Jul. 19, 2026

What if everything you needed to be generous was already in your hands?

Pastor Dave wrapped up the church's short stewardship series this week, landing in 2 Corinthians 9:5–8 and Proverbs 11:24–25. The big idea? Generosity is not just a financial habit — it is a whole-life posture that reflects the character of a very generous God. And the resources to live that way? He reminded us that God has already placed them in our hands.

1. Be Generous — With Everything:  Pastor Dave was quick to point out that Paul's original context in 2 Corinthians 9 was a literal financial offering — but the principles stretch far beyond the offering plate. He pushed us to think about generosity with our time, our abilities, and even the Gospel itself.

He made it practical right away: "Make a decision before the opportunity comes." Don't wait until a need shows up and then scramble. Decide now that you are going to be a generous person, and then build your life around that decision.

On time, he brought up something a lot of us felt: we fill our days so completely that there is no room left to help anyone. He recalled the parable of the priest and the Levite who walked past the man in the ditch — not because they were bad people, but because they were in a hurry. As he put it, "We need margin in our lives — don't fill up every complete minute of your day so that you have no time to be generous with someone else."

He also celebrated the craftspeople in the congregation — quilters, banner-makers, builders — who give their skills away quietly. He even mentioned a decade-long charity effort in Greybull called Hands Across the Saddle, which raised over a million dollars largely through donated craftsmanship. The point landed clearly: whatever your gifting, it was meant to be shared.

He had us smiling when he defined generosity simply: "Giving in excess of what the actual requirement would be. Can we have church without cookies? Yes. Is it generous of people who bring cookies? Absolutely."

2. The Law of Sowing and Reaping: Pulling straight from the text — "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" — Pastor Dave kept it grounded in local farming life. If you plant one acre out of a hundred, you only harvest one acre. Simple as that. The same law applies to how we invest our time, abilities, and resources into the things God has called us to.

3. God Is Able: Verse 8 became the anchor of the message: "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." Pastor Dave slowed down here. He connected this to Ephesians 2, reminding us that God has already prepared good works for each of us to walk in — and has already placed sufficient resources in our hands to accomplish them.

He said it plainly: "The one who sees the need and has the resources is the one God intended to do something." That one landed quietly in the room.

He also shared that the church currently gives 14% of its general budget to Gospel-centered missions — up from 10% a few years ago — with a goal of reaching 20%. Every time the percentage increased, the church's needs were still fully met. His takeaway: "When we have a generous heart toward God's work in the world, God says, 'I can trust you with a little more now.'"

Conclusion: Pastor Dave closed by walking through a list of God's entrustments — the Gospel, relationships, grace, abilities, time, body, and treasure — and left us with four honest questions to carry into the week: Does the way I manage God's gifts reveal a thankful heart? Does it honor His instructions? Does it reflect His generosity to me? Does it demonstrate concern for His work in the world? His message left us thinking about what is already in our hands — and what we are doing with it.