Today I was sitting in a meeting with my friend Morgan when all of a sudden and seemingly out of no where they were taking up an offering for the students still owing money on their tuition. At the YWAM campus I am a part of they are always taking up offerings, like at least once a week. When they announced the offering I decided in my mind, and possibly out loud that I wasn’t going to give this time. I mean, I gave last week, and we just gave to our good friend from another school and we tithe regularly, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla. So, I guess what I am saying is that I wasn’t going to give because I have given enough and felt exempt. disclaimer- I am not trying to show off at how much we give, just setting the stage.
So, as hundreds of students filed to the front to give I sat there with my buddy chatting it up. All of a sudden my friend asks God how much he should give and compels me to do the same. We both get a number and start walking to the front. As Im walking I hear God say “why wouldn’t you give? I mean, if there is an opportunity to give why wouldn’t you take it? There is a need, and I can use you to meet that need. Plus, do you trust me to meet your needs? Can you out give me? Let’s do this” (ok, He didn’t say lets do this, but it sounds good).
So, I walked up to the front, put in my pledge and returned to my seat. Something happened when I got off my butt and moseyed my way to the front, my attitude changed and my faith was increased. There is something beautiful about walking in faith and obedience to God our provider. There is something terrifying about it, but also exhilarating. This place of surrender and constantly being aware and engaged in what God is doing and asking you to do and not getting comfortable in your chair or faith.
Later on in the day we got our support check (we do not receive a salary, but live on support from friends and family as full time missionaries). The check was over double what we were expecting to come in. There were one time gifts and increased support. Am I saying that God provided out of our giving sacrificially, not necessarily. Im just saying that we gave and God took care of us.
The take home from this, give, give, give and give again. You can’t out give God and He is the one who provides for our needs anyway.
**this post is unedited and written from the heart, not from a place of making sure everything is spelled and worded correctly.
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