How can I be generous on a limited income and resources?

About seven years ago, my husband and I were in a tough spot. We had an 1-year-old child, a baby on the way and a call to leave our job and follow the voice of the Lord into the seemingly unknown (cue “Frozen 2” theme song). In a burning and passionate pursuit of Jesus’s voice, we gave away most of our possessions and got on an airplane (we had no car either!) to move hundreds of miles and live in the house of a small family of strangers willing to take us in until we got on our feet. 
 
We had nothing. I mean … nothing. Just a couple of suitcases. A stroller and a car seat. And a pitiful savings account we thought would help us survive. 
 
We belonged to a large church at the time and we really wanted to sow in and be a part of the community on every level. We wanted to give our time, our talents, our resources—every week in church when it came time to tithe it felt like the biggest scariest leap of faith. My husband and I felt such a call to give, but sometimes our bank account was literally in the negative! We would be sweating, checking our phones to see if there was anything in our accounts … checking our wallets to see if a 20 had miraculously slipped in (sometimes it did! No joke!) our hearts were desperate to give to the work of the Lord. 
 
Eventually my husband heard the Lord say, tithe the tithe on the money you HOPE to make. What? How is that even possible? We are making like … no money … but we tried it! Why not?! We began to tithe the 10% of what we hoped for our paycheck to become. 
What we saw happen after that, I want to call it a miracle, but I honestly think it was just Kingdom principles finally aligning with our life because we aligned our life with the Kingdom! 

We gave. And we sowed. And we received checks in the mail, surprise envelopes full of money taped to our car (which was given to us for free), family members randomly putting money in our bank accounts, people sending us clothes for our children, grocery gift cards, gas gift cards—the list goes on. 

In the Kingdom, you reap what you sow. It’s not magic. It’s a principle of Heaven for which we are governed under. 
 
“Make no mistake about it, God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. The harvest you reap reveals the seed that was planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self – life into this natural realm, you can expect to experience a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap the beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit” (Galatians 6:7-8, TPT). 
 
To answer the question, “how can I be generous with limited income and resources”? Simply, ask the Lord, “what can I give?” He will tell you. Walk in faith, not by sight. Ask the Lord to free you from the mentality of limitations. Give in hope. Give fearlessly. Give with expectancy of return. Kingdom rewards and maybe even earthly ones too. Maybe it’s a dollar amount, maybe it’s a service to a neighbor, maybe it’s giving of time… 
 
No matter what. You should absolutely give. Don’t be deceived into not giving. Don’t live under the poverty mentality. In the Kingdom there is more than enough. And you are His royal priesthood. Matthew 8 says freely you have received the power of the Kingdom so freely you must give! My motto … “Give anyway!” .

Lt. Tabitha Swires
Salem, Oregon

How can I be an active ally in the church and the Black Lives Matter movement?

1. Pray and self-evaluate: spend real-time alone with Jesus and evaluate your own heart, biases, experiences and complicities. Repent of any ways you have contributed negatively or been silent, then ask God to reveal ways He wants YOU to move and act.

2. Educate yourself: Search God’s Word for what God says about justice and our role in it (Isaiah 58:6-12, Micah 6:8, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Ephesians 2:13-22, Galatians 3:27-28). Then read books, watch movies and view talks by authors and experts on racial justice and systemic racism. (See resource suggestions below for great options.)

3. Diversify your spheres: add diversity in the preachers you listen to, authors you read, movies/shows you watch, podcasts you enjoy, churches you visit, businesses you frequent, the circle of friends you keep, who you invite to “your table” and who you follow on social media.

4. Listen: join in on conversations with BIPOC to listen and understand—not to respond or interject. 

5. Speak up—everything from that “harmless joke” or “funny” accent impersonation to the outright racist stereotypes or intentional exclusion. Call it out in love and educate others on why it’s not okay!

6. Evaluate your church leadership: speak to your officers/pastors if you are concerned that your church leadership isn’t reflective of the congregation or the community. Are there persons of color serving as local leaders, corps council members, board members and other teams/supports?

7. Utilize great resources: The Salvation Army’s Social Justice Resource Center has put together an excellent resource for how you, as a Salvationist, can practically act and support the fight for racial justice. Follow them on Facebook too!

Captain Bethany Yocum
Johnson City, Tennessee

The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church.

An officer in The Salvation Army is an ordained minister of Christian faith. They dedicate their lives, skills and service completely to God. Submit your question to an officer at peermag.org/contribute