Peace You Can’t Purchase
I asked God which part of my story He wanted me to share.
The struggles of being married young?
The battle with infertility?
Which part do I need to share, God?
He answered...tithing and finances.
I wasn’t sure why He wanted me to go there, but I knew I wanted to be obedient.
Growing up, I went to a Catholic church. I attended classes and made my confirmation.
When classes ended, I stopped attending.
I went from confirmation to Christmas Eve 2011 without a church home.
In 2011, I felt a pull to get back into church.
God kept telling me to “find a church and go”, but I didn’t know where to start.
Long story short, a birthday invitation led me to BridgePoint on Christmas Eve.
From there, our attendance grew to be a weekly priority.
In Spring of 2017, we joined the Financial Peace University small group. The curriculum was created by Dave Ramsey, and teaches you how to get out of debt and stay out of debt….all while tithing.
One of our first activities was to list our bills and budget in order of importance and priority.
Bills needed to sustain and survive were at the top and nonessentials were at the bottom.
The catch was that Ramsey’s list posted tithes as number 1.
To follow the program, our finances had to reflect that.
Based on our financial situation at the time, this made zero sense.
We gave as we could and held off on placing tithing as our priority.
Even in doing so, we saw how the small group grew us, so we wanted to lead it the following semester.
We knew this would hold us accountable to our budget and help others.
When we signed up to lead, the leadership questionnaire asked whether or not we tithed.
It became clear that tithing was our next step.
After discussing it in detail, my husband decided, “We just have to do it.”
Based on our budget, the math didn’t add up.
It didn’t make sense to add another “bill.”
But that is how God works.
He acknowledges obedience.
He remains faithful.
He guides and provides.
Since we started faithfully tithing, there has always been enough money to cover our needs.
When we went from giving from overflow to giving through obedience, we found financial freedom.
We started seeing our debt disappear.
We watched our priorities align with God’s.
We noticed the contentment that came from obedience alone, not things, stuff, or money.
We are now seeing promises and God’s plans come full circle.
Earlier this year, we were helping some friends house shop. They were looking to move to SETX from Louisiana. We found land a piece of property that would have been perfect to purchase together. There was room for both of our families to buy lots, build a home, and ultimately have best friends as neighbors.
We started daydreaming, house-planning, and figuring up costs.
We prayed for God to clearly open the door wide or slam it shut.
We had learned how to trust Him with our possessions and finances, so we put the property in His hands.
The deal fell through.
After doing all of the planning, we knew the amount we were prepared to spend on a home, so we continued looking. We looked at new houses, talked to builders, and found a floor plan and land that was in our budget.
This was never part of our plan, but there we were.
Then, our friends found a new home for sale across the street!
We saw it all aligning.
We had one plan, God had another, and here they were perfectly combining.
We were less than 12 hours away from the final meeting with the builder when Dustin was approached at church about a new job.
A job that would be a pay cut, causing us to forfeit the land and new home.
A job that would cut vacation time and seniority, leaving Dustin starting from the bottom.
He said no at first.
Meanwhile, God worked on my heart.
He reminded me of how He had provided.
He reminded me that a house was just a house.
He reminded me that our faith and family comes before finances.
This job was at a Christian company.
This job would also allow Dustin to be at church every Sunday.
This job would allow him to attend small groups.
This job would allow my husband to be home every night, instead of travelling.
This job didn’t align with our plans, but it aligned with God’s plans for our family.
We decided that morning that he would take the job and the house wouldn’t happen.
THAT was full circle.
Not the house or land.
Not the property by close friends.
Not a savings account full of money.
A family that followed in obedience, served together, and spent quality time together.
If we had bought a new home, bought the land, or rushed the building process, Dustin wouldn't have been able to take a pay cut. He wouldn’t have been able to take a job that facilitates his growth as a Christian and our growth as a family.
Because of his new schedule, he will be leading his first small group this semester-Golf and God.
Have I still daydreamed about a big, new house?
Sure, but nothing compares to the joy that comes from obedience.
Obedience brings joy.
It brings freedom.
It brings a peace that you cannot purchase.
It brings contentment that the world cannot give or take away.
It’s true what it written in Hebrews 13:5:
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
There is satisfaction and peace in knowing that God is with us and God will provide for us.
We aren’t worried about the next, new thing.
We aren’t fighting to keep up.
We are fully satisfied in Christ alone.
To top it all off, our tithes are our way of having a hand in life change.
Your tithes go towards helping the local church give others hope.
There are a portion of funds that change lives in our church, community, city, and world.
I challenge you to be bold and obedient.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”
Malachi 3:10
Ask God what He wants you to give, and start there.
Start with something and watch God work in your heart and your home.
