SSMT #2

I'm a few days late posting this, but here is the second verse I have chosen for the SSMT 2011:

"Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase." Proverbs 3:9

Honor the Lord with thy substance--your wealth--and with the firstfruits of all thine increase--the BEST part of everything your land produces.

Again, "Honor the Lord with your wealth..." I've struggled over the years with tithing. I'll be honest, the $ just wasn't there. No matter how I budgeted, I couldn't account for paying our bills and giving 10% of our funds in tithes. I understand now that this is my lack of faith in God's ability to provide for my family's needs. He's working with me on this, and 2011 I will chose to honor him with my wealth. Over the past few weeks, I've really cut back on our excess spending. I have packed my lunch every day for work. We've been cooking more at home. I can see the difference in our bank acct which will allow for me to give 10% to God.

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As a side note, I had to share something with you all that happened to me this week. When I received my weekly pay check, I noticed that it was $50 more than it should have been. I sat at my desk contemplating on whether to question HR about it. The arguement with my conscience went something like this:

Me: "It's not that much money."
Conscience: "It may not be your's."
Me: "I work for a multi-million dollar company."
Conscience: "It's stealing."
Me: "I feel under-appreciated as an employee. What's the harm?"
Conscience: "Call HR. It's wrong not to question it."
Me: "What if I didn't call HR and I am reprimanded once this error is caught?"
Conscience: "Make the call."
Me: "Okay, I'll make the call."

It was a battle of good vs. evil. Ultimately, I followed my gut and did call. Turns out that the money was actually owed to me--a payroll error from when my maternity leave began. I felt so relieved (and proud of myself) for calling--not to mention excited to have $50 I wasn't expecting. You guys will call me crazy, but it was worth it to give it back if it wasn't mine. I would be stealing, and I know how displeasing that would be to the Lord.

The strangest thing happened after that. The same day, I received a check from my obgyn office for $250 where we overpaid for my last pregnancy. Who says honest people finish last? Perhaps we would have gotten this check whether I called HR or not. But, I chose to believe that by following my instincts on my payroll check that the Lord chose to reward me 5 fold.

He's an amazing God.