PROVOKING PRAISE TO GOD
Author: Cheryl Shoffstall
I have been thinking a lot about ministry fundraising over the past few months. As with every non profit across the nation and the world, giving is down for so many reasons. Perhaps it is/was Covid, perhaps it is the inflation that seems to be on the never ending rise, maybe there are just too many churches, charities, organizations or entities competing for our limited funds, or perhaps, just maybe, it is a lack of a spirit of God within the hearts of people.
Now before you go and get mad at that last option, I believe there are SEVERAL factors as to why giving is down, and yes, I believe in extenuating circumstances, however, I 100% do believe that giving is Spirit led. I can say that from first hand experience. Hear me out……
Early in our faith, we used to not always tithe, and when we did tithe, it was always minimal. After all, there is only so much money to go around and well, we had other things we wanted, bills needed to be paid, and yada yada yada.
That story of how we went went from non tithers to abundant tithers is for another day, but let me just say this… tithing and giving is 100% spirit led, AND…here is the big take away…you can NEVER out give God.
He will ALWAYS give back to above and beyond what you give to Him
Have you ever given any thought to the idea that when we “give” to God that we set in motion a chain of events that ultimately lead to others giving thanks to God? Have you ever thought about when we ask somebody to give; those who have done the asking have just set in motion the opportunity for God to bless the giver?
In 2 Corinthians 9:6-14, Paul teaches about sowing generously. In verse 11, he makes a valid point of reminding us that our generosity “will result in thanksgiving to God.” So what exactly does that mean?? That means that each and every time we give something, whether it be money or supplies, we set in motion a chain reaction: We give…..somebody takes our gift and uses it to purchase supplies…….those supplies are then given out……the receiver of those supplies will then look to the heavens and give thanks to God for the provisions that were just given. By our gift, we have just provoked praise to God. We have just given somebody the chance to say thank you to the Lord.
A great theologian once said that “”The ministry leaders of the church who depend on the people from the church to provide for their financial needs walk a very tight rope. On the one hand, without faith and confidence, asking people to part with money can be intimidating. On the other hand, with faith and confidence, asking people to part with money can be an invitation for them to experience a rich blessing.”
Most people would rather do anything than ask for money……..Why is that? Why do we fear asking people to do what is good and what is right?? It is because of our lack of faith. If we believe the purpose for which we need money is God ordained, then we must believe God has prepared certain people to meet that need. Asking then becomes a simple process of discovering in whose hearts God has put the desire and ability to give.
When the Israelites left Egypt, they asked the Egyptians for resources for their trip and discovered God had put it in the heart of the Egyptians to give generously. But they first had to ask! God is able to do far beyond what you might ask or think–but you have to ask!”
Not to ask others to give to God and God’s ministries is to possibly deprive them of the blessing that would otherwise be theirs.
Therefore, it is my belief that God wants to bless the ministries He has ordained and most importantly, he wants to bless the people who give. Take a minute to ask yourself these questions:
- Am I in a position to be blessable??”
- Am I willing to ask somebody to BE the blessing?
- Am I willing to be the start of the great chain reaction?
While it’s true that the Gospel of Jesus is free, it costs money to provide the pails in which to carry the water of salvation.
If you feel called to provide those pails of Salvation, so that others will thirst no more, we would love to hear from you. We have so many different ways in which your financial gift can change the world for those in Honduras.
You can make your tax deductible gift at: www.RightTurnMinistries.com/donate
