MONEY
A Financial Jumpstart
By Dan Reany and Andrew Knox
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– Mike Simons and his wife Gayle were making a good living running the family auto repair business. But medical bills and lots of overspending left them with a heavy debt load.
“We owed more money than we made in a year,” Mike said. “There were times when things were awfully tight. I guess we were being punished for our stupidity of spending before.”
They’d both fallen away from the Lord as teenagers. But in the early 90s, they started going to church again, and they started reading the Bible.
“The principles in there said to give your first fruits,” Mike said. “It wasn’t a decision I needed to make. I was being faithful, and I was being told that was what I needed to do.”
And that is exactly what the couple did.
“After we started going to church and tithing, one of the first things I noticed was that when we did the checkbook on Saturdays there would actually be money left over by the end of the week,” Gayle said. “I started to see little things like that.”
Besides tithing to their church, Mike and Gayle joined The 700 Club.
“I thought it was great that you could become a member for $20,” Gayle said.
This all happened right around the time Mike took over the family business from his dad. Mike says he also started to get some new ideas about how to run the business more effectively too.
“It all just worked for the better” he said. “Business worked better that way. I’d never been to any kind of school or anything. It was like God said ‘This is the way you’re supposed to do it.’ I did it, and it worked.”
As a result of those changes, and their faithfulness in giving, Mike started to see the business and their finances grow.
“He did give back without us expecting Him to,” Mike said. “We didn’t tithe to receive. We just tithed out of honor to God.”
In fact, as they increased their giving their business grew so much that they were recently able to open a second garage. The new one is about four times the size of their first.
“I think it’s only because we’ve honored God and done what He’s told us to do,” Mike said. “It’s funny how you honor God and do what you’re supposed to do, and He just takes care of you.”
Mike and Gayle discovered a powerful truth from God’s Word. Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV)
God wants to bless you too, just as He has blessed the Simons'. One way you can give to God’s work is through CBN. Not only will you reach thousands each day with a message of truth and hope through The 700 Club, you will also help feed and clothe children around the world, bring medical aid to those suffering and so much more. Please join with us today.
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