Creating a Legacy of Generosity Through Margin and Faith

Devotional

Day 1: If God started it, He will finish it

Being confident that God will complete what He began frees one from frantic self-effort and anxious timelines; it invites patience and perseverance as part of faithful stewardship. Trusting God’s timing means leaning into the process He is shaping in you, even when progress looks slow or seasons change. Keep attention on what God has planted rather than the urge to force outcomes, and let your faithful obedience be the soil in which His completion grows. [01:20:01]

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Reflection: What is one vision or calling you have been trying to force to completion on your own? What is one specific, small step you will stop doing this week so you can trust God’s timing and steward what He has begun?

Day 2: Tithe positions you to be blessed and protected

Giving the tithe is presented not as a mere transaction but as a posture that opens God to pour through a person and places them under His protection for further fruit. When the tithe is honored, offerings become seeds protected from the devourer, inviting God’s favor to multiply what is entrusted to Him. This practice forms a spiritual margin that prepares one to be a conduit of blessing rather than merely a consumer of abundance. [53:11]

Malachi 3:10-11 (ESV)
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your ground, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.

Reflection: Where have you treated giving as an afterthought instead of a spiritual practice? What concrete first step will you take this month to become a consistent tither and establish a margin for God to bless?

Day 3: Examine yourself before taking the Lord’s Supper

Approaching communion calls for honest self-examination of motives and barriers so the table is taken in repentant fellowship rather than routine or unworthiness. Pausing to confess and realign brings the Communion’s meaning alive—reminding one of dependence on Christ’s broken body and poured-out blood. This sacred practice unites the local family with those absent and invites God’s healing and restoration into personal and communal pain. [38:03]

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Reflection: What might the Lord reveal if you stopped and honestly examined your motives before taking communion? Name one specific confession or change you will bring to the Lord before the next time you take the Lord’s Supper.

Day 4: Leave margins—don’t consume every resource

God’s law to leave the edges of the field teaches a rhythm of provision that creates space for strangers and the poor, and models a life that intentionally preserves margin for others. Creating financial margins is not scarcity but a disciplined way to form a culture of generosity, allowing God room to multiply and to send blessings through one’s life. When margins are created, God is invited to enlarge the field and shape long-term legacy rather than momentary generosity. [01:36:48]

Leviticus 23:22 (ESV)
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.

Reflection: What spending habit or monthly expense can you trim to create a margin this month? Identify one concrete dollar amount you will set aside as margin and one practical action to protect that margin.

Day 5: Open doors often come with strong opposition

A “great and effective door” can appear at the same time as fierce opposition; understanding this helps one not to misread difficulty as God’s withdrawal but as part of growth toward purpose. Pain and resistance can be the refining weight that prepares a person for the next season, and how one responds—lament that turns to hope versus wallowing—will shorten or lengthen the process. Step through with courage and faith, seeing adversaries as indicators of significance rather than final judgment. [01:29:19]

1 Corinthians 16:9 (ESV)
for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

Reflection: What open door do you sense God is inviting you toward that also brings resistance? What is one faithful next step you will take this week to move through the opposition with hope rather than retreat?

Sermon Summary

Coming out of Thanksgiving, I reminded us that holidays can hold both sweetness and sorrow—joy around the table and the ache of missing loved ones. We carried that tenderness into worship, pausing our normal flow to receive communion together as a church family and with Robert and Betty Jo joining online. We examined our hearts, remembered Jesus’ body and blood, and then stretched our hands toward the camera to contend for Robert’s healing. I believe God still heals, and we asked for strength for Betty Jo and complete restoration for Robert.

From there I shared a personal story: years ago, Jesus healed my back after our church prayed for me, and I’m not expecting Him to do anything halfway now. We then revisited the journey we’ve been on about legacy, tithe, and offering. The tithe positions us to be a conduit of blessing and protects our seed; the offering is our seed, entrusted to God’s hands. I walked us through Philippians 1—Paul’s tender letter to a church he loves—and drew out three perspectives: if God starts it, He finishes it; God never wastes pain; and our response can shorten or lengthen the process we’re in. Open doors often have adversaries. Pain, embraced in faith, becomes the launching pad for what’s next.

