My Faith Promise Offering

Missions-Minutes MY FAITH PROMISE OFFERING!
MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE WITH MY INITIAL FAITH PROMISE COMMITMENT
Dr. Steve Heidenreich

I have had the privilege of being a missionary for thirty-five years. God has shown me many wonderful things in the area of missions. The one area where God has shown Himself so powerful is in the area of giving. I have taught missions giving in many churches across America and around the world. Because of this, God requires much more of me when it comes to giving to Faith Promise. Years ago I taught a Sunday school lesson on faith promise missions in my home church. That Sunday night we were taking up our faith promise commitments, and I had been asking God what He wanted me to put on my faith promise card. He gave me an amount that took me by surprise. I hesitated, but God said, “Trust me I know what I am doing.” I filled in the amount, put it in the plate and watched the plate disappear down the row. I am like you, I began to ask myself what in the world I was doing.

That was Sunday night, and the next morning I received a phone call from a lady who I helped to get her husband involved in coming to church. She asked me to stop by so they could show me their business that they had started. I really didn't remember who they were until I showed up at their business. After meeting them and talking about how much God had blessed them, they wanted to do something to show their appreciation for helping them to grow in the Lord. Her husband left the room and came back with an envelope and gave it to me. I took it and left after praying with them.

I didn't open the envelope right away. You see when my family and I were on deputation we stopped at a church one night, my son, Steve, asked me, “Dad, if we get a good offering can we go to Dairy Queen after church.” I said that if they were good and the offering was big enough we could go to Dairy Queen. After the service the pastor gave me an envelope with the offering in it. So, Steve and I walked into the restroom to see if the offering was big enough to go the Dairy Queen. As I opened the envelope Steve saw that the offering was very small. He shouted out, “The offering is too small, we can't go to the Dairy Queen!” Everybody in the restroom heard him, and I was so embarrassed! I didn't have to open the door to leave, I felt small enough to walk under the door. So now, when people give me an envelope I get in the car and drive away looking to see if anybody is following me.

When this lady and her husband gave me that envelope, I got into the car and drove four or five blocks away so they could not hear me when I opened the envelope. When I opened the envelope, I was in shock at the amount of the check! The amount of the check was five times the amount of my faith promise for the whole year. God said, “I am not limited in giving any amount of faith promise to those who ask me.” I believe that every person should spend time praying over the amount that God wants to give through them. Faith Promise is God giving His money through you to reach a lost and dying world for whom His Son died.

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