A MATTER OF TRUST

The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
A Matter of Trust

When I was in 8th Grade, my parents accepted a call to leave my Dad’s flourishing job as a state sales manager for a growing auto club business in Kansas for a direct support mission work in the Kiamichi Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma. This little country church, while filled with wonderful excited people, could only afford to pay my Dad a meager salary. The Kiamichi Mission paid what it could, but the family support required a great deal of fundraising with concerned churches and Christian people. While many gave generously, we moved to the area with about $1000 a month needed just to pay the bills for our frugal lifestyle.

My parents were firm believers in tithing as taught in Scripture (“tithe meaning tenth). As long as I remember, they always tithed and added offerings for special needs beyond regular needs. They still do this, even in retirement. Often they did so when they didn’t know how the bills would be paid, but the Lord always provided.

With the income from outside support still short by so much, my dad says my mother came up with a plan of faith. They should not only tithe on their income, but would tithe on the amount of income they needed. This was risky. If the Lord didn’t provide, they would be in a real financial hole. My dad agreed to the challenge of trust and they gave the additional offering.
The following month support came in from places that had never helped before. New supporters picked us up and we received the full support needed. God, through his people, honored my parents’ trust in his promises. They claimed the promise in Malachi 3:10. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

I’m not saying that support was not ever tight, but through faith in God’s promises, the Lord always supplied our need. Not only this, but he also provided growth in our church family and he provided less expensive ways of doing things. I’m not telling you this to build up my parents, as special as they are to me. The reason is to demonstrate the fact that you simply can’t out give God.

Stingy people may have money, but they cheat themselves out of blessings. Trust in God and your cup will overflow. He provides more than money for those who give with generosity.
This Sunday we will continue our series, The Dedicated Church Member; Outwardly Focused Christians with a message titled, The Generous Christian from Matthew 6:19-24. Plan to come and see how God uses us to accomplish His mission through generous giving. I hope you will be with us.

Trusting,
Jon