The Connection Corner

How God Provides Abundantly

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Malachi 3:10

Have you ever felt a pit in your stomach when you take leaps of faith? That is exactly what happened to our friend Kristie. Here is her story of generosity.

“‘Honey,’ I said hesitantly across the kitchen table, ‘once this goes through, we will barely have enough money to make it this month.’

My husband did not flinch. ‘God has us.’

I wanted to believe that. Truly, I did. However, tithing—giving ten percent of our income—felt like standing at the edge of a cliff with no safety net. Still, I took a shaky breath and pressed submit. Faith over fear.

The next morning, the knot in my chest had not loosened. But as I listened to my comfort station, 88.7 The Cross, I felt a different ache in my heart to give to the ministry.

‘God, you are in control,’ I whispered, knuckles white on the steering wheel. ‘You will provide.’

It felt like jumping out of an airplane with no parachute, but before I could talk myself out of it, I called and made a monthly donation.

As soon as I hung up, panic rushed in. What did I just do?

That afternoon, there was a knock at my office door. My husband stood there, eyes shining, holding a check.

‘Grandma sent this. She said God put it on her heart.’

I stared at the check. It was more than we had given and more than we needed! Tears welled up. This wasn’t just blind faith anymore. This was proof. God didn’t just ask me to trust Him—He showed me why I could.”

Perhaps today, you are standing at your own kitchen table, staring at a decision that feels impossible. Let this be your reminder. On the other side of obedience, you are falling into the hands of a God who always provides. He has never failed, and he will not start now.

February 24, 2025/by Linda Meyers

Jesus Walks with You

Daily Devotional

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalms 23:4

Charles had always believed in God, but he had never felt His presence quite like this.

One evening, he sat in his study, flipping through his well-worn Bible, and found himself lost in the story of Mary Magdalene. Closing his eyes, he let his imagination take over.

He pictured her standing in a garden, heartbroken. He could almost hear the rustling leaves and feel the damp earth beneath Mary’s feet as she wept outside of Jesus’ empty tomb.

She thought everything was lost. Through her tears, she barely noticed the man standing near her—until He spoke.

“Mary.”

It was one word. One moment. One voice she never thought she would hear again. It was Jesus, and that changed everything! He had been there all along, closer than she had realized.

Charles leaned over his desk, and in that instant, the presence of God was so real to him. It was so close. It was as if he himself were standing in that garden. He could even feel Mary’s heart leap as she realized—Jesus was alive.

His own heart pounded because this wasn’t just Mary’s story. It was his along with every believer’s story. Inspired, he reached for a pen and began to write a hymn.

” I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses…And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own…”

Over the years, “In the Garden” became more than just a song. It played at funerals, in church pews, and in hospital rooms where the weight of the world felt unbearable. The words were a reminder that Jesus was always near.

Perhaps today, you too feel like Mary, searching for hope, wondering where God is. Please know this—He is with you. When the weight of the world feels like too much, and when you can’t see the way ahead, He is there, closer than you think.

February 23, 2025/by David Hall

Love Heals

Daily Devotional, Lisa Williams

“We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

Love heals.

For most of my adult life, I dreamed of being a mom. I imagined late-night cuddles, tiny fingers wrapped around mine, and whispered “I love you’s” as I rocked my baby to sleep. In retrospect, I think it was because I wanted someone I could love.

And then, after years and years of infertility, I was blessed with my son, JD. Holding him, feeding him, memorizing every tiny feature—it was everything I had hoped for and more. Finally, I had someone to care for with my whole heart, without fear of rejection.

I soaked up every moment of being his mama. Loving him was the most natural thing in the world. But, one day, when JD was three, something happened I never saw coming.

He climbed into my lap, wrapped his little arms around me, and whispered, “Mommy, I love you so much.”

I froze.

Of course, I had said those words to him a thousand times. But hearing them spoken back? It stopped me in my tracks. Not because I didn’t know he loved me, but because I had never really considered what it would feel like to be loved back.

For years, I focused only on giving, pouring out what I had to offer. But in that simple moment, I understood something important: you cannot give what you haven’t allowed yourself to receive.

And I think that is true for a lot of us.

We give. We care. We pour out, hoping that in the giving, we will somehow be made whole. But love was never meant to be a one-way thing.

You were created to be loved, too.

Not just by family, not just by friends, but by the very One who knit you together. And His love? It is the kind of love that sees you, chooses you, and holds you close—no strings attached.

Love was never meant to be a one-way street.

Let love in. Let Him in.

Because love—real love—doesn’t just heal the people you pour into.

It heals you, too.

February 22, 2025/by Lisa Williams