You Cannot Out Give the Lord

One evening, my eighty-nine-year-old husband and I discussed the amount we should donate to one of our favorite Christian charities.

We suddenly realized that we might soon face the possibility of moving into an assisted living facility and how expensive that could be. “Is it even wise to make this donation?” we wondered. “God has never let us down,” we reminded each other.

We have always returned an honest tithe and been liberal with our donations. Even when times were difficult, we had everything we needed.

Somehow, we always had enough to pay the tuition for our children to go to Christian schools through college. But as soon as they graduated, those funds were gone! We decided on the amount to donate and were happy with our decision.

We mailed our donation check the next day as it was the last opportunity before a long holiday weekend. When our mail arrived the first day after the holiday, my husband called to me, “A check came in the mail today.” We weren’t expecting a check, and at first, I thought he was teasing, but he wasn’t.

Sure enough, there was a check, and it covered the amount we had given for our donation, plus a little over 10 percent more.

The money came from a source that used to send a check once a month, although we had received nothing for almost a year.

We were amazed that this check was already coming to us when we mailed our donation. Not only did God “return” the amount of the offering we gave in faith, but He also thoughtfully added a little more! Again, we were amazed.

We received enough extra to cover our tithe for the unexpected check and replenish the donation amount. Praise the Lord for His generosity! We just cannot out give God. “Try me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts. Have you tested Him yet on this promise? Have you watched Him pour out blessings? When we generously give our tithes and offerings, He faithfully stretches our dollars.

Our Creator God loves to create ingenious ways to provide for us.

Anna May Radke Waters