Can We Be Honest?

By Rebecca Hays

Sometimes asking a question out loud allows us the opportunity to genuinely reflect upon the answer.

We’ve heard, God is our Provider.  We may even say it to others, but do we live and work like we truly believe it?

• How often do we pray in a board meeting and immediately turn our focus to the budget, bottom line, or our own efforts?
• Are we more excited about a big check for our organization, or more excited about the stories of transformed hearts that become generous to the Lord, even if through an organization other than ours?
• Above all, do we desire the partners of our organization to hear, “Well done!”

(Philippians 4:7, “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.”)

• Do we pray and expect as if God has abundant and limitless resources?

It can be easy to go through the motions, or lean toward traditional methods of “bringing in money” for an organization.

It Starts With Me

Are you involved with raising resources for your organization?  The most important thing I’ve learned is that this work is ministry, its discipling believers to be rich toward God, and it is a deeply personal and intentional faith journey that starts with me.

To grow in your journey, ask:

• What scriptures am I filling my mind with daily that God will use to transform my own heart to live more simply and be more generous?
• When is the last time I experienced joy in giving?  – (2 Corinthians 9: 7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”)
• What books am I reading to instill the truths of the generous life Christ modeled for us to live?
• Who am I surrounding myself with that challenges me to “live in the tension” of living the life that is truly life?  – (1 Timothy 6:18, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”)

Model To Others As Jesus Modeled For Us

God humbly started me on my own journey of generosity after a crisis in my life removed almost every earthly security to remind me that He truly is all He says He is, He is trustworthy, and He IS my provider.

In this ministry of raising stewards to be rich toward God, we journey with those God has placed in our path.  Once we’ve been transformed, He calls US to be generous as Christ was generous.  Then He can use us as instruments to encourage others to participate in His work, experience true joy, and one day hear, “Well done!”

Trust God to act

What if:

• We stopped talking about raising funds and defined our work as raising up faithful stewards?
• Our dependence on God to provide was evidenced in fervent prayer, trusting Him to act?
• We sought to transform lives for eternal fruit whether it benefitted our organization or not?

Take a moment to be still, pray, and listen to what God wants you to do with all He has entrusted to you.  How does He want you to model that to others?  Will you trust Him to act?

Imagine what God can do through one who is fully devoted to Him!

(2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”)

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Rebecca Hays is the Mission Advancement and Director of Equipping for Westminster Christian School.

Learn more about resource development by enrolling in the September session of the CLA Online Learning Academy. This quarter you have the opporutnity to set a solid foundation for the work you have been called to do in this area! Registration closes on September 3, 2013.

Resource Development

• Biblical Foundations of Development

CLA is grateful for this year’s Online Academy Sponsor ECFA.