Chapter 44 - The Check Is in the Mail

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,
so let him give;…”

—2 Corinthians 9:7

We were on furlough as missionaries to

Belize. On a Wednesday night, we were off
to our home church, which at this time was located
in Welcome, North Carolina. We were especially
excited about this night because missionaries from
South Africa were going to be there to give an
update about their work.
    We arrived early in order to be able to speak to
the missionaries before the service. We had a tremendous
fellowship, and then it was time to begin.
Pastor Surratt opened the service in prayer. Next,
we sang songs, and the church took up an offering.
It was time for the Mercers, missionaries to South
Africa, to share their ministry. Brother Mercer
showed slides and spoke of his work in that land.
Because of our fifteen years of serving in Africa, we
could relate to everything he said.
    Brother Mercer preached a good sermon, and
while he was preaching, the Lord impressed upon
my heart to give twenty dollars to him and each
member of his family. I didn’t have a lot of money
and I was a little hesitant at first. I wanted to be
sure the Lord was speaking to me. Brother Mercer
finished his message and Pastor Surratt closed the
service. Still, I could not escape the Lord’s leading
to give this offering to the Mercers.
    After everyone had greeted the Mercers, I
walked over with my wife and children and gave
each one in the Mercer family a twenty-dollar bill. I
enjoyed being able to do this. They thanked me with
big smiles, and we headed out to our vehicle. As we
were walking out, I was thinking about what had
transpired, and the Lord impressed upon me that He
was going to give me back much more than I had
given to the Mercers. He did not say when or how,
but that He was going to do it.
    With eager anticipation, I waited and wondered
for days, excited about what God was going to do.
Eleven days later the pastor of a local church in
Lexington, North Carolina, called and said, “This
past Sunday I was impressed by the Lord to take up
an offering for you and your family.”
    Surprised, I said, “You were?” and “You did?”
Laughing, he replied, “Yes, we did, and the check
will be in the mail.”
    I couldn’t help asking, “Pastor how much is that
check going to be?”
    “The love offering was $1, 600,” he said.
    All I could say was “Praise the Lord!” Then the
Lord reminded me of the twenty dollars that I had
given each member of the Mercer family eleven
days earlier. Can we ever outgive the Lord?

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)