WEEK FOUR: BUILDING THE KINGDOM

The story goes something like this:

He had been serving with his church’s youth ministry for several years and had become very deeply connected to the leadership side of the ministry. That summer, a 10-day outreach trip was planned for the youth group, and he was invited by the youth pastor to be part of the team. He was very excited about the opportunity, but there was a cost involved… and at the time, he (with his wife and two kids) didn’t have a lot of extra money laying around for other things. On top of that, his job was in sales and he got paid strictly on commission, which meant that if he wasn’t working, he wasn’t selling anything and therefore wasn’t making any income. In a normal month, his customers would usually purchase a typical amount of product (which helped them to know an amount that they could probably count on), but there were no guarantees. So being out for 10 days out of 30 during the month of the trip would make an already tight budget even worse. However, he and his wife both felt that this was a God opportunity, so they scraped together the money and he went on the trip!

During the trip, they experienced some very unique ministry opportunities. They saw God do amazing things, and his calling from God to full-time ministry was solidified. He came back energized and refreshed; however, the reality of a short financial month still hung over his head. Finally, the end of the month rolled around and he received his paycheck. The amount of the check was what they needed for their budget plus exactly the amount that they had paid for him to be on that outreach trip. Some would say that this was a coincidence, but he would tell you it wasn’t. Many times, he has testified to the fact that God has blessed him and his family because they were faithful in their giving to God. They don’t have extravagant bounty, but they have never been in want.

There are many other stories that I could write here from people who have taken a step of faith in generosity as they witness God providing for their needs even when it seemed impossible. So what is God asking of you this year when it comes to giving? Maybe you have never given, and this year God is asking you to start. Maybe you have been giving, but this year he is asking you to begin to fully tithe.  Maybe you already tithe and this year he is asking you to go above and beyond by giving to Kingdom Builders and the projects that it undertakes. Whatever it is that God is speaking to you, I can guarantee you this: even though it may sound cliché, you can’t “outgive” God. The Bible tells us that we reap what we sow. In other words, we receive in proportion to what we give, and there are eternal consequences to what we are giving.

I don’t know how many people that youth trip impacted. I don’t know what the eternal outcomes will be, but for that one guy, it made all the difference. As you are faithful in your generosity, you too can experience the provision and the blessing of God for you and your family.