Part of being an adult is having to pay bills. This is not my favorite thing to do at all. I used to love pay days, but as I've gotten older, I actually don't enjoy them as much. It seems like the money is gone before it's even in my account. In fact it is. I often push bills I can back to the next pay day, so in a very real sense, the money is spent before I even make it.
For many years now I've tithed. I'm not trying to brag or get special recognition. In fact, the Bible says not to let the right hand know what the left hand is doing (Mat 6:3), so I'm a bit uncomfortable even discussing this at all. And while the Bible says to tithe 10% (Gen 14:20) over the past year I've been doing more like 20%. Yes, it's uncomfortable, but 1) I feel called to do this and 2) I'd like to be considered by God to be like the woman who threw two copper coins into the offering plate, who gave out of her poverty (Mark 12:44). Although I think I'm very far from what this woman did, I do enjoy (or at least I try very hard to enjoy) giving to the point that it hurts.
So for this mission trip, I refuse to divert the money I normally give to my church and to other ministries to what I need for the mission trip. If I did, would that really be having faith that God is calling me to do this and will provide? I don't think so.
I said yesterday after I worked out my bills, I'd make a contribution to the India fund and I have. $50. Not much and certainly I'm not anywhere near where I need to be in June but it's something. And I made the contribution without taking away from what I normally give.
There were two new shares of my post on Facebook that I want to recognize. Thank you Pastor Dave for reposting to your Church and to your audience for the Men of the Bible FB page. I'm very very grateful.
Please pray for the others trying to raise support to go on this mission trip. Also pray that God works now to prepare our path to do his work when we get there.
