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Holy Week is just around the corner, and we’d love for you to join us as we reflect on the cross and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Our Good Friday service will be held on April 18 at 7:00 PM—a meaningful time to remember Christ’s sacrifice. Then on Easter Sunday, April 20, we’re excited to offer two identical services at 9:00 & 10:30 AM for the very first time! You’re welcome to attend either service and encouraged to invite your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to join you!
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Now back to our series, The Effects of Trust!
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Trust God's Provision
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Now that the college wrestling season has officially ended, I can shift my focus to another of my favorite sports: baseball. Last week, in the young 2025 MLB season, the American League Central had a funny moment. All five teams, including my Kansas City Royals, had lost four games and won only two. This meant every team was in first place and last place with a 2–4 record!
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But when the baseball season ends, I can pretty much guarantee you won't see a five-way-tie for first or last place. However, when you add up all of the wins and losses of all 30 MLB teams, you will find the total number of wins will perfectly match the total number of losses. This is called a "zero-sum game."
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Zero-Sum Finances?
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Too often, we treat money like a zero-sum game. We think money out means financial loss, and money in is a financial win. So when a church or charitable organization asks for a donation, we are hesitant to give, because it will mean a "loss" in our zero-sum financial game.
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But as we end this blog series on trusting God, we see from Proverbs 3:9-10 that giving to God doesn't equal a deficit on earth. Rather, generosity can lead to abundance.
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Let's look at it by breaking these two verses into two parts: the command and the effect.
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The Command
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Verse 9 of Proverbs 3 is the command from God to us...
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"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce." (Proverbs 3:9, ESV)
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Several times in the Mosaic Law, God instructs the Israelites to give of their "firstfruits." These firstfruits included not only the earliest produce harvested but also referred to giving your best (like a spotless lamb for a sacrifice). This command kept the people from just giving their leftovers or junk to God, so that they might truly honor the one who gave it to them in the first place.
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Also, this type of giving helped the people "live by faith and not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) When they gave, they had to trust they could live on what they kept. So if they gave their first and best 10% to God, they trusted He could enable them to live on the remaining 90%.
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So when we see this word "firstfruit" in Proverbs 3:9, it means Solomon is telling his son to honor God with his finances by giving first to God and giving his best to God.
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The Effect
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And what is the result of honoring God by giving Him your firstfruit?
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"...then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." (Proverbs 3:10, ESV)
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To put this into modern speak, God can take what you give and return it to you multiplied. This is because what you have isn't truly yours... it is God's. When you give, you are acknowledging your gift was God's to begin with, and that He can abundantly provide for you out of His "storehouse." So your giving isn't actually a loss, but ultimately a gain!
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We'll be talking about this concept more in the month of May when we do a financial series on Sundays entitled Dollars & Sense and here on the blog through a series called Seven Qualities of a Giver. Until then, may you trust God's provision by generously giving your firstfruits to the opportunities God places before you.
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Holy Week 2025
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This year, our Good Friday service will be April 18th @ 7:00 PM. And for the first time ever, we will be hosting TWO Easter services on April 20th @ 9:00 AM & 10:30 AM; they will both be the same gathering, so feel welcome to attend either service time. Invite your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors, and come celebrate Jesus' resurrection with us!
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To help us get the word out about our service times, please tune into our Facebook & Instagram pages and share our posts on social media.
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Support for Val Feyen
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The Riverwood family has been blessed by Val Feyen during her time studying at Wartburg College. To support her as she graduates and joins OneWay Ministries as Young Adults Program Director in May, we invite you to visit with her in the Lobby on Sunday, April 13!
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Monthly Financial Update
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Here is our financial update as of March 31st:
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Budgeted YTD Needs: $47,709.00
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Actual YTD Giving: $51,888.34
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Just for Fun
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