I am so thankful for Jesus! Everything in my life changed when I came to know Him and received Him as my Savior. And when I found out that one of my redemptive rights was prosperity, I gratefully received it and have earnestly sought to walk in it.
Prosperity is far more than living a better lifestyle. One of the greatest benefits of prosperity is having the ability to do all that the Word instructs us to do concerning giving.
For the past several weeks, the Lord has been talking to me specifically about giving to the poor. Proverbs 22:9 says, He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
I grew up in the small town of Caffee Junction, Alabama. It was the kind of place where everybody knew everybody. Though my parents were wonderful people, they were not Christians, yet they lived in such a way that as I look back, I see why they were so blessed and always had joy and peace in their home.
One of my most vivid memories as a child took place during the Christmas season. My dad would take me and my brother out shopping, and we would buy gifts for many poor people—some we knew personally and others we just knew of. My dad saw to it that the people of our town were given something for Christmas. I can even remember him buying a bottle of whiskey for the town drunk!
There was one family in particular that my parents took care of each year for Christmas—Ms. Kitty and Ben and their children. We would pick them up and bring them to our home and feed them a nice Christmas meal. Then we would take them home loaded with presents for the entire family so they could open them on Christmas morning.
My parents were not what the world considered rich, yet they never lacked for money. Looking back, I see that one of the reasons for this was because they had a bountiful eye toward the poor.
I am so thankful for this example that my parents lived before me, and after Scott and I married, we carried this same principle into our family. There have been many years that we have provided food, presents, whatever the need was for families at Christmas time.
One time in particular stands out to me because it was during a transition time in our lives. We were just beginning to learn some things about faith, and we were believing God for food on our own table. It was just after Scott left the police department in Birmingham. He knew of an area of town where there were several families who had nothing—no money and no food.
We went to the grocery store with our kids and bought several turkey dinners to give to people in need. While we were there somebody we knew saw us and asked what we were doing with so many turkeys in our cart so we told him. He said, “I want to get involved.” So he gave me a fifty-dollar bill and we bought that many more turkey dinners.
We then drove to that area, praying that God would show us exactly who to bless with these turkey dinners. After knocking on the door of the first house we stopped at, the person on the other side barely cracked the door to see what we were doing on their front porch. After Scott told him why we were there, we found out he was a pastor in that community and he pointed us straight to the homes of all the families in need of food.
What a thrilling experience for not only Scott and me, but for our children as well. Just the other day, we were talking about a family we wanted to bless this year who did not have anything for Christmas. My grandson, who has been saving his money for some time to buy Christmas presents for his family, went back to his room and brought back a large portion of all he had saved so he could give it to this family.
These kinds of opportunities are ones that have an eternal impact on our lives—especially children. Proverbs 28:27 says, He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack, but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
I have proven this verse in my life. In the leanest of times, we have still given to the poor and there has never been a time when we were unable to provide for our family. There was one year when we were in Bible school, and we had no extra money. We were believing God for every dime we needed. My dad called me one day and told us to come home for Christmas so he could buy everything on our kids’ Christmas lists.
God’s Word covers it all, and it does not return to Him void. It accomplishes all it is sent forth to do. I want to encourage you this year to keep your eyes open to those in need. Anytime you plant a seed in the life of another, you can expect harvest on that seed. Remember Proverbs 19:17, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Merry Christmas!