Our family has gone through a lot of hills and valleys over the past few years together.  Jake and I started out our marriage in debt from school bills.  It took the first few years of both of us working to pay off our school debts.  After paying off our school loans we began saving to start our own business.

We started our own business and ran it for several years.  As life would have it we started dipping into that savings we had set aside and before long we realized that we had to make a decision whether or not to stay in business for ourselves or not.  We along with several friends and family fervently prayed for wisdom to make the right decision.

Would the business turn around in a year or should we seek employment elsewhere?  After several months of praying and giving it over to God Jake was approached by a contact who wanted him to apply to a couple positions available in the area.  We prayed about it and decided to see what would happen since obviously we hadn’t spoken to this person in years and this may be God saying “trust me”.  Jake went in for 3 interviews that week by Monday the following week he had offers for all three positions.  One of the offers was in Greenville and the other 2 were in nearby cities.

Before even accepting the position my husband came to me.  We had been praying for wisdom for so long and when God handpicked a position for him when we were not expecting it he felt like we should give the “first fruits” of this job to God.  He gave us this position and we want to honor Him for all he has done for us.  God had answered our prayers and we wanted to give back to him.

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.  – Proverbs 3:9-10

Even when the budget was really tight especially during this time we always had enough to cover expenses.  After praying about it we decided that the first month’s pay check would be given to God.  From that time on any increases or bonuses Jake received from his work we have donated the first portion to God.  After receiving a bonus or increase we would set aside the money and pray about where God would want us to give the money.  After about a month we would talk again discuss what and who God laid on our hearts.  It is amazing to see how much clear God makes that decision.  Once the decision is made we give the money to the organization or people God had laid on our hearts as a check, cash, or if it is an organization where we can give it online we do it that way.

I am thankful for my husband who seeks God’s wisdom, is thoughtful, and giving to others.  There are times when we could really use that extra money from a bonus or increase to pay for items our family needs (pay a medical bill, debt, or for something we need, etc…), however, we always make it a point to give the first fruits to others first.  Ultimately, it is God who gives us the money it is an honor to share what we have with others.