What if you really believed in a God of abundance, not scarcity?  I mean really believed it?  Would you risk more?  Would you dream bigger?  Would you talk differently, pray differently, or lead differently?  I’m guessing the answer would be yes.  All too often, we allow limited resources to limit the vision, even before it begins.  At least that’s what I did—but then four years ago, all of that changed.

In January 2018, our leadership team was preparing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of our church.  As anyone knows, a milestone this big definitely needs a theme (or at least that’s what our creative team told us).  So while searching for an appropriate Scripture verse, I somehow landed upon Haggai 2:6-9, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.” One word jumped off the page: GREATER. Sounds like an 80th anniversary theme, doesn’t it?  Done. Print the invitations. Order the banners.

Not so fast. As I kept reading, I noticed several other promises God spoke through Haggai.

• In addition to His glory, God promised to bring the desired people from all nations (v.7).
• He promised to grant peace (v.9).
• He promised to provide all the resources needed to accomplish the work (v.8).

That last one really got me: “’The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”  Just think about it. If the same God who gives the vision can also give the provision, well…that’s a game changer!

Michele and I took this Scripture to heart and immediately began looking for ways to apply it. Our first step as a church was to begin “tithing” to what we call our Kingdom Builders fund.  This simple act of designating 10% of all income towards missions enabled us to say “YES” more often to missionaries, projects, and partnerships. The change was immediate. Instead of always “running in the red,” our missions budget began to grow.  When missionaries came to speak, instead of asking our church for an offering, we just handed them a generous check and prayed over them.  We added new missionaries and increased support for the ones we already had. One of those missionary partners was Backyard Orphans.  We love partnering in the work they are doing, and we believe in the vision that one day there will be more families waiting for children than children waiting for families. 

So this is our story, and it’s not over yet. As we look into the future through eyes of faith, we see GREATER opportunities to make a difference around the block and around the world.  No longer burdened by a scarcity mindset, we believe in the God of abundance who loves the lost more than we do. A God who cares about every tribe, nation, and tongue.  A God who is looking for pastors and churches who are faithful in the little things, so that He can entrust them with more. Let’s do this!

We my not all be called to foster and adopt, but we can all do something. Maybe your “something” is becoming a financial partner! If you’d like to learn more about donating to Backyard Orphans, and all the ways you can give, check out donate.backyardorphans.org

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