How Are We Stewarding the Gifts God Has Given Us for Writing?

by Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2
“When GAWD blesses you, He don’t even have you in mind.” 
Thus declared Dr. E.V. Hill, pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist church in Los Angeles, California. A man with a big voice and an even bigger faith, Dr. Hill encouraged his congregation to look beyond themselves as they stewarded their time, talent, and treasure. “God will give it to you,” he said, “if He knows He can give it through you.”
God brought Dr. Hill’s words to mind when I received the advance on my first book. Our family has always set aside the first portion our income to give to our local church, so I knew we’d give part of it to God’s work. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops,” Proverbs 3:9 reminds us.
As I thought back over God’s faithfulness on the long journey to publication, I remembered how He had led a dear friend, Sister Freda, from Kenya, to commit to pray for the success of Refresh Your Faith. “What if we donated a portion of the revenue from this book to Sister Freda’s ministry in Kenya?” I asked my husband, David. He wholeheartedly agreed.
My second book, Refresh Your Prayers, launched at the beginning of the war between Ukraine and Russia. I felt troubled and committed to pray for the believers in Eastern Europe impacted by the war. Again, I felt the Spirit nudging me to do more than pray—to earmark a tithe of the book’s proceeds to help the Ukrainians and those ministering to them.
When David and I prayed about which ministry to come alongside with Refresh Your Hope (releasing January 2023), our thoughts kept returning to a local ministry we’ve supported for years. Coincidentally called A Moment of Hope , this non-profit ministers to women and babies in crisis pregnancies. 
I hesitated to touch on this topic as I prayed about what to share with you on this month’s The Write Conversation blog. Verses about giving in secret, not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing, and never giving for others to see echoed in my mind. But at the same time, I wanted to share how the Lord has led us in the hope that He might choose to similarly inspire you. As God blesses you, I encourage you to prayerfully consider how He might have you use your resources to help others.
Don’t wait until you have a book advance from which to give. Many other ways exist to invest in God’s kingdom from the overflow of our writing. Has your local writers group blessed you? Give a tithe of your time to help the leadership. Do you believe in a local ministry? Use your writing talent to help them with communication. Are you part of a local church? Help with your church’s newsletter. Has God blessed you financially? Ask Him how to use those resources to help others.
When we remember that God owns it all—time, talent, and treasure—we can freely share what He’s entrusted to us with others. What a privilege. What a joy.
Now it’s your turn. How have you given back out of the overflow of your writing? Leave a comment and share your story.
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?1 Corinthians 4:7
TWEETABLEHow Are We Stewarding the Gifts God Has Given Us for Writing? Insight from @LoriHatcher2 on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Lori Hatcher is an author, blogger, writing instructor, women’s ministry speaker, and career dental hygienist. She writes for Our Daily Bread, Guideposts, Revive Our Hearts, and Crosswalk.com. Lori’s latest devotional, Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Restore Power and Praise, released March 1 with Our Daily Bread Publishing. Connect with her at www.LoriHatcher.com or on Facebook, Twitter(@lorihatcher2) or Pinterest (Hungry for God).