Happy Friday Everyone! I have been off the grid for quite some time, and as I have been settling back into reality I have been feeling prompted to write a Happy Friday message, which speaks to the heart of my message as you will see.
So most of you who read this every week know of the journey that me, Halla, and our entire family have been on with our recent transition to military life. It has been nothing short of God-ordained, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time. However, I want to spend today talking about faithfulness to God in every area of our lives, but in particular, with our giving.
Our church, Faith Church (igotofaith.com), is an incredible home that has molded our family, counseled us in many ways, and assisted our growth in our relationships with the Lord. Every year, right before the end of the year, they do a week of “Capstone Offerings” where they encourage people to go above and beyond their monthly giving and focus on an area of the church that they would like to see develop (this year is the Kid’s Ministry). As I was thinking about this year’s capstone offering, it caused me to reflect on last year’s and how that was the first time I had truly given a full tithe, and subsequently, carried that into this year of faithfully tithing every month. At first, I was completely scared - giving way to thoughts of “losing” what was mine, not having enough for myself afterwards, worried about what others might do with the money, etc etc - essentially, came up with every excuse in the book as to why I could not give or why it wasn’t the right time. Thankfully, it was the best decision that I never wanted to make, but jumped off the deep end, did anyway, and will never again second guess following what the Lord places on my heart.
Malachi 3:10 says:
“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 there will not be room enough to store it.”
If you noticed, I put bold around the words “test me in this” because in this verse, God clearly instructs us to challenge Him, because on the other side of your faithfulness, God will pour out blessings, far more than you could ever ask or imagine - and the way my 2024 has unfolded is nothing short of a testimony to this faithfulness.
You see, to me, being faithful in the tithe is not just about getting money back in return, but in experiencing the true blessings from the Lord on the other side of it. Below, I would just like to offer a few of those blessings I have experienced, along with my wife Halla, and hope to offer you the opportunity to truly give from your heart, be faithful to the Lord, and watch Him bless you beyond comprehension.
In my journal, I have a section each week titled “blessings after tithing”, and here are the highlights from 2024:
Married the woman of my dreams (Halla would be proud to be #1)
Had the opportunity to work with my dad and live in the same town as my family for the last 2 years
Joined the Navy and commissioned as an Officer
Bought a home in Florida
Adopted the sweetest black lab
Had the opportunity to pour into and be poured into spiritually by great people
Financially: received a higher paying job, was able to pay for my wedding with my wife, received endless wedding gifts and blessings, received money back at the closing of our home, and the list could go on.
The point in sharing this was not to brag, but to simply testify to the ways that the Lord has blessed Halla and I beyond comprehension in so many different ways during this season of life. One of the scriptures that we live by is Joshua 24:15: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
We have made that commitment to the Lord, to each other, and every day, we look for opportunities to serve others, be great stewards of our resources, and follow God’s promptings in our lives. It is no coincidence to me that things have come together this year far better than we could have ever scripted on our own.
“We are motivated not by what others think about us, but by how God sees us. We make a difference not by what we wear or what we own, but by living out each day in a way that brings glory to Him.” - Tim Tebow, Mission Possible
With all this, I would simply like to challenge you to think about what you can give - your time, your money, your resources - and ask God where He would like you to direct whatever it is - and then watch Him bless you. You see, at the end of our lives, we will all give an account to the Lord - and I hope that at the end of my life He will say, “well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Enjoy your weekend, enjoy your Holidays with your family, and Merry Christmas!
Payton
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