When God Lays Something On Your Heart...Part II

I just finished part I of my thoughts about our obligations toward the spreading of the Gospel of Christ, and our support of those who reach out in our communities and our world to reach all with the Word. I divided my post into two parts because it's easier to read 2 shorter blog entries than one big one I think :). This isn't as much about fund raising as it is about each of us finding ways to help our churches do their work. These are all things that I'm working on, myself; this isn't a sermon and I'm not preaching :). This is a sharing of what I can do, and hopefully others can as well. If you are led to add to this list (remember, it's not fund-raising, it's "what I can do"), please do so that more churches can be blessed!

So. We want to help our church financially. We already give our 10% and want to do more but our finances don't seem to allow for that. What else can we do?

(1) Pray. I know that we're to pray without ceasing anyway, but set aside a time to really get down with God on this one. Ask Him to use you, and to bless His church through you. Ask Him to open your eyes for opportunities to provide. He will. You and He are on the same team as you are seeking His will and tangible guidance.

(2) Make a commitment. You've prayed over it, you've opened your heart to let the Holy Spirit fill it with His will...now commit to obedience.

(3) Set aside your extra. He will provide it but you might not see it happening, so just do it. As an example, stash every dollar bill out of your wallet into an envelope each evening. Set aside your change or your singles for His Kingdom, and only for His Kingdom, not to be spent.

(4) Create extra. Find something in your home that you can sell and give the money to the church. (I can guarantee you that no possession in the world is as important as souls won for God!) Do you have a talent? Commit hours to your giving either to create extra dollars, or to help others to do so. Give a guitar lesson, or a cooking lesson, or have a snowshoe making class - then donate your proceeds.

(5) Start a project. Do you have a special talent? Make an eBook to teach others, put it online for a buck, and send those bucks to your church. Create a work of beauty - a quilt, a sweater, pillow shams, doghouses, whatever - and sell it to profit the church. (There are lots of ways to sell things, from local advertising to online selling to consignment auctions!)

(6) Increase your giving. If you're already giving 10%, give 11%. It may not make a huge difference in your household budget but once God provides the increase it can make a huge difference to your church - especially if more members get on board!

(7) Have a party. Scrapbook or sew, bring instruments and jam, play games, or whatever. And pass the plate.

(8) Set up a long, tall, clear tube in your church for spare change. The narrower the tube, the faster it will seem to fill up, and people will be more encouraged to give. It is amazing how quickly the tube can fill up with just a handful every time someone walks in the door.

(9) Donate all of your pop cans and bottles to your church. Set up a spot where people can drop them off, then volunteer your time to cash them in every week.

(10) Seek opportunity to earn - and God will provide it. It can be anything from a couple of hours of babysitting, to leaf raking/lawn mowing/snow shovelling, for a donation rather than a fee. Whenever you think, "I can't do that" make a conscious effort to think, "Hmmm, how could I make that work?" In jumping to the "I can't do that" conclusion, we choke off the small, still voice and reject a whole lot of opportunities!

If we are (a) open to the Holy Spirit's leading, (b) creative, and (c) enthusiastic, we will be amazed at how God will enable us to provide!