Devotion:
Someone’s Someone: The Hope and Joy of Giving
I stared at the cash in my baby bag like it was a mirage.
Where did this come from? How did it get here? I didn’t even have $100 in my checking account when I left for church that morning. Surely, this was not my money. And then it hit me: Someone at my church must have heard about our flat tire earlier that week and anonymously slipped $100 into my baby bag when I was distracted that morning. But who?
That Someone probably didn’t know that I hadn’t collected child support in more than two years and was trying desperately to live on my teacher’s salary alone while raising two toddlers as a single mother.
That Someone probably didn’t know that I already had lost my car and was well on my way to losing our home.
That Someone couldn’t possibly know that I sobbed in hopelessness on the side of the road days earlier when the tire went flat after work. I remember posting some snarky caption on Facebook, looking for sympathy, but certainly never expecting anyone to help.
And yet, Someone did help.
As a result, I replaced the tire and purchased enough gasoline to get me to work that week.
Now, many years later, much of that challenging season has been glazed over, but for some reason I have never forgotten this simple act of kindness. When I think about the kind of woman I’d like to become as I continue to grow and strengthen in my new life, I always think about the power of that Someone’s giving that Sunday morning. I want to be like her. I want to be someone’s Someone.
It doesn’t matter to me whether or not I get credit for my giving.
It doesn’t matter to me whether or not anyone thanks me.
I feel a compulsion to give when I see a need worth meeting, because Someone gave when they saw my need and it changed my life. And now, having been changed so monumentally by the giving of Someone else, I can’t wait to slip money into someone’s baby bag. I can’t wait to put money in the offering plate. I can’t wait to give what I can to those who have a need.
Jesus gave, too. He saw our need and gave everything He could – His life, His death, and His resurrection. It was all for us. Not once in the Bible does it say, “and Christ regretted it because the people were sinners.” Not once does it say, “and Christ watched over the people to make sure they deserved His giving.” Praise be to God – because we don’t deserve it.
When we have a need, we should be grateful and inspired if Someone helps.
When we can give, we should be seeking those opportunities to be someone’s Someone.
When it’s time to pass on the hope of giving, we should do it with joy and gratitude in our hearts. Never expectation or judgment.
And when we are unsure about our place in the spectrum of need, we should excitedly ask God:
“How can I step in and be someone’s Someone? Who needs what I can give?”
Lord, thank You for being my greatest Someone and for sending one of Your children to help me that day. I pray that You will show me how to give in powerful ways and equip me with the courage to do so with gratitude and joy in my heart. You are my hope, and I am your vessel – send me, Father.
- Take a moment to reflect on a time you remember feeling overwhelming gratitude in receiving.
- Next, reflect on a time you have felt overwhelming joy and purpose in giving.
- How might God be calling you to be Someone who brings hope in giving today?
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
‒ 2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
‒ 1 Chronicles 29:14, NIV
“A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.”
‒Proverbs 18:16, NIV
Emma Reynolds
Southeast Field Director
Prepare for Prayer
Quiet your heart and mind in prayer.
Our focus this month is on the Power of Giving.
Read: Matthew 6:4
“Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Pray: Lord God, as we meditate on what You taught us about giving to the needy, please help us to give not so that others would notice us, but so we would remember You are the One we serve, and You see us.
Thank God:
- that the power of giving is a gift and can be a great joy.
- that there is power in giving, and it is a way we show our love for God and others.
- that the power of giving is a way for us to show God that we ultimately trust Him to provide for those who need the love of Jesus, and to provide for us, too.
Pray for Your Group’s Upcoming Outreach Event
Read: Hebrews 13:16
“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
Pray: God, as our Planning Team prepares for our next outreach, we ask that You help us to do good and to share with those in need so they might experience your love and hear the good news of the Gospel.
Pray:
- for our ability to rely on God for the power of giving as He enables us.
- that our guests might be loved toward a relationship with Jesus Christ.
- for God’s Holy-Spirit power to guide us to give as He wants us to give for His Kingdom’s sake.
Sharing Your Faith
Read: Acts 2:46-47
“They worshiped together in the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity ‒ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
Pray: Oh God, there are so many women around us who do not know that You long to be their Father, and take care of them, just as you provide for each of us.
Pray for:
- grateful hearts that we are your daughters, and we worship You for your generosity in our lives.
- great joy and generosity as we share meals with others at Stonecroft outreach events as well as in our homes.
- more women to experience the power of giving and to give their hearts to Christ.
Pray for our Nation and Leaders
Read: Ezra 2:68-69a
“When they arrived at the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders made voluntary offerings toward the rebuilding of God’s Temple on its original site, and each leader gave as much as he could.”
Pray: Oh Faithful God, as we come before You in the power of giving, we ask for You to move in the hearts of our national and world leaders that they might be givers to those they seek to serve.
Pray for:
- leaders who have the power to give, that they might give out of that overflow and not worldly desires.
- renewal in believers in this country to live in generosity to those in poverty.
- protection from the evil one who may tempt us to lack contentment.
- the Church to become unified as a witness of God’s love, joy, and giving spirit in the name of Jesus.
Pray for the Stonecroft Family
Read: Exodus 35:22a
“Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. They brought to the Lord their offerings …”
Pray: Lord, You created us to be a family in the Body of Christ to live free from condemnation, and to remember that if the Son sets us free, we are free indeed (John 8:36).
Pray for:
- a reminder to live generously as we think about what was costly to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
- God to revive our hearts to live as women set free from consumerism.
- unity by the power of giving among all Stonecroft believers, serving not out of obligation, but out of release from selfish desires.
- more women to say “yes” to the life-giving power of Jesus’ death on the cross to bring new life!
Prayer Points:
Pray for Nancy Sprowls ‒ Data and Project Specialist
- Pray that Nancy will be accurate in her work and develop effective ways to collect data for decision-making by Stonecroft President and CEO Dr. Naomi Cramer Overton, the overall Leadership Team, and the Board.
- Praise for the smooth transition to new ministry software last year. Ask that the Lord continue to help staff find new, beneficial ways to use it.
- Pray for Robyne Baker ‒ Marcom Team Leader and Writer
Praise that God is writing stories of transformation through Stonecroft. Pray that Robyne writes these messages with clarity, enthusiasm, and joy so others will join in the celebration and vision to see 1 million women loved toward Jesus by 2025.- Pray that she can continue to be a help to her aging parents living a few states away.
- Pray for Stonecroft leaders such as Stonecroft Regional Administrators, District Consulting Coordinators, Regional Speaker Trainers, Regional Reps, Area Reps, Prayer Consultants, Chairs, and hub leaders as they serve their teams to live in the power of giving through God’s generous ways.
- Pray for our international partners, that they might be strengthened by the power of giving to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
- Pray for Friends of Stonecroft – In this month’s Friends of Stonecroft script, we learn about Diane Rose, who invited women from different parts of her life to a Where Love Lives group in her home. The experience was so powerful, the group continued to meet after Where Love Lives concluded.
Please pray:
- that women from all Where Love Lives groups in the February launch will continue to feel connected to others and God.
- that nonbelievers will desire connection to Jesus through the love they experienced in the group.
- that the process to re-release Where Love Lives will go smoothly so more women can experience relationships of love and connection.
Share Personal Requests
Pray for the power of giving to minister to one another and share personal requests of your group.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You for this prayer time together. We ask You to give us Your power to live in generosity. May we feel Your power of giving guiding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.