2015 was a very good financial year for Hillcrest. The
end of the summer and early fall, there were some concerns, but we had a
very good ending and finished the year about 5% over budget!! For the
past several years, January has been a difficult financial month for us,
but we are going to be very close to making budget for January.
Hopefully February will also be strong. Just like at your house, having
money opens up options. Our financial goal is not to accumulate cash,
but to fund ministry opportunities, whether within our church or through
other opportunities. When our budget is fully funded, it allows our
internal ministries to fulfill the objectives they set when submitting
their budgets. It is very nice, as the administrator, when I can give
the green light to ministries funding their projects instead of asking
them to wait until we are in a better cash position.
Do you
“pay” your “bill” to Hillcrest, or however you label your donations in
your mind, or do you give your offerings? Over the years, our giving has
been very important to Lynn and me. We saw it as not only what we
should be doing as disciples, but also, from maybe a somewhat selfish
standpoint, I wanted to make sure that we were always in a position
financially to know we could depend upon the Lord to provide all our
financial needs. You don’t get to that position without giving, because
that is what He has said.
The Bible has lots of references regarding giving; do a word search sometime to learn more. But if you look at Mal. 3:10-11,
you will find the only place in the Bible where the Lord says directly
to test Him to see if He will perform. I can’t tell you the number of
times in our lives when I’ve asked the Lord to “rebuke the devourer,” as
it says He will do, and have seen Him do that very thing. When we are
trusting the Lord with our money by doing what He has asked, He then
becomes responsible to guide us and either provide the income needed or
rebuke the devourer (expenses), so that we will always have what we
need. Ps. 37:25
What
financial terms will you employ in 2016? The world’s methods, or the
Lord’s? I hope you are in a position to know for sure that you can
depend on Him to work in your finances this year. You control that.
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