It was another beautiful Sunday morning in early October. Kids were waking from their slumber and parents were taking deep breaths in anticipation of the 2 hour preparation to leave the house. It was Sunday morning in the Gillis household. I made my way down to my computer earlier than normal that day where I read a daily devotional by Boyd Bailey. The thought “do you trust me?” continued to roll through my head. Interestingly enough, it actually had nothing to do with the devotional that morning. I felt like the Lord was calling me and my family to step out and to trust Him with our lack of finances.
My wife and I made a commitment that morning before church that we were going to give a “trust offering” to God. That meant that we were going to give it and hope that it would be there when it needed to be. 🙂 This was a huge step of faith for us.
We wrote out our check and headed to church. When we arrived, our pastor began to speak on the topic of generous giving. You should have seen the tears well up in our eyes. Of course, it could be coincidence, but we don’t believe in coincidence. We believe that giving often times hurts. We also believe that we get comfortable really easy and lose our sensitivity to others and to God’s will for our lives. It would be much easier to take care of my “tribe” only and let all other churches, non-profits and well-meaning individuals take care of life’s issues. I mean, we have plenty of our own.
But, we did it. And, we began to watch the Lord unfold his plan for our lives in his mysterious and inspiring kind of way. Why do we doubt? We have SO many other instances where we have stepped out in faith and God has always provided.
I think now, more than ever, we all need to know where our treasure lies. Our country and our world seems to be in an economic tail spin. People are more uncertain now than I can remember in my years on this earth. But, there is one certainty. God is trustworthy. Not just with money. He’s trustworthy with that still, small voice that calls to you and tells you that there is something better than the life you are experiencing. There is something better than what this life has to offer. There is something beneficial about thinking about others and having a sensitivity to God’s activity. That’s where we want to live. That’s actually the real treasure.
We all have a decision to make. What step do you need to take to show your trust? All I can tell you is that God is faithful. He owns it all. He made it all. He can be trusted. So, where is your treasure?
~ Steve Gillis
Founder/Exec Dir, POP
