Hey there everyone,

For the summer we are starting a new blog series called Women in the Word.  We will be asking several of our women to share a devotional.  Our first in this series is from Sherry Schut.  Sherry heads up our prayer chain ministry and the following is a devotional from her.  Thanks Sherry for sharing with us! 

Luke 6:38 - Rewards for Giving

"Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

About 9 years ago, this Bible verse became one of my favorites. The economy was just beginning to tank, and Duke Construction was one of the first areas of business that began to feel the crunch. We had no work in our future, and had to live on a very strict budget. I remember sitting in church and hearing sermons about how we all needed to help those who were in need, and thinking to myself, “how in the world am I supposed to do that when we can barely put food on our own table”. I began to look for ways to make money to help out with our groceries, and started selling things we didn’t need on Craigs List. As I sold items, I would put the money in an envelope and only use it when I absolutely needed to.

One day, I felt the Lord telling me that HE needed me to take the money that was in the envelope and go to Save A Lot, and HE wanted me to give all the money that was in it to someone. I didn’t know who, but I knew that I needed to do what I felt HE was asking me to do, and I trusted HIM to give me all the details as I needed them. So, I went to Save A Lot and started walking through the store……(I really did not want to give the money away, because I knew it was grocery money that we needed, but I also knew better than to go against His will). As I walked through the aisles, I remember thinking---“is this a joke----or is this just a test to see if I would do as I was being asked to do”…..NOBODY WAS IN THE STORE! I asked the Lord to reveal to me who I was supposed to give the money to, and as I getting ready to go down the last aisle, I noticed a couple that was shopping together at the other end of the store, and as I stood there watching them, I asked the Lord to clearly let me know if they were the ones. I noticed that they were picking up items one at a time and would discuss the item and either place it in their cart, or put it back on the shelf. The Lord clearly showed me that they only had so much money to spend and had to be careful what they were putting in their cart-----they were who I was supposed to help. So I went to the cashier and pointed out the couple and asked her if she would please give them the envelope when they came to the checkout (I didn’t tell the cashier what it was), and I left the store……not sure how they reacted or even who they were…..I just did what I was being asked to do and went back home.

That envelope of money has so many stories that I could share with you, but because of the length of this devotion, I am only able to share this one with you.

Something I have not yet mentioned is, every time I gave the money away, the Lord would somehow give it back to put into the envelope and sometimes it was more than I had given away-------whether it be to have another item sell on Craigs List, to have someone pay me cash for a small favor they needed, or to have an unexpected rebate check in the mail------HE ALWAYS REPLACED THE MONEY THAT HE ASKED ME TO GIVE AWAY----the envelope was never left empty for any length of time, and we HE always took care of every need we had throughout those 8 years of not having much.

I have never felt so blessed before as when I was able to give what I had to help someone else who was in need, and I am so thankful for those years of having little so that I could feel the joy and happiness that can only come from our Heavenly Father!

I pray that all of us will be able to keep our eyes open to people that the Lord specifically places in our paths, and that when HE tells us to help, that we help with all we have (and it doesn’t have to be with money….it can also be with our time and our love, or even just a listening ear).

Blessing to all of you,

Sherry Schut