FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Faith Essentials

Seizing a teaching moment, the Lord said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on” (Luke 21:3,4). Mr. Bill, an elderly black man, faithfully attended the first church I served in western Kentucky. He especially loved singing in the choir and attending church softball games. I can remember visiting him at his old trailer situated on a cattle farm on the edge of town. The word was he had never married. He spent his life working on the farm during the day and serving the owner’s meals at night. A few years after I moved from there, Mr. Bill went on to be with the Lord. In addition to a legacy of service, faithfulness and humility, he left behind nearly $100,000 to his church that desperately needed it after a fire destroyed their building. He was the last person one would expect to leave a gift of such magnitude, a man who couldn’t even read or write. I have a friend in the community named Johnny who, after spending three months in jail in 2001, was radically saved. I know it wasn’t a whim because he remains intensely committed to this day. When his church recently ran a campaign to support missionaries worldwide, he and his wife pledged over $200.00 weekly for a year, in addition to regular tithes and offerings . You might think they are wealthy but that’s not the case. He makes a modest living running a small appliance repair business. He said that some weeks he doesn’t earn enough to cover the pledge, but honors it anyway, adding, “You can’t out-give God no matter how hard you try.” When drought struck Israel in the days of Elijah, God sent him to a poor widow for food. Despite having, “only a handful of flour . . .and a little oil” (1 Kings 17:12), she agreed to feed the hungry prophet. Miraculously, her oil and flour supply did not run out until the rain returned. Little becomes much when God takes control. Thinking you have to have a lot to be a generous giver is a myth.

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