The longer you stay in a multi-ethnic church, the more you'll have to give up. It's not about compromising biblical truth - it's about releasing cultural preferences you never knew you had. Are you willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of unity with believers who are different from you? The journey isn't easy, but it offers a glimpse of heaven's beautiful diversity.

Grace Talks is hosted by Pastor Joshua Hurlburt. Pastor Josh is the directional pastor at Grace United Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.

The popular message that we're perfect just the way we are falls short of a deeper truth. While none of us are perfect and we all fall short, there's something far better than self-proclaimed perfection. We are perfectly loved by the One who is perfect - God Himself. His love isn't conditional on our performance or achievements, but reaches us in our brokenness and failures. When we acknowledge our imperfection with humility rather than pride, we open ourselves to receive God's grace and find our identity in His unchanging love rather than our own efforts.

Following Jesus requires total commitment, not casual interest. In Luke 14, Jesus challenged large crowds by explaining that discipleship means loving Him above all else, even family relationships. Using illustrations of a tower builder and a king preparing for war, Jesus emphasized the importance of counting the cost before committing. True discipleship means surrendering everything—relationships, dreams, finances, and future plans—to His lordship. While this sounds overwhelming, the beautiful truth is that Jesus already counted the cost and gave up everything to have us. His sacrifice demonstrates our infinite worth to Him and provides the foundation for our complete surrender.

The story of the widow's offering reveals that true biblical generosity isn't about the amount given, but the heart behind the gift. Despite having only two small coins, this widow gave everything she had because of her deep conviction that God deserved her best. Her circumstances were dire, but she trusted that God would provide for her needs. When our giving touches God's heart, three things happen: He sees our sacrifice, He supplies our needs, and He surrounds our lives with favor. Faith-based giving rests on three pillars: faith in God's principles, hope for tomorrow's provision, and love as our motivation. The biggest barrier to generous giving is often that we haven't fully given ourselves to God first.

Jesus presents us with a clear choice: we cannot serve both God and money. Money becomes a master by promising security, protection, and salvation, but delivers only empty promises while demanding our devotion. Our spending patterns reveal where our true treasure lies - money flows effortlessly toward whatever we worship. When giving to God feels difficult while other expenses feel natural, it exposes which master we're actually serving. The solution is to change where we invest our treasure, training our hearts to love what God loves by prioritizing His kingdom with our resources.

Giving is not a loss but a gain that brings blessings money cannot buy. Many believers struggle with giving due to spiritual immaturity, poor resource management, or never experiencing the blessing of generosity. When we give, we demonstrate our priorities, reveal where our faith truly lies, and show what we genuinely worship. By recognizing God as our source rather than our resources, we can release what we have with confidence. As we support God's mission through our giving, He multiplies our contributions and delivers divine blessings that exceed our expectations.