A Testimony by Lee Stauffer

My desire in this testimony is to first bring honor and glory to God for His holy, sovereign ways. Secondly, I want to use the Word of God to present a heart-stirring, life-changing challenge to all those who name the name of Christ.

The portion of Scripture to which I will be referring is found in Matthew 6:19-34, where Jesus commands us to seek first the kingdom of God. As I sit and write here today I am 29 years old, single, and trusting God in a very practical way. The last five years of my life I have obeyed and lived the things that God taught me from this portion of Scripture while I served in the foreign mission field for four years prior to that. Many don’t know it (I didn’t), but most of the world doesn’t come close to the lifestyle that you and I live.

I was born and raised in a Mennonite home. My parents left the horse and buggy setting for a more liberal church. Looking at the norm around us today, I would say that we lived below the average as I grew up.

A very deep impression was left upon my heart as a young boy. I observed my industrious father and neighbors around me and worked for my uncle on his farm (a produce, dairy, and greenhouse operation). By the age of 15, my heart was totally wrapped up in materialism and business. In fact, it was at this age that my first opportunity to have my own business came my way. If I had been a year older, I would have gone this way unless God would have intervened. He has so graciously intervened numerous times since then in my life when “business opportunities” presented themselves and seemed to say: “Over here, Lee. Now you can ‘go for it!’” That is the dream that most young men have here in affluent Lancaster County.

At the age of 18, God very graciously broke my heart and stripped me of all my aspirations and dreams. I laid all on the altar for Christ and made a commitment to follow Him. God showed me the very selfish life I had been living as a Christian for the past four years. It wasn’t long until a service opportunity was opened for me, and I readily and wholeheartedly drove those church vans picking up “city kids” for Sunday school.

I was not totally surprised when I was asked to consider the call to go into foreign missions. It was during my time there that God did a greater work of breaking, crushing, stripping, and revealing all the things that I had been taught and embraced through my growing-up years.

I began to realize that God was preparing me to return to America, the land that is filled with people seeking wealth, caught up in materialism, possessed with sports, and pursuing a lifestyle that is too busy for God and His kingdom work.

Considering a return to this kind of environment was overwhelming. I found myself crying out to God, saying, “I can’t just go back and live that ‘acceptable, normal’ lifestyle knowing that most of the world knows nothing of such a standard of living.” Dear friends, many times we take our standard of living for granted, myself included. We do not consider what comforts and conveniences we could live without.

Consider this thought: Just because we live well within our means does not justify the current lifestyle that we find ourselves living.

Upon my return to the States, I found God to be very faithful in honoring the prayer and cry of my heart to not get caught up in the things He had removed from my heart and life the past few years.

God provided me with a part-time job 25 to 27 hours a week with a flexible schedule in being able to take off with a bit of prior notice. God also provided numerous other opportunities of ministry, one as an assistant chaplain in a detention center for imprisoned juveniles. I found myself with “time” to be a missionary right here in Lancaster County.

I can testify that once we are willing to take God at His word, He is then faithful in guiding us and providing for each step of the way. Hallelujah!

It has taken a bit of adjusting as I would be faced with a whole day and have absolutely nothing planned or anything that just had to be done other than saying, “God, what do You have for me today? It’s Your day!” There have been times when I felt like I just wasted away the day, but God has shown me very clearly that He doesn’t give us those service opportunities until we are willing to provide Him with our availability. Do you want God to use you? All you have to do is begin to set days aside where you as an individual have nothing planned other than God’s will.

You may ask, “Well, how do I do something like this? How does this work for me since I’m married and have a family to provide for?” God knows the answers to all these questions, and He will be faithful to guide you personally, but you must step out in faith and avail yourself to God.

In a very practical way, this is how this principle of seeking first God and His kingdom works in my own life: Lower the cost of living; get rid of all the extras. Buy most of your clothing used. Drive older yet dependable vehicles. Stay home when others run around here and there. Refrain from always needing to have the biggest and best. Pray over your finances; ask God for wisdom in making even small purchases. Just say “no!” Even though you make less, give to God. Wait to purchase needed items till they’re on sale. If well planned and disciplined, you can save money by buying used items at auctions or yardsales; however, it can easily work the other way too. Remember, a bargain isn’t a bargain just because it’s cheap.

Once you have allowed God to guide you in rearranging your lifestyle to please Him, make a commitment to still save up some money—if for no other reason than to be a good steward and to discipline yourself to not spend every dollar you earn. Every year as I look back over my finances (even when there have been unexpected costs), I marvel at how much is left over from so little. Again, praise to God for His faithfulness in my life.

God may not be asking you to live the life He has chosen for me. However, I challenge you to take this principle of seeking first the kingdom of God and apply it in a very practical way to your life as God leads you. Oh, that God would raise up in the last days a group of Christians who have their lives filled with a practical faith and trust in God!

Living for Jesus,
Lee Stauffer