How Your Faithfulness Helps Others

​“These are difficult financial times right now.  Maybe I should pull back a little on my church giving to prepare for hard times.”  That may sound like a wise thing to do, but there is one problem with that: we give by faith, not by sight. And God needs all of His followers to respond to the needs He brings before us.   He has not stopped bringing us challenges to respond to and projects He wants to see accomplished. And He has not stopped blessing us with the funds to meet those challenges. Let me share with you how your faithfulness becomes a blessing to others. Some time ago American Indian Christian Mission in Show Low, AZ (which we supported) experienced a disastrous financial blow with the embezzlement of many thousands of dollars by a trusted employee who then fled the country. With no money for salaries, food and care for the Indian children and other necessary expenses, they were in a desperate situation.  We were immediately able to respond to this crisis by sending them $3,000, because we had it available through your gifts. We also learned that finances had gotten so low in the church in Puerto Penasco (the one we help through New Birth Mexican Mission) that our missionary was supporting the Pastor of this church with his own meager funds. So we responded immediately with a $1,500 cash gift to the mission for this purpose.  How were we able to do this? Through your faithfulness in giving to CCF.
When the Apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth he was reminding them of a desperate need the Jerusalem church was experiencing and the need they had for funds, which the Corinthian church had promised to provide.  So he encouraged the Corinthians by saying: “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.”  (I Corinthians 9:13-14).  Generous giving is grace on our part by which we are able to help and influence people for Christ.  And generous provision is grace on God’s part to enable us so that we can continue to meet those needs He has called us to address. Your faithful giving in difficult times is a demonstration of the grace of God at work in you and a demonstration of the reality of the gospel as a witness to others.
 

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