Devotional Guide
For the week of December 14, 2003
GOD'S ENDORSEMENT
How God provides for givers
To Read: Luke 4-6
To Know:
"Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you
with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of
everything and may provide in abundance for every good work."(2 Cor. 9:7,8)
The year was 1968 and money meant more than it does now. The idea of living
on borrowed money had not yet won the day in America. Parents raising
children a generation ago tried to live by cash and carry. Christmas was
coming fast and our friends were increasingly anxious that there was not
money to buy presents for their son and daughter. We were in graduate school
together and when my wife learned of the plight she wanted to play Santa
Claus. Did I agree? Yes, but only if our friends promised that the gifts
would not be from us. Our children had not yet arrived and Miriam, my wife,
taught full time. Buying the toys would not be a hardship for us.
God used that experience to prove his approval of givers. The Christmas of
1968 was our third and last at the church where I did my practical training.
Each Sunday prior to Christmas the pastor was called forward to receive a
money gift. That
year I too was called forward. We were both handed an envelope. We opened
ours on our drive back home. Our envelope held cash and when Miriam counted
the money she remembered the amount. She rummaged through her purse to find
the toy receipt. The amounts matched. God taught us that he would provide
for us to give.
To Do:
That winter we were called to the Byfield Parish Church. Giving was down
and the congregation was dwindling. The congregation depended on fund
raising events to meet the budget. At my first annual meeting as pastor
money dominated the discussion. My counsel was to focus entirely on our
mission and trust the Lord to provide the money to do it. For the next three
and a half decades we have witnessed the Lord's provision for the work he
called us to do.
12173$-12173
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