Financial Confession: Jobs and Better Jobs, Gifts and Surprises, Raises and Bonuses

Growing up as a child, even into my teens and early adulthood, I was taught little, if any, that I can remember, about tithes and offerings. After salvation and becoming a member of a local church, I struggled for years trying to get that principle right. Later as I sought to become accountable and to grow into spiritual maturity, I learned that “giving isn’t so much a matter of what you have, as much as it is a matter of who has you. Your giving reveals who has your heart.” As a result, tithing isn’t really giving – it’s returning.

One of the biggest reasons why I had a hard time being a faithful giver of tithes and offerings was because I did not feel like I could afford it. Or, I looked at all the things I needed and wanted first, and then did not have enough left over to give. Yes, I was once that person. You probably got it right from the onset, but I needed God’s help.

This type of thinking is basically telling God that you do not trust Him to provide for all your needs and bless you with your wants if you are faithful in giving what is owed to God. When I stepped out and I returned tithes and offerings to the Lord, in essence,

I was sowing seed into His Kingdom and therefore, I had the opportunity to be blessed and reap great harvests. When I received these harvests after stepping out and putting my faith in God instead of in my money, I learned that God will always provide for me, and will always bless my obedience and therefore, my faith in God grew.

II Corinthians 8:12 says “If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” (NIV)

On December 28, 2020, I received a call on my cell phone as I was returning home from picking up our son, Jason from work. The person said after we greeted each other, “Mrs. Brown, last year you assisted me with my grant that I knew absolutely nothing about running. You saw that there was no money in the grant to pay you, but when I asked you to help me, you did not hesitate to say yes. Well, I got another grant and I want you to work with me again. I asked Dr. XXXXX if I could pay you since you are getting paid on her grant. She suggested that I ask Mrs. XXXX and I told her I only want to work with you, Mrs. Brown. She then said, “If I can figure out how to get you paid will you help me?” My answer was, Yes!!

On January 8th, I received another call and Dr. XXXX said, “Mrs. Brown, I called HR and I was told that I can put you on an Extra Duty contract. I need your personal information because I am filling out the contract now. I want you to know that every grant I get in the future, you will be written into the grant to receive compensation for your work”.

Well on Monday, February 8th, I received the below email:

From: Sent: Monday, February 8, 2021, 11:29 AM To: Brown, Debra D. Cc: Subject: Extra Duty Contract Approved - Brown, Debra Greetings, Your extra duty contract was approved by the HR Classification and Compensation department. Your one-time payment is scheduled for February 2021 payroll. A copy of your Extra Duty PPA is attached for your records. Please contact us if you have any additional questions. Sincerely, XXXXXX Human Resources Consultant – Classification and Compensation Fayetteville State University

Look Back Minute - Everything that you need, the wants, and the harvest that is due you will not always come pre-wrapped the way you think it will come. God has given us two hands, one to receive with and one to give with. What is in your hand? The question is, are you willing to give as much as or more than you like to receive? Put it in God’s hands and watch “it” grow and watch “you” grow.