Inspiration

When I was a little girl, our family was very faithful in church. My mom taught Sunday school and my father was a deacon. When it was his turn to help collect the offering, he would let me go back to the counting room with him and the other deacons, and they gave me a very special job. My job was to stamp the backs of all the checks for deposit.

As a little girl, this felt like a very important job, and that simple task had a profound impact on me. First of all, it taught me about being faithful and serving in the local church. I developed a habit in my early years that became my life-long calling. But also, as I sat there stamping the checks, something else was stamped on my heart. As I thought about all those people who were giving to God, I realized the importance of being a giver. I saw their example of faith, and it affected me.

I have been a tither and a giver my entire life. God has done more for me than I could ever ask or imagine. Even when I was single, I was a faithful giver. When Joel and I got married, we knew that giving would be a part of our lives together.

Always remember, you can't out give God. He promises that when you give, He will give back to you in greater measure! He is faithful to His Word, and He set up the system of sowing and reaping so that He could bless your obedience to Him.

Today, I want to encourage you to step out in faith and be a tither and a giver. The enemy will try to talk you out of it—he always tries to talk us out of God's blessing. But you keep giving anyway! Show him that you are more determined that he is. When you give to God, you are saying, "God, I'm going after You more than I'm going after anything else! I'm putting You first in every area, including my finances!" When you put God first, you will never be disappointed. Give, and step into His system of blessing!