Our Father God is a Giver
I heard the Lord speak.
It wasn’t audible, but it was clear. There is no mistaking God’s voice when He wants to make Himself known.
He said, “Give him the cheese.”
“But Lord!” I answered, “My daughters love grilled cheese too!”
“Give him the cheese.”
My co-worker, Tim, had just gone into the convenience store to buy a loaf of bread. I was giving him rides home because his truck had broken down, and he didn’t have money to fix it. I was wrestling with enabling his irresponsible spending habits, but I knew I was supposed to give him rides home and use that time as a relationship building and witnessing opportunity.
That evening, he needed another loaf of bread to make his grilled cheese dinner, which he explained was his primary source of nourishment because it was cheap.
Now, the Lord wanted me to give away the glorious, 5-pound box of cheese singles I had just received as a gift.
Here’s some back story: We had just moved to Syracuse, NY and I was working at the hospital. It wasn’t a good paying job, but it was all I could find at the time. In addition, the small monthly income was greatly reduced since we were still paying Cobra for our young family’s health insurance.
It was nearing Christmas time, so Jen and I had prayed about what the Lord wanted us to give to the annual missions offering. The amount of money the Lord told us to give seemed like a big deal at the time, even if 100% would go into the mission field.
We committed to being obedient to give what the Lord had instructed, though we didn’t know where the money would come from. We prayed that God would provide before the offering was taken on Christmas Eve.
The Sunday before Christmas Eve, we received an unexpected bonus from the church that had just hired me… before I even started working there! It was exactly 2/3 the amount of our offering.
Then, on Christmas Eve, one of the associate pastors stopped by my workplace to drop off a gift from some new church members. In the card was the exact amount of cash equaling the remaining third we had pledged! The man who gave us the card and cash was an employee of the Dairy Farmers of America, so he included a 5 lb. box of cheese singles. Thank you, Lord!
I wanted that cheese for our girls, but the Lord wanted to demonstrate His giving heart to me and my co-worker. His provision and instruction in this situation served as a tangible example of God’s faithfulness to provide for our needs.
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, CSB)
Not only did our Father God give us His Son so we could be saved, but He also gives us the Holy Spirit so we can live with and for Him! (see Luke 11:13, Acts 5:32, 1 Thessalonians 4:8)
“God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, CSB)
Our heavenly Father is a Giver. He gives us His Son, His Spirit, and His love! He provides everything we need. We can count on Him to take care of us because, “He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13b, CSB) As His followers, we are called to reflect His giving heart to those around us.
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We continue to hear from people and ministries around the country (and world!) who credit their freedom & fruitfulness to our Biblical teaching and practices. One text I received recently said this at the end: “My life is fruitful because of this ministry.”
We praise God for how He has been at work through our ministry for over 30 years, and we ask for your support so that we can continue strengthening churches and believers. We see how communities are transformed and lives changed when even just one person resolves what is hindering their relationship with God and begins to live out their freedom in Christ. If you feel led to give to our Year-End campaign, click here.
We are thankful for you and pray God’s blessings on you & your family this holiday season.