Kylie May

Kylie May

Layla Faith

Layla Faith

Zoey Noelle

Zoey Noelle

Boyee

Boyee
Our baby boy, due March 16th.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Experiencing Our Generous God

Just one day after my last post, we received the phone call that the offer was accepted on our house. Our prayers were heard and I just had to ask. Sometimes it just feels that simple. Other times, it feels like such a struggle. God is a generous God.

Our church did a short series on tithing a little while back. Bryan & I have always put a priority on tithing. When we lived in Stevens Point, there were many times that we 'tested God' in this and He always provided. As everyone has struggled a little in their finances these last couple years, we put our tithing aside. Not on purpose. It just happened. I didn't remember, or I spent the money on something else before I 'could' pay our tithe. A couple months ago, we faithfully began again. Full-well knowing that He would provide for us. Money had been tight with all of the expenses of getting this house. A few hundred for an inspection, a few for an appraisal, mortgage insurance, closing costs & the costs to get the house ready to move into! We knew it was time to obey God (shouldn't have stopped!) and trust Him.

It worked. Surprise, surprise. We have experienced so many unexpected blessings. Saving where we didn't think we could afford an amount. Having just enough to pay for certain expenses and normal monthly bills.

With all of that being said, here are two scriptures that I've been thinking of this week.

Malachi 3:8-11 The Message
"Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day. "You ask, 'How have we robbed you?' "The tithe and the offering - that's how! And now you're under a curse - the whole lot of you - because you're robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasure so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams."

I like the way The Message reads. "...see if I don't open up heaven and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams." It kind of has a snotty sound to it. Instead of saying 'I will open up heaven...', He encourages us to test him.

The other verse was posted by a friend of mine on Facebook.

1 Peter 5:8-11 The Message
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in christ - eternal and glorious plans they are! - will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, He does.

I have suffered and am finally understanding my Generous God. Maybe not understanding, but seeing that His word promises that suffering won't last forever. Our family has made it through one set of suffering and are now seeing the glorious plans. I know there may be more suffering and we will stand strong again. I know some families are going through huge trials over and over. I pray that this scripture will be an encouragement and reminder. "Keep a firm grip on the faith. He gets the last word; yes, He does."

On a side note, we had our 35 weeks ultrasound with Dr. Hayes. He was happy to give us good news and his "final blessing" on our baby girl. He said she's perfect & following the growth chart as normal. Fifty-third percentile for growth. She's already 6 pounds and should be a little over 7 by the time she's born on the 15th.  Our ultrasound tech said she has a lot of hair (just like the other girls). Her head is pretty low, so we didn't get a good pic of her face. Soon enough! I'm sure these next few weeks will go by quickly.

Thanks for checking in & praying with us!



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