GIVING WITH GRACE (2 OF 3)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
This content is part of a series.
Giving with Grace (2 of 3)
Sermon Series: Generous Giving
Keith Krell
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Do you make New Year's resolutions? Many Americans do. But the problem is: They're not very effective, are they? Research shows that 25% of people abandon their New Year's resolution after one week and 60% after six months. The average person makes the same New Year's resolution ten times in a row without success. Of course, the most common New Year's resolution involves weight loss. Yet, sadly, 95% of those who lose weight on a diet plan regain it, and some gain more than they originally lost.
Exercise and weight loss aren't easy, are they? Did you know that 12 percent of new gym members join in January? The reason is obvious: The average American gains seven to ten pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year. So when January arrives, we want to shed our holiday weight. Many gyms see a traffic surge of 33-50% in the first few weeks of January with the second week of January being the busiest of the year. However, the month of January can be very deceiving because 80% of the New Year's resolutions crowd drops their membership by the second week of February. Why? We get busy or lazy and just decide that being healthy isn't the priority we initially thought it was. As you can imagine, gyms make most of their money from absentee members. In January, our cup of willpower overfloweth, but by February, there has been a great falling away of the faithful.
Throughout the calendar year, churches across America see severe drops in attendance, service, and giving. One reason for this epidemic is: Many Christians make spiritual resolutions and then when they fail for whatever reason, they quit. This is certainly true in the matter of giving. Some believers have every intention of giving generously to the Lord's work, but then something inevitably happens. Consequently, they stop giving altogether. At Fourth, we're trying to buck the trend of Christian apathy in giving Lord ...
Sermon Series: Generous Giving
Keith Krell
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Do you make New Year's resolutions? Many Americans do. But the problem is: They're not very effective, are they? Research shows that 25% of people abandon their New Year's resolution after one week and 60% after six months. The average person makes the same New Year's resolution ten times in a row without success. Of course, the most common New Year's resolution involves weight loss. Yet, sadly, 95% of those who lose weight on a diet plan regain it, and some gain more than they originally lost.
Exercise and weight loss aren't easy, are they? Did you know that 12 percent of new gym members join in January? The reason is obvious: The average American gains seven to ten pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year. So when January arrives, we want to shed our holiday weight. Many gyms see a traffic surge of 33-50% in the first few weeks of January with the second week of January being the busiest of the year. However, the month of January can be very deceiving because 80% of the New Year's resolutions crowd drops their membership by the second week of February. Why? We get busy or lazy and just decide that being healthy isn't the priority we initially thought it was. As you can imagine, gyms make most of their money from absentee members. In January, our cup of willpower overfloweth, but by February, there has been a great falling away of the faithful.
Throughout the calendar year, churches across America see severe drops in attendance, service, and giving. One reason for this epidemic is: Many Christians make spiritual resolutions and then when they fail for whatever reason, they quit. This is certainly true in the matter of giving. Some believers have every intention of giving generously to the Lord's work, but then something inevitably happens. Consequently, they stop giving altogether. At Fourth, we're trying to buck the trend of Christian apathy in giving Lord ...
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