Blog

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

By: Amy McKee

Posted: July 1, 2014

Category: Daily Devotional

The members and friends of First Presbyterian Church are extremely generous and kind people, who are always giving to those in need. I believe we try our best to live out the verses in Matthew 6:1-4. We graciously give to 3 Cents a Meal on the 3rd Sunday of every month which goes to three different ministries that we support: Beth-el Farm Workers Ministries, our Feeding Ministry at the church, including the Saturday Soup Kitchen and the Bag Lunch ministry as well as feeding our friends in Honduras. The children of the church walk around with handmade baskets from Honduras collecting loose change and bills from those in the congregation. We cheerfully give because many of us have seen exactly how this money impacts those three ministries. Come around the church for 5 minutes during the workday and you will see the Bag Lunch ministry come to life. Stop by any Saturday afternoon and you will see our Saturday Soup Kitchen running full steam ahead. Hop aboard a plane to Honduras and meet our dear friends there who are fed on Sunday mornings because of your faithful gifts. Or as you travel to the beach – swing into Wimauma and meet some of our farm workers who are benefited by the 3 Cents a Meal offering.

We are called to give with pure motives, giving our gifts to the Lord. We should give like no one is watching except our Lord and Savior. He knows our true motives and that is what makes the 3 Cents a Meal so special. We give because these are Godly ministries and we are helping other brothers and sisters around the world. They aren’t going to get a note attached with your change or bills saying you gave such and such amount of money. They are going to receive food – manna from Heaven, given in part from their friends at First Presbyterian Church – brothers and sisters in Christ.

Prayer

Gracious Lord, you have blessed us and we in turn are able to bless others. Help us to do so with cheerful hearts and pure motives. Help us to give as you would have us to give. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.