subject: Generosity Is All About Blessings [print this page] Wow thats some heavy stuff, but see, its all about blessings and its all about the stuff that God can unleash in your life and mine.
Number five: Generosity is all about maturity. Generosity is all about maturity. One of our twins was talking to Lisa the other day and Lisa was talking to her about becoming a woman and some of the changes that will take place. And she was listening, and she started crying, Mommy I dont want to grow up. I talk about this. I talk about bringing the tithe. I talk about offerings, and I talk about maturing in Christ. And I feel like some of you are the same. But, Ed, I dont want to grow up. I dont want to do it. I dont want to bring the tithe and the offerings. Its just an observation.
Fellowship Church, no question, is one of the most spiritually mature churches Ive ever seen. In fact weve got to be one of the top two or three most spiritually mature churches in the nation. Youre saying, Ed, how can you say that? Well, Ill tell you how I can say that. Youre unselfish. There is a core here, man. You guys are so unselfish, you blow me away. It takes unselfish people to grow a great church. When Im immature, Im thinking about me. When Im mature, Im thinking abouwhat?others.
Ive been married for 24 years and my marriage hits on all cylinders when I dont think about my needs but Lisas needs. Ive had kids for a long time. My oldest is 19. Im the best parent when I dont think about me, but them. Take, for example, planning a family vacation. What is the most mature thing for me to do? To say, Kids, lets get together and Ill take you to a mangrove-infested, mosquito-dominated island off the coast of Florida to catch tarpon and permit and shark? Or, Lets go to Disney World. You know that the more mature thing to do is to go to Disney World, and I did that, I confess, recently. I stayed for a day and a half. Thats all I could take. And when I walked out of the Magic Kingdom I looked at Lisa and I said, Lisa, the next kingdom Ed Young tells us that we have tol enter the kingdom of God. I will never ever come back here again.
But seriously, your unselfishness blows me away because you, for 16 years, have been willing to get outside of the box, to color outside of the lines, to think about the other people, for those people who havent shown up yet. Thats how we plant Fellowship Church, for those who arent here yet. And you inspire me, and Ive got to tell you something, you inspire churches now all over North America by your unselfishness. So thank you for your unselfishness.
