Giving Our Firstfruits

In these tough financial times, many are cutting back on things - even believers in their giving to the church.

Jesus says in Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you".

This past Sunday when I was preparing to write out a check to put in the offering plate, I asked the Lord what did he want me to give. The amount he spoke to me was going to be a stretch for us this week, but I willingly did what he asked, knowing that he would be faithful in his promise of being Jehovah Jireh - my provider. What I wasn't expecting though, was how soon he would show himself in that way!
When I got home from church and finished with brunch, I decided to lay down for a nap, and when I woke up, I came to check my email, and there were two orders in my inbox! After sending an invoice to one, I got an immediate payment. I wrote an email of thanks to this customer, and at the bottom of each of my sent emails, I have a signature that includes links to my website, Etsy, and the TDIPT Mercantile. Within minutes, this same customer that had gotten my email of thanks, had gone to the link to my items on Etsy, and had purchased yet another of of my pieces!

All I could do was say, "Thank you Jesus" over and over again. The total amount that I received just from that one person, was the amount I'd given in church and an overage of the very same amount!

And it just gets better! I sold two items on Ebay yesterday, and again, just kept thanking the Lord for his goodness and faithfulness.

I then listed another item on Etsy, and within minutes of listing it, I received another email saying that I had an order from there that included not only the just listed item, but another one along with it as well!

I'm not telling you any of this to brag, but to encourage you to be faithful to the Lord in your giving - He will prove to you, his faithfulness in his promises from his Word.

I'll close with this passage from 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 you will not have enough room for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit", says the Lord Almighty.

Trust in the Lord, and especially when you are tempted to cut back on your giving to the church. He will honor you for your obedience, and will reveal himself as Jehovah Jireh - our wonderful and faithful provider.

Have a blessed Tuesday!



Janelle

The Christmas Store

Today, Bill and I are going down to The Christmas Store, an outreach by our church, 1st Baptist, Leesburg.
Families who need help at this time of the year with providing a little something for their children, will come and get ministered the love of Jesus, then get to "shop" for presents for their little ones.
We will be in the wrapping area, and will escort the parent(s) to their cars with their packages, then walk over with them to get their children from the area where they've been playing and also being taught about the love of Jesus .
I am so blessed to be able to contribute a few hours out of my Saturday to do whatever the Lord leads me to do and/or say, to these families who need support and the knowledge that there are people out there who truly care about their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
In my favorite movie of all time, "Miracle on 34th St.", "Santa" says to Maureen O'Hara, "Christmas isn't just a day, it's a way of living".
That says it all to me - that we should have the same spirit of giving, of love, and of compassion year round, and put that into action each and every day.

UPDATE: We just got home, and I feel more blessed than the recipients of the gifts!
There were over 600 children registered to receive Christmas presents, and I got the pleasure of spending time with and helping probably 10 - 12 sets of parents pick out their presents for their children; some only had a couple of children, and then there were quite a few who had up to 7 or 8 kids!
Many were single moms, and you could tell how appreciative they were. It truly was a blessing to be able to minister Jesus in this way.
Each child received one large and one small gift, and the parents were given a Bible and The Jesus Movie, along with some literature explaining the plan of salvation through Christ.
A group of teen boys were eagerly helping take the packages out to the cars, and then escort the parents to pick up their children.
Have a blessed Saturday, and remember that Jesus IS the reason for the season.

Christmas Cards for Soldiers

I got this in an email today, and think it's just a wonderful idea!
Wal-Mart has some nice, but inexpensive Christmas cards, and I'm going to send out a couple of boxes of these to let our men and women who serve our country, that they are appreciated, and are being prayed for and thought of at Christmas time.

When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001