We talked frankly about generosity and opulence. I showed examples of lavish living and told our Turkish rug-shop story to expose how easily we normalize excess. Scripture calls us to leave “edges” in our fields (Leviticus 23) and to create margins so generosity isn’t an afterthought but a habit. Ruth found provision because Boaz had margins. In the same way, we move from “wilderness living” (miracle to miracle) into Canaan (cultivated abundance) by working the land God gives us: tithing, sowing, and building disciplined margins. Today’s legacy offering wasn’t about a moment—it was about forming a culture in us. We sowed in faith, asking God to enlarge our territory as we create the space for Him to do it.

Key Takeaways

1. Create margins to cultivate generosity. Generosity isn’t born from emotion; it’s formed by margin. Leviticus taught Israel to leave the edges, and Ruth discovered provision in those edges. If we spend to the borders, we starve the very people we’re called to bless—and we starve our future. Build margin, and God will build a culture in you. [96:48]
2. If God starts it, He completes it. Chase only what God initiates, not what our appetites demand He bless. He finishes on His timetable, often forming more in us than through us while we wait. Confidence grows when we align our pursuits with His starts, not our impulses. [80:01]
3. God never wastes your pain. Paul’s chains advanced the gospel; your adversity can advance your calling. Open doors come with adversaries, but pain in transition can strengthen you to carry the next season’s weight. Don’t waste suffering—let it become your launching pad. [84:19]
4. Your response shapes your season. Conduct worthy of the gospel shortens the valley; reactionary living lengthens it. Lament isn’t unbelief—it remembers, asks why, and still clings to hope. How you carry sorrow determines what sorrow carries you into. [90:45]
5. Contend together for healing and hope. We took the Table with Robert in mind, joining faith across the room and across the screen. Communion is remembrance, proclamation, and participation in Christ’s life. We asked cancer to bow to Jesus’ name and prayed strength over Betty Jo. [47:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:58] - Holidays: joy and grief
[26:36] - Tithes and offering instructions
[28:58] - Communion plan for Robert
[41:29] - The table: betrayal and grace
[47:26] - Church-wide prayer for healing
[50:54] - My back and past healing
[53:11] - Malachi 3: Blessing of the tithe
[55:15] - Offerings as seed and protection
[57:51] - Reading Philippians 1
[71:54] - Generosity versus opulence
[96:48] - Leave the edges: Leviticus 23
[100:10] - Create margins, cultivate generosity
[109:25] - From wilderness to Canaan living
[110:52] - Pray and sow the legacy offering

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Read Philippians 1 (ESV) before your group meets.

Observation questions (3–4)

Paul says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Phil. 1:6). What evidence in the chapter shows why Paul is confident of that promise? [01:20:01]
Paul reports that “the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Phil. 1:12). Which incidents or results in the chapter show how adversity advanced the mission? [01:24:19]
Paul calls the Philippians “partakers with me of grace” because of their partnership (Phil. 1:7–8). What concrete ways does the text link their giving and support to Paul’s ministry? [01:01:43]
Paul urges, “Let your conduct be worthy of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27). What behaviors or attitudes in the chapter indicate what “worthy conduct” looks like in a local church? [01:30:45]

Interpretation questions (3–4)

Paul’s confidence that God finishes what He starts is tied to the community’s faithful partnership. How should the promise “he who began a good work…” shape a person’s expectations when God’s timing feels slow? [01:20:01]
Paul reframes his chains and suffering as tools that advanced the gospel (Phil. 1:12–14). How might present hardships be reinterpreted so they become preparation rather than merely punishment? [01:24:19]
The Levitical practice of leaving the edges of the field was used as a picture for margins and generosity. How does the image of “leaving the edges” help explain why margins, not emotion, form lasting generosity? [01:36:48]
Paul links gospel-centered conduct with a shortened or lengthened season (how people respond matters). How does a community’s public behavior speed or slow its movement through a difficult season? [01:30:45]

Application questions (4–7)

