Staff Blog

There is a man who is a leader in the Nyawa sector. This year, his prized cows gave birth to 4 calves. He was thrilled about these 4 calves and decided to dedicate one of them to the Lord by donating it to his church. He picked the biggest and most beautiful calf to give. He would wait until it was big enough and healthy enough to be weaned and then give it to the church to use as they saw fit.

Over the course of 3 months, one of his calves was attacked and killed by hyenas. Two more were stricken by illness and died quickly. Only one remained. The biggest and most beautiful one. The one that he had dedicated to the Lord.

The man mourned for his animals, but still, he gave that calf to his church. He testifies that it was a complete act of faith because at that point he was convinced he was being foolish!

To this day, his church is rejoicing because of the generous gift of the cow and the possibilities it opens up for the church body. And the man is rejoicing because every need of his family has been met and exceeded this year. He testified before a congregation of believers that giving is RIGHT and that giving WORKS. ESPECIALLY when it’s not easy.

Maybe you don’t have a connection or an understanding of the value of cows in this culture. But this man was not just giving away a baby animal. He gave away an investment that would have made many returns upon his family for years to come. And he gave it even when it was his only investment left to give.

Would you or I be willing to give our entire IRA accounts and all of the interest that it will acquire in years to come to the Lord? What if it was the only savings you had? What if you didn’t know if you would even get a paycheck this year? This is the kind of radical giving that this man decided to walk in. No wonder he was worried about being foolish! Yet, he and his family have been completely blessed and cared for.

We serve a Providing God. He provides for pastors. Missionaries. Farmers. Lawyers. He provides for truck drivers and Olympic swimmers. He provides, in abundance, all that we need. Let us be challenged to give according to his abundant provision.