✤DAY 3✤
"Hearing from God"
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear
a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
II Corinthians 8:3
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even
beyond their ability.
By his own admission, Pastor Ed had never listed missions as
one of his high priorities. In fact, each year when he ranked his
ministry missions usually was at the bottom. Nevertheless, upon
discovering that the church at which he was to become senior
pastor had scheduled a missions workshop just weeks after his
planned arrival he not only gave the mission team the okay for
the event but planned to attend as well. Following that
workshop, one of the church members invited Pastor Ed to join
him on a trip to India a few months later. Surprisingly, even to
himself, he accepted the invitation and experienced his first
international mission trip.
Seven months later, his church was conducting their first Global
Impact Celebration. On the final day of the celebration, Pastor
Ed was sitting in the first worship service listening to the
missions speaker preach the Faith Promise message. At the close
of the message, the speaker asked those in the congregation to
take their Faith Promise commitment cards and to pray about an
amount God would have them give in the coming year in support
of the church’s mission efforts.
As Pastor Ed bowed his head he thought of his two children
whom he was putting through college, he thought of the difficult
financial circumstances the country was in, and he thought about
how the church would probably have to make some cuts. Given
all that, he wrote an amount on the card and at the appropriate
time went forward and placed his card in one of the baskets the
missionary guests were holding at the front of the church.
At the close of the second service, the scene was reenacted.
Pastor Ed was feeling pretty good about himself since he had
filled out his card earlier. When the guest speaker asked the
congregation to pray, Pastor Ed bowed his head. It was then that
he heard God tell him to fill out a card. Pastor Ed protested, “But
Lord, I have already turned in my Faith Promise commitment
card!” Pastor Ed says he heard the Lord clearly say, “I know. But
you put an amount on that card that indicated what you thought
you could do. Now I want you to put an amount on this card that
indicates what you think I can do through you.”
This story illustrates another key principle to Faith-Promise
giving. That is hearing from God. We must never take the
position of telling God what we can give. Our role is to pray, to
focus, and to listen for Him to speak to us. After all, God is
providing the resources and our ability to give out of His
bountiful supply.
To continue the story, Pastor Ed quieted himself before God a
second time and this time he was in a listening mode. He
distinctly heard an amount God wanted to give through him.
Contemplation
Am I in the practice of listening for the voice of God?
Prayer
Father, Give me eyes to see a world that is hungering for your
Word. Give me a mind that will accept the possibilities you offer
to me. Give me ears that are listening for your words to me. Give
me a heart of gratitude that you consider me worthy to be an
instrument of your will.
Amen
Produced by: The Mission Society
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