God finishes what He starts. Identify one dream or calling you suspect came from God but that you have grown impatient about. What one concrete step can you take this week to test whether it is God’s start (prayer, counsel, waiting, small faithful action)? [01:20:01]
God never wastes pain. Name a recent loss or season of struggle that feels wasted. Who will you invite to help you reframe that pain as preparation (a friend, mentor, or prayer partner), and when will you ask them? [01:24:19]
Create margins to cultivate generosity. What specific spending or saving change can you make this month to build a margin (reduce one subscription, delay a nonessential purchase, set up an automatic small gift, etc.)? Commit to a first action and a date. [01:36:48]
The tithe positions a person as a conduit and offers protection for additional seed. Are you currently tithing? If not, what practical move would starting a tithe require of your budget this month? If yes, what next step would help you treat offerings as seed (a planned “legacy” gift, a giving goal, or disciplined margins)? [53:11]
Lament remembers, asks why, and still clings to hope. When sorrow comes, do you tend to lament (turn it to the Lord) or to stay stuck in grief? Name one lament practice you will try this week (journaling a “why” prayer, bringing one lament psalm into daily prayer, or sharing your sorrow with a trusted person). [01:31:51]
Contend together for healing and hope. Who in your church family needs regular, joined prayer from you (physical healing, emotional strength, or a family in crisis)? Will you commit to contacting them and/or praying with them at a set time this week? [47:26]

Notes for the group leader
- Begin by reading Philippians 1 aloud, then use the observation questions to ground the group in the text before moving into interpretation and application.
- Keep the tone gentle and pastoral: encourage honesty about struggles and celebrate small steps toward margin and generosity.

Sermon Clips

And so the blessing of the tithe is twofold.First, that you become the blessing.That you have reached a point that you trust God with what you have and now God can trust you with what he wants to pour through you.And then secondly, the second blessing of the tithe is protection over your seed.Now, when we talk about seed, in Malachi 3, the word offering, he says in tithes and offerings.Offering is a seed.That's anything above and beyond your tithe.You give it as a free will offering.That becomes a seed in the hands of God. [00:55:45] (42 seconds) #TitheProtectsSeed

but if we are not tithers and we simply give offerings, that offering is not protected.And there is an enemy, there is a devourer, a seed eater who would try to stealyour blessing.It got quiet up in here.Right?And there are folks who, man, they'll throw offerings around and they'll go, well, I give here and I give there and I give here and I give there and that's great but if we are not tithers, there is no promised protection over our offering. [00:57:04] (42 seconds) #TitheForProtection

Now, having looked at all of those folks, what is the one thing they all have in common?Money.They all live lavishly.And I show you this because I read a quote some years ago that I can't help but repeating because we talk about becoming people of generosity and we look at folks like that as though, wow, they just live this lavish lifestyle.But the greatest threat to our ability to live generously is our inability not to live opulently.Let me say that again.The greatest threat to our ability to live generously is our inability to not live opulently. [01:11:12] (56 seconds) #OpulenceBlocksGenerosity

and there is this I mean floor to ceiling this massive blue beautiful silk rug and he goes this one blah blah blah and he tells us all the specs on it and so I turn aroundand I look at the guy and I say how much is this one?He said this one is $900,000I said just take a check I'll be out of country soon enough right?Doesn't matter how high it bounces over here I'll be out of country right? [01:15:19] (28 seconds) #LuxuryOnDemand

and so I would say that the greatest threat to our ability to live generously is our inability to live opulently let me say it another waymost of us can't live within our means that's why we had phrases like keeping up with the Joneses or in this generation keeping up with the Kardashians because we see a neighbor and we go oh look they got a pool we need a pooloh wait my cousin bought a boatI deserve a boat [01:18:09] (41 seconds) #LiveWithinMeans

if God started it God will finish it now here's the issue that we run into too many times in America is this okay I know this is I'm not running around and shoutingif I were running around and shouting it would probably be for different reasons at this moment and so I know this is a little bit different but I need you to hear what I'm saying the difference is he's going if God started it what God started in your life he's faithful to see it through to the end [01:20:18] (35 seconds) #GodFinishesWhatHeStarts

too many of us run around and start things that we blame God for and I just happen to think God's sitting back going what that wasn't my ideabecause we want something bad enough we go well, God must want me to have itthe greatest threat to our ability to live generously is our inability to liveopulentlyif God started it he'll finish and here's the thing that's faithful you can bank on this statement whatever God starts in your life God will be faithful to complete it we just need to be carefulto run after the things that God startsand not the things that we want God to start come on somebody [01:20:58] (63 seconds) #FollowWhatGodStarts

how many of you have ever noticed like I want Godto start something today and finish it by tonightright and sometimes God starts it when I was a child and he finishes it pretty close to my deathbed sometimes God starts and finishes things not on our time frame but on his put this down I said God is more concerned about what he's doing in you than what he's doing through you [01:22:25] (32 seconds) #GodWorksInYou

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