Remember this-a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving-the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.
2 Corinthians 9:6-14
2 Corinthians 9:6-14
During the fall of our first year of marriage, David and I felt compelled to establish a pattern of faithfulness to God with our money and to trust that He would always provide all we needed to act in obedience to His Word. My husband is one of the most numbers-oriented people I know. He's extremely careful with our money and expenses. But he's also one of the most generous people I know, desiring to give back to the Lord, others, and to me.
So with all this in mind, and at the urging of some close friends, we decided to sponsor two children through the child sponsorship ministry of Compassion International. It was so difficult to choose from the many deserving and needy children on Compassion's website. But through much prayer and contemplation, God led us to two children from Ghana, Priscilla and Emmanuel, both around 10 years of age.
It is amazing how much of a relationship we've been able to build with them in just over a year. I don't think we realize how well-off we are and how much just a little money each month can literally change and save lives. How a letter from overseas can encourage their hearts and let them know they are special and worth it in an environment of poverty and hopelessness. How a sheet of stickers that probably cost less than a dime can brighten their day. How they are being grown in the knowledge and Word of God through our support and Compassion's faithful ministry.
Praise be to God! He has so faithfully provided for us to continue our sponsorship even though our culture would look at David and I and say, "You can't afford that! You have a mortgage and bills. You're middle class at best. You need to leave some for yourself, what about the future, etc." But we believe the passage from 2 Corinthians above, that God will provide abundantly for us so that we can provide abundantly for others, even if we aren't what our culture would classify as "rich".
I'd like to share with you some excerpts from letters from Priscilla...
"I pray that God will help you and your family to have a peaceful life."
"I also lead morning devotion at school."
"At the project, I lead in worship and praises, and read the Word of God."
"At church, I read the Bible, sing, and lead in worship."
"I thank you for what you have done for me and for taking me as your own child."
Sadly, I am no longer able to support Priscilla. For financial reasons, her parents sent her to live with an aunt in a region of Ghana where Compassion has not yet established centers. As disappointing as this is, the effects of the child sponsorship program can be profoundly felt in her departing letter to me, written by the coordinator of her center:
"She wants to thank you so much for all the gifts and your words of encouragement. She has benefited (from Compassion) from the healthcare, and lessons from the Curriculum, and most especially letting her know about God. She prays that God bless you and protect you from the works of the evil one. She also prays that whatever you have given or spent on her, God should replenish in hundred folds by His grace."
I am now supporting Safyatou, a 7 year old girl from Burkina Faso. In her first letter to me, she wrote:
"Hi! I write you to thank you very much for all. Pray for me I'll be the best in my classroom. I am learning songs at the center and praising Jesus. Do you like singing?"
I cannot encourage you enough to check out Compassion. Not only can you make a huge difference in the life of a child, but I know that I have been grown and changed by both Priscilla and Safyatou. Receiving a letter from one of them brings the biggest smile to my face and joy to my heart. God is using me, only by His grace and through His provision, to change their lives and He is using them to change mine.
Don't think you can afford it? Don't have time to write letters? Don't underestimate what God can do!
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10
