River Or Reservoir?

I remember very little from church growing up. Our church was liturgical and I didn’t understand it. The sermons were boring and I’d almost always fall asleep. It’s one of the reasons I tell our young pastors, “It is a sin to preach a boring sermon!” And that’s why we strive to be engaging, Biblical, applicable, and inspiring.

But one thing in the liturgy I do remember…at the end of every service, the pastor would give the Aaronic benediction from Aaron: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

The words were intriguing and encouraging, and I have them memorized to this day, believing that God has indeed blessed me.

This beautiful consecration is repeated in Psalm 67, only now in the first person: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us…” (Psalm 67:1).

But notice verse 1 ends with a comma, not a period. Verse 2 is the vital carryover of verse 1 – “…that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (Psalm 67:2).

In other words, we’ve been blessed to bless. We’ve been saved to save. He’s reconciled us to reconcile others.

But I fear many Christians are unable to enjoy their blessing. And I think we’ve been given more than any other people in history. But blessings are given to be shared. And the only way to appreciate and enjoy what we’ve been given is by faithfully stewarding our gifts to bless others. Have you ever known an unhappy generous person?

It’s the difference between a river and a reservoir. Reservoirs store water. Rivers send it downstream. God blesses us, expecting us to bless others. It’s what the church is for. He’s given us the church, not to store our relationships and Biblical teaching, but to reach out and make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and other neighborhoods.

And that’s why Hoist The Sail! This is why our primary goal is 100% engagement. Because no matter how much you’ve been blessed, you have been blessed and God expects every single one of us to share those blessings. He’s given to us so that we will also give. He’s transformed our lives so that we’ll be used to transform the lives of others.

When it comes to this generosity initiative, will you be a river or a reservoir? You have been blessed. Will you be a blessing? Join us, and let’s make it 100%.