Latest / Eurasia Region Podcast / S1-E65 | Everyday Eurasia | Shahade Twal

Transcript

S1-E65 | Everyday Eurasia | Shahade Twal · Eurasia Region Podcast

• 0:00
  Hello and welcome to the Everyday Eurasia podcast,
• 0:04
  Inspiring Faith for Every Day. Each day we are on a journey
• 0:08
  with Jesus in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, and in so
• 0:13
  many different places around the world.
• 0:16
  Is it beautiful that no matter where we are, we can walk with
• 0:20
  him every single day? Jesus is the one who connects us
• 0:24
  all and stands at the very center of our lives day after
• 0:28
  day. Through this podcast, you'll
• 0:30
  hear voices from across the region sharing devotionals that
• 0:34
  reminds us of God's presence in our everyday moments.
• 0:43
  Shahada, 12, is an ordained elder in the Church of the
• 0:46
  Nazarene and serves at the Eurasia Region coordinating
• 0:49
  Nazarene Missions teams, Alabaster, and partnership
• 0:52
  Relations. Shahada and his family has
• 0:55
  served in the Middle East and Jero to the Heart for Cross
• 0:59
  cultural ministry, church planting, discipleship, and
• 1:02
  helping local churches develop sustainable spaces for worship
• 1:06
  and ministry. In this mini series, he shares
• 1:09
  short devotional messages that connect biblical stories with
• 1:13
  the purpose and impact of Alabaster.
• 1:15
  Hello friends, today's devotional is about the kind of
• 1:19
  offering God forms in US and our reading is from Second Samuel
• 1:26
  chapter 24. In this chapter it says that
• 1:31
  there is a moment where King David is is instructed to build
• 1:35
  an altar to the Lord. He goes to a man who owns the
• 1:40
  land named Aranahu, and Aranahu offers to give David everything
• 1:47
  for free. The land, the wood, the animals.
• 1:51
  Wow, such a generous offer. But David responds with a
• 1:57
  sentence that has shaped worship for centuries.
• 2:01
  He says I will not offer to the Lord my God offerings that cost
• 2:08
  me nothing. Hear this carefully.
• 2:13
  David is not saying God only likes painful giving.
• 2:18
  He is saying something deeper than that.
• 2:22
  He is saying worship must be real.
• 2:25
  It must involve trust. It must come from the heart, not
• 2:30
  out of convenience. And the reason this matters for
• 2:35
  Alabaster is because Alabaster is often the kind of giving that
• 2:40
  people intentionally give. It is not leftovers.
• 2:46
  It is not what we will not miss or what we don't care about.
• 2:51
  It is a deliberate act of worship.
• 2:55
  We think about it, we have our boxes where we think we collect
• 2:59
  funds there very intentionally. And here is the legacy part of
• 3:06
  that. David's decision wasn't only
• 3:10
  about his moment in time, it became part of a large story of
• 3:16
  worship and future blessing because that is the place that
• 3:22
  inspired worship for centuries after it was built.
• 3:27
  Some gifts are like that. They don't just solve a problem
• 3:31
  today, they create a platform for worship for tomorrow.
• 3:38
  That's what Alabaster is all about.
• 3:42
  Sometimes you will never meet the people who you will bless by
• 3:46
  what you give. You may never stand in in the
• 3:49
  building or on the land. You may never see the children
• 3:54
  who are discipled there. But God sees it and God uses it.
• 4:02
  So today's invitation is not give until you are miserable.
• 4:07
  It's give in a way that is meaningful.
• 4:12
  Give in a way that is worship. Give in a way that says Jesus,
• 4:18
  you matter more than my comfort. And if you can only do a small
• 4:23
  part, well, that's OK. Remember the widow's gift.
• 4:30
  If you can do more, that's also good.
• 4:34
  Remember the alabaster jar. Either way, the question is the
• 4:39
  same. Is my gift an expression of
• 4:43
  love? Let us pray together.
• 4:49
  Lord Jesus. We want our worship to be real.
• 4:54
  Form us into people who trust You.
• 4:58
  Deliver us from fear and from comfort that controls us.
• 5:02
  Teach us to give joyfully and meaningfully, and through
• 5:07
  alabaster build places where worship rises, disciples grow,
• 5:13
  and the hurting find help. In your holy name we pray.
• 5:18
  Amen. Thank you for listening to the
• 5:20
  everyday Eurasia podcast Inspiring Faith for Everyday.
• 5:25
  For more Everyday Stories, subscribe on this podcast
• 5:28
  channel, follow our socials, Facebook and Instagram, or our
• 5:32
  newsletter. Snapshots for our newsletter and
• 5:34
  further information about the Eurasia region, visit our
• 5:38
  website. Eurasia Region Org.