I was stunned on Sunday when Pastor John announced that the collection basket was to be passed around a second time after our initial offering, but this time each family was to take one envelope out of the basket and use the money to bless others. Why? Because “Love Does”! Love is an action word and we need to show and share God’s love for the lost and hopeless. All week I have been dreaming of how I can best use the money to bless someone else and glorify God. I tried calling and texting one of the families that we sponsored over the holidays but I was unable to reach them. Today I drove by to check on them to make sure they were doing ok. The young woman told me that they had been served with another eviction notice and that her husband was at the courthouse at that very moment making a plea for an extension on their mobile home’s rent. I decided to pull out the “Love Does” envelope and add a little of my own cash to it and give it to the family as a love offering of hope. I invited the family once again to come visit Hope Hill Church and received a very positive response. I told her I would continue praying for her family through these difficult financial times. I was given a very grateful hug which warmed me as I stepped out into the cold.
God is so very good and I fully believe with all of my being that we can never out-give God. Our loving Father eagerly wants to bless us and he does as we reach beyond ourselves to bless others. In the past few months that my family has been coming to Hope Hill Church, we have been blessed in more ways than we can count, simply for obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit to bless others. So my challenge to all who read this is for you to find ways every day that you can bless someone else who often gets overlooked – whether with kind words, a helping hand, an earnest prayer or a few extra dollars. Go ahead and give it a try!