Ever felt a prompt and been faced with choosing obedience? During a prayer and fasting break-fast at the church last night, the initial testimony captivated the audience with its intriguing account of God’s call during an Inspire event. When odd offerings were requested, God prompted her, an avid knitter, to place her wool on the altar.
Five years later, she encountered a woman who recognized her as the one who had offered wool. Initially perceived as odd, the testimony emphasized the importance of obedience in giving as she realized that her seemingly peculiar offering had a profound impact. It served as a powerful reminder that when God prompts us to give, even in unconventional ways, it’s a reflection of our hearts, demonstrating our obedience and commitment to Him.
This testimony underscores the profound truth that our acts of obedience in giving, no matter how unconventional they may seem, are a testament to the sincerity of our hearts for God. The narrative highlights the significance of following God’s prompting, even when it leads to unconventional offerings. The woman’s experience with placing wool on the altar showcased how obedience in giving is not about conforming to societal norms but about demonstrating wholehearted devotion to God. This powerful revelation encourages believers to trust God’s leading, knowing that their obedient acts of giving, even if seemingly odd, have the potential to speak volumes and manifest God’s purpose in ways beyond imagination.
Ever been prompted to give? When it happened, did it seem like more than you expected? Did it seem different than what you had planned? Did it seem strange or odd to you that you would get such a prompt? Whatever the place or time, how was your heart in respect to the prompt of God to give? Remember how God loves a hilarious giver? Remember how He doesn’t want us to give out of compulsion nor grudgingly but rather from the overflow of our hearts, what we have decided in our hearts! The big question… what did you do? How did you respond? Were you obedient to God’s prompting in respective of how strange, odd, weird it seemed?
Obedience over sacrifice. Listening to God is better than giving from your abundance. When God calls us to faith we get the choice of deciding if we will respond in obedience.
Topic: AN ODD OFFERING
Verse: Deuteronomy 16:17
Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
Firstly, let’s be the dads who when God prompts us to give are obedient to His prompting. Secondly, let’s be the dads who are willing to go outside of our comfort zone and give an odd offering out of obedience to what God asks of us. Thirdly, let’s be the dads who are obedient in order to bless our wives and kids when God speaks to us and leads in ways to give for His sake to them and even others we come across in our lives.
Ways to live obedient to the prompting of God as dads:
Obedient to the prompting of God At Church:
Tithe and Offerings:
Regularly contribute to the financial needs of the church through tithes and offerings. This supports the ministry and helps meet the practical needs of the church community.
Malachi 3:10 - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house…"
Volunteer Service:
Offer your time and skills to serve in various church ministries. Your service can be a valuable and obedient offering to God.
1 Peter 4:10 - "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others…"
Support Fellow Believers:
Be attentive to the needs of fellow church members. God may prompt you to provide support, encouragement, or practical help to someone in your church community.
Galatians 6:2 - "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Obedient to the prompting of God For Your Wife:
Acts of Love:
Listen to your wife and be attuned to her emotional needs. God may prompt you to express love and appreciation through thoughtful gestures, kind words, or acts of service.
Ephesians 5:25 - "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
Spiritual Support:
Support your wife spiritually by praying together, studying the Bible, and encouraging her in her faith journey. This can be a significant offering to God.
Ephesians 5:26 - "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word."
Sacrificial Love:
Demonstrate sacrificial love by putting your wife’s needs above your own. This could involve making personal sacrifices for her well-being.
Philippians 2:3-4 - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit…"
Obedient to the prompting of God For Your Kids:
Spiritual Guidance:
Provide spiritual guidance and nurture your children’s faith. God may prompt you to engage in intentional discussions, prayer times, and family devotions.
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts…"
Quality Time:
Spend quality time with your children. This could be an offering of your time and attention, participating in their activities, and being present in their lives.
Colossians 3:21 - "Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."
Educational Support:
Support your children’s education and personal development. God may lead you to invest in their learning experiences and equip them for their future.
Proverbs 22:6 - "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."
Obedient to the prompting of God In the Community:
Random Acts of Kindness:
Be open to God’s prompting to perform random acts of kindness in the community. This could include helping a neighbor, supporting a local charity, or assisting someone in need.
Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds…"
Sharing the Gospel:
Obedient giving in the community can also involve sharing the message of God’s love and salvation. This can be done through personal conversations, community outreach, or participating in missions.
Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father…"
Environmental Stewardship:
Care for God’s creation by being mindful of your impact on the environment. This could involve eco-friendly practices and supporting initiatives that promote environmental stewardship.
Genesis 2:15 - "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
In each scenario, the key is to be attuned to God’s prompting through prayer and a deep understanding of biblical principles. By applying these principles, you can obediently give in diverse areas of your life, enriching your relationships and positively impacting your community.
Moreover, it starts with being sensitive to the prompting of God and then stepping out in faith and obedience:
Today’s Devotional shares a church story about a dilemma they faced based on a crazy or odd offering that was given. “An anonymous attendee dropped an unusual gift into the offering plate. It was the winning Georgia Lottery ticket worth $80,000.” It’s interesting to read the story as it would appear the anonymous donor received a prompt from God to do an odd or crazy thing in the opinion of many and was faithful and walked in obedience to do it. Yet, “such an offering would generate a variety of opinions in many churches.” It’s a matter of the heart! It’s about being a good steward by living under the lordship of Jesus.
We need to remember when we give to ministries out of the prompting of God, we are really giving to God! God will be a debtor to no man, remember the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, so we are just giving back to Him what is His! When we give to the poor we are lending to the Lord!
Let’s be the dads who live up to the reality that Jesus is Lord of all of us, not some component but all. Jesus is Lord of our income and our spending and so we need to choose to live our lives as good stewards and out of obedience to God! Feeling a prompt in your heart from God? Are you ready to give back to Him what is His for His purposes?
A matter of the heart, what is your focus?
Today’s Devotional is calling us to keep our eyes and focus on God and His Kingdom. We need to be more about His Kingdom than having a closed fist that not only keeps us from giving but also prevents God from using us as conduits for His blessings in this world. Look around, do you see how the churches are shrinking or pulling back? Could it be that people are becoming to self-focused, consumed by having stuff and not listening to the prompting of God or even not getting to hear the truth of God for themselves?
We need to be faithful to God with what He has given to us and respond out of obedience from our hearts showing our trust in Him.
Giving is an act of worship, and so every worshipper must be one of God’s givers, whether rich or poor. The mites God values as much as the millions.
A. T. PIERSON
