God Doesn't Want Your Money, He Wants Your Heart!

My blogs have been few and far between. On the adoption front, we are waiting for our I800A to get done so we can send in our dossier to the Philippines, so it has been SLOW...but we went to a very incredible adoption conference last weekend and I would encourage anyone who is adopting to check out http://www.empoweredtoconnect.com/ and even attend the conference in September in Nashville. The information they presented is invaluable for parenting an adopted child. 

Something God has been speaking to me lately is that God really doesn't want our money (He has no need for money! LOL) ,He wants our hearts. Does that mean you shouldn't give your tithe or give to missions? Absolutely not! It means that He wants more than our money. He wants our whole beings, our hearts, from the inside out. Once He has our heart, He will begin speaking to us about giving. Giving to the poor, Giving to missions, giving our tithes, helping those in need. You might hear Him say to you, "Send an extra gift to your missionary friends" or "I want you to sponsor a child from Latin American Childcare"or "You need to step out in faith and give X amount of dollars to help someone adopt"...once God gets a hold of your heart and you are listening and walking with Him, He will change how you handle your money. He will give you a generous Spirit, and you will be able to trust Him to provide for your needs in a new and fresh way. God really doesn't want your money, He wants your heart. I believe there are many people who have asked Jesus to come into their hearts, but they really haven't given their hearts completely to Him, and they aren't able to hear and obey when God speaks to them, espceially regarding their finances. It's not a one time gift or just a committment to give your 10%, It's a life of listening and obeying and following Him fully. God doesn't want your money...He wants your heart.

Sacrificial giving

I believe in sacrificial giving. The very basis of the Gospel is how Christ sacrificed His life on the cross for our sins. I believe we as Christians in America fall short in the area of sacrificial giving. So many of us pay our tithe (and many don't even do that!) and maybe an extra $25 in the missions offering, and then we feel proud of ourselves for giving more than God asks us to; however, that is not what Christianity is about. It is about sacrificial giving, in all areas of our life, including our pocketbooks!!! In America, it is each man for themselves. How big of house can I get? How nice of car can I drive? What fine dining restauarant can I eat at? We pay little concern for the many around the world living in deep, depressing poverty. We pay little concern that our lifestyle of greed is sin. Why has God blessed us? What is our money for? God's Word teaches us to give to the poor, to take care of the needy, to fight for the underprivledged and I find that many people I talk to either A) don't really care and care more about their own lives and situation or B) don't really think about it much. We don't live with poverty in our faces everyday, but just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. The need is great. It is overwhelming. It is astounding. BUT if we all learn to give sacrificially, the need will be met. God's plan and purpose includes you and me. It includes givng of our money, our time and for some of us our very lives. God will bless us if we will learn to give. I pray that God continues to give me a heart for sacrificial giving and that His heartbeat will become mine.

Adoption Frustration....

I'll be honest. The past few weeks in our adoption journey have been so frustrating that I haven't felt like blogging...so that is why my posts have been so few and far between! Our home study is STILL not finalized!! And it was supposed to be done weeks ago....*sigh* Really, I ddin't pray for patience!!! I know God in His perfect plan has a reason for all these delays. I know it in my mind, but I am having a hard time dealing with my frustration. We are waiting for our home study to be done so we can 1) File the I-800A, a form with the US government that gives us the official approval to adopt and 2) so we can apply for some adoption grants.

It is so easy in our finite mind to get frustrated when God's timing doesn't match up to what we think should happen. It is so hard to trust God and be patient! Please pray with us that our home study is finalized this week so we can move on to the next step. Please pray with us that God will give us wisdom and show us the right child for our family. Please pray with us that Mission 1:27 will grow and we will be able to meet the needs of children around the world. I believe God has a specific plan and even though I can't see all the pieces to the puzzle, I know His hand is guiding us. Thanks to everyone who is holding us up in prayer. This journey could not be done without you.