they were the first from his garden.

He explained these were the first ripe fruit from his garden, and he brought them as a gift to God for

blessing him and his family. The first out of his garden was presented as a gift to God.

This was from my oldest son, Wade.

I was so humbled, later while a lone, I was so touched I was moved to tears, never in 22 years of ministry had I received a first fruit offering.

4. THE LESSON OF THE FIRST FRUIT OFFERING!

As a matter of fact, I had a discussion, once with a board member, he said the first watermelon every year was the best tasting watermelon.

I explained why?

It is said, stolen water melon taste sweet?

He was stealing God’s water melon, and eating it, for the first fruit belong to God.

Last week, as I brought the first fruits home, and my wife, Linda, cooked the potatoes and sliced the tomatoes, I was so touched. I felt the holiness of the Most High. I said a special prayer as I ate this offering, I was serving

as an ambassador of the King. I saw the gift of giving.

5. ARE WE TEACHING PURPOSED GIVING?

Many years ago, when we had dug our potatoes, we laid the potatoes on the ground and washed them.

We let them dry in the sun, and then my two little sons started putting the potatoes in bags for storage.

We counted the potatoes to nine, then Joshua was to pick the biggest potato he saw and place it into a

separate bag. The biggest potatoes went into a separate bag. This tenth potato belonged to God.

We finished, and had carried all the bags down into the basement, we carried the separate bags and loaded

them into our station wagon.

We drove across the river to a small Presbyterian church. We could see the Pastor was in the office in study.

We unloaded the bags of potatoes near his study door, we pulled down the street out of sight, and my oldest son, knocked on the door and ran to us down the street.