Generosity

Marriage was created to be a place where two people wake up every day trying to thrill each other with selfless, unconditional love, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Sin turned that selfless love into a competition of expectations and conditions, but by surrendering our expectations to God and submitting them to our spouse, we can find our way back to what marriage was always meant to be.

Money is not really a math problem, it's a heart problem. Because your treasure and your heart are inseparably linked, God asks for the tithe not because He needs your money, but because He wants what your money is attached to — your trust and your love. Tithing is simply the way you show, rather than tell, that God is truly first in your life.

Everything in your hands — your life, your time, your talents, your money — is not yours; it was entrusted to you by God and ownership never passed to you. The hopeful truth is that when we live as faithful managers instead of owners, God blesses us beyond whatever we give back, and one day we get to hear Him say, well done.

God invites us into the eighth wonder of the world — joining His mission with our time, talents, and resources — but that invitation only works if He truly holds first place in our lives. When we trust Him enough to put Him first, even when it costs us something we think we can't afford to give, He provides and blesses far beyond what we imagined.

We have the chance to join God in kingdom work that has real, eternal weight, and God promises to reward that generosity of time and money beyond anything we could think or imagine. Most of us hesitate not because we can't, but because we focus on the cost instead of the reward, living as renters instead of owners in the kingdom.

Cultural sayings like "do you" and "love yourself first" promise happiness but actually lead to broken marriages, families, and friendships. Jesus modeled a better way — laying aside His glory and His life for others — and calls His followers to that same selflessness, which is how the world sees Him in us.

God has a different, specific path for each person's life, so comparing your path to someone else's will never be fair and was never meant to be. Pastor Linn shows that comparison distances us from God and steals our gratitude, while trusting God's unique story for us — and turning our blessings toward others — sets us free to enjoy the life He's actually given us.