I Love to Brag (On God)!

Up until recently I thought it was being immodest for someone to tell others about their giving.  But, my thought pattern has now changed.

This past week I attended (online) the Southwest Believer’s Convention and one of the speakers was Jesse Duplantis.  He is a well known preacher from Louisiana and a very successful businessman.  I heard him speak for the first time last year, but was immediately drawn to his teaching.

You see, he has been very blessed by God in his endeavors and has become a multi-millionaire. And, it is very common to hear him talk about randomly giving money away, whether it’s giving an extra $100-300 tip to a server in a restaurant or giving several thousand dollars away to people in the mall at Christmas time.  The list goes on and on.  He and his wife are extremely generous people!

Surprising to me though, some people find him to be arrogant.  But, I totally disagree.  Instead I find him to be totally inspiring!

Because, in everything he does, he gives all glory to God. Therefore, his giving draws people’s hearts and minds to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Which btw, this is TOTALLY biblical!!

II Corinthians 9:11 says…  “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

I absolutely loooove this promise! We will be made rich, to be generous on every occasion! What a way to live!

And, because God has blessed us so much, we are now stepping into another level of giving.  And, I gotta tell you, it is so fun!! Let me share with you the most recent giving story from today…. :):):)

This afternoon I was at Sams Club in the checkout line. And, there was a couple in the line next to me with a young girl (probably about 2 years old) in the cart. The lady began talking to Eli and me and we carried on a conversation.  I then asked if the little girl was their granddaughter.  The lady told me, “No, she’s not.  She was actually given to us.”

Given?! Now, my mind immediately started racing, wondering what on earth that meant! But, I didn’t want to look too shocked and did my best to keep the conversation going. Well, she went on to say that they live in North Carolina, where she owns a daycare.  And, the mother of the girl brought her to the daycare for awhile and then one day decided she didn’t want her daughter anymore. WHOA!!!

(Well, there are many things that can be said at this point.)  But, I will just continue on with the story.  The lady proceeded to tell me this wasn’t the first time this has happened.  They actually also have a 14 year old and a 17 year old.  Now, I don’t know where they came from, but I wasn’t about to ask.  Instead the first words out of my mouth were, “God bless you!!!” And, as soon as I said that, I heard God speak to me in my spirit and say “Give her $100.”

I had forgotten that my husband gave me cash before I left the house, so my first thought was that I don’t have any cash on me. Well, we kept talking and I decided to try and get cash back when I finished checking out and hoped they didn’t leave before me.  And, then I remembered!! I actually had $200 cash!

So, I quickly opened my wallet and said, “Do you mind if I bless you with this?” And, I handed her $100.  She looked a little shocked and wasn’t sure what to say.  So, I immediately told her that God told me to give it to her.  And, I told her that God appreciates them taking care of his children.  She profusely thanked me. And, when her husband figured out what happened, he proceeded to genuinely thank me also.  And, I just kept telling them both to give God the credit, not me.

And, that’s what I am saying to you now. Give God all the glory!!!

It just blessed my heart so much to be able to minister to these people financially.  And, to watch God get the glory for it in front of the dozens of people standing around just makes me smile.  On top of that, I can almost guarantee that dozens more heard about that story today.  And, not only was honor was given to God.  But, hope was given to people.  That yes, God cares for us.  And, good things DO happen in this world.  

Hopefully this encourages you to Be Blessed.  And, Be a Blessing!