We’ve been in our rental home now for just over three months. In that time, we’ve come to know our neighbors to the east fairly well. We haven’t been as good as I would have liked with getting to know all of our neighbors (even with our neighbors to the east), but we have had quite a number of interactions with them simply by being outside at the same time.
One of the things that Heidi and I really struggled with in the parsonage was that we didn’t have any “neighbors”. Living at the back of the five-acre property didn’t allow us to sit on the front steps and talk to people as they walked by on the sidewalk (we didn’t have a sidewalk there either). So, moving here, that was something that we had talked about often. Unfortunately, we haven’t done that enough (please hold me accountable by asking if I’m reaching out to our neighbors every once in a while).
However, the one area where we have been “great neighbors” is in the stereotypical way. Our neighbor to the east has been to our house twice now looking for the proverbial “cup of sugar”. The first time it was for a couple of eggs; today, it was for a couple of cups of flour. Both times we gladly gave of what we had; both times were for her famous fried chicken.
When she borrowed the eggs, she said that she would pay us back with a fried chicken dinner sometime. Today, it was: “Could I borrow a couple of cups of flour? Dinner will be ready in an hour…don’t eat anything.”
Wow…it was more than just empty words. I don’t want that to come across as untrusting or anything, but sometimes people say things just to say them or to be nice.
And that got me thinking…the Lord doesn’t just offer words to say them or to be nice. When He says something, He means it. He always follows through with what he says and He never breaks His promises.
Today’s dinner situation reminds me of one of those promises of God: Malachi 3:10 says, “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’”
Heidi and I have long been convinced that we have been blessed financially because of our decision to give the first 10% of our income and more. We have offered a little and the Lord has indeed thrown open the floodgates of blessing in our lives. He never fails in His promises.
Our chicken dinner tonight was fabulous—fried chicken, mashed potatoes with chicken gravy, and corn. Oh baby…I can still taste it all. It was an amazing meal and we have some left over for lunch tomorrow. We offered a little—two eggs and a couple of cups of flour—and we were blessed with a feast.
The same holds true for the Lord. Trust in Him and He will be faithful.
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