November 21, 2012

"If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."
Matthew 7:11 (NLT)

I still think that one of the two or three best daily spiritual practices is being thankful.....just    tell God, "thank you" in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Do it all the time, it never gets old.  Your confidence in God will grow, your joy will increase, you will complain less    
 and you will see the world optimistically more often.                                                               

               
Try this.  At your Thanksgiving table before dinner give everyone a kernel of corn.  Then pass a jar around the table.  Each places their kernel of corn into the jar after verbalizing what they are grateful for.  Then conclude with a prayer of Thanksgiving.  If you want to get really biblical, pray as Jesus taught us to pray, saying (with a Thanksgiving twist). . . .

     "Our Father in heaven,
            may your name always be kept holy.
     May your kingdom come
            and what you want be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.
     (Thank You for giving) us the (abundance of) food (family and friends)
            we need for each day.
     Forgive us for our sins,
            just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.
     And do not cause us to be tempted
            but save us from the 'Evil One'.
     (For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever, Amen)"
                                                                        Matthew 6:9-13 (NCV)

November 20, 2012

 

Would you say that your life is built on the Rock?

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds
a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise
and the winds  beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. 
But anyone who hears  my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds
a house on sand.  When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that
house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)

                                              "Salvation is Confidence in God"
                                                                                      Dallas Willard

          I really like this definition of salvation by Dallas Willard.  My sins were dealt with
          on the cross but Jesus kept telling people just like you and me that we must "believe."

          Rob Prestowicz of Urban Promise told me once that he thinks the thing that i
          mpressed Jesus most above all things was the faith that he witnessed in certain
          people.  "Believe", "trust", "faith" . . . . perhaps in day to day living they all boil down
          to confidence. . . . confidence that God knows what He's doing and that He knows
          what He's doing with your life.
      

"Lord, I am asking you to lead me to that new level of faith which is Life on the Rock. 
Take me beyond intellectual belief to a confidence in You that I feel in my chest, gut, and emotions.    Amen"

November 19, 2012

 

"You are the salt of the earth . . . ."
Matthew 5:13

In the first part of Jesus teaching on the hillside, Jesus taught that  God's "Good Life" is available to all, the worst of sinners included ("you are the salt of the earth").

In the second part of His teaching, Jesus illustrated how radically different the Good Life is from the life that we think is good, but never works.  (Salt gives a new taste to the "usual")

In the third part of Jesus teaching, He teaches us the "how-to" of having a vibrant inner life with God (salt must retain its "saltiness").

It is the crucial reminder that you cannot give away what you yourself do not have.

Read Matthew 5:21 through 7:23 and notice how "salt retains its 'saltiness'" through giving to the needy, praying in private, fasting in private, storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth, not fretting about tomorrow, telling God what your needs are, refusing to judge, and making sure your  life is built on what Jesus taught.
      

"Lord, guide me to position myself so that I received from You everything you want to give to me, so that I can give those same things to others."    Amen"

November 16, 2012

"God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat.  In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.  Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.  And when we take your gifts to those who need them they will thank God.  So two good things will result from this ministry of giving -- the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God."
2 Corinthians 9:10-12(NLT)

God will "produce a great harvest of generosity in you."

       As you prepare to dedicate a portion of your income as "Holy to the Lord"  (Leviticus 2
       7:30), know that God is using this commitment as a means to remake you into the
       image of His Son.  God not only wants to bless you so that you can bless others, He
       wants to grow something in you, a "harvest of generosity", which blesses God, others
       and you, so much so that  . . . ..

"You will be enriched in every way."

       This is simply the way God set up the world to work.  Givers are the receivers.  My
       prayer for you is that, as you decide by what amount you will increase your % of giving
       to the Lord in 2013, you will find yourself "enriched in every way."
       
"The needs of (others) will be met."

       I pray that you will experience the blessing, not of "having to give", but of "getting to
       give."

"They will thank God for you."

       In God's economy, the rewards that last are not monetary, material or economic. 
       God's rewards come from within your obedience to him.  One cannot put a price on the

       reward of receiving the genuine gratitude of another.
      

"Lord, I pray that my act of dedication this Sunday will be received by you "as Holy to the Lord."   Amen"

November 14, 2012

      "The one who plants generously will get a generous crop. . . And God will generously 
       provide all you need.  Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left 
                              over to share with others."     2 Corinthians 9:6-9(NLT)

"The one who plants generously will get a generous crop."

       The first great revolution in human history happened when someone dropped some
       seeds on the ground and thought, uh oh, I just wasted part of my meal for tonight, only
       to discover that something more abundant grew from the seeds.  The result was
       farming and civilization. Before this, to deliberately throw something valuable onto the
       ground looked foolish.  But someone did and life happened.  It has been said that all
       human civilization has been built on this one observation.  It is not a command.  It is just
       how things are.  "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains a
       solitary grain of wheat.   But if it dies, it will be a rich harvest"  (John 12:24).  When I
       plant what is for me something sparse into the soil of God's economy, then these two
       things happen. . . . . . . . .


"And God will generously provide all you need"
      
"Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."
     

"Lord, lead me to lead my family this week to be planters so that, as we do so, You will provide, probably not everything we want, but certainly everything we need.  And as we do, thank you for the gift of having plenty left over to share with others..  Amen"

November 13, 2012

 

"You must each decide in your heart how much to give.  And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure.   For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)

"You must each decide in your heart."
       On Sunday each of us will dedicate a portion of our income to the Lord.  My challenge
       to myself and to you is to determine the % of your income you now give to God and
       then to increase that % for 2013.  It is that % which each of us will dedicate to the Lord. 
       Of course your giving will increase ministry to others through CLC but perhaps the
       biggest thing it will do is grow you spiritually.  Each step you take toward tithing and
       beyond is a holy step.  Those who grow in giving are those who grow in Christ.

"And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure."
       Do your best not to give out of guilt, pressure, or reluctantly.  Seek the "want to". 
       Where the "want to" is, there is the prompting of God.  However, it also works the other
       way around.   The discipline to act against your desire not to give often creates a
       breakthrough to the heart of God.  Thus it is also true that where disciplined obedience
       is practiced, there is the Spirit of God.

"For god loves a person who gives cheerfully."
       Personally the best view of giving that I know of is to make sure my giving hurts at
       least a little bit.  But, after I've done what hurts (and therefore know that actual sacrifice

       is involved), then I'm happy.  I feel God's Spirit saying "well done" and I count that as
       cheerful!


"Lord, guide me this week as my family and I make a commitment to give that honors You.
Thank you, Lord.  Amen"

November 12, 2012 - Learning to Give

Learning to Give

 

Our generosity to God and others not only touches God and other people; it also changes us. As human beings, we were created with the need to be generous. When we are not generous in giving of what we have, we have not only a financial problem but also a spiritual problem.

To use a somewhat graphic yet extremely effective analogy, it is as if we have become financially and spiritually constipated. We keep taking in, but we’re not giving out. After a while, it becomes uncomfortable and causes us pain. Sometimes we may not even realize what is happening. We’re taking in, but it is not satisfying us because we were not made to take in and never give anything back. We were created for generosity. Over time, we become self-absorbed, money-consumed, joyless people. This is what a lifetime of financial and spiritual constipation looks like: joylessness.

The only way to find relief is to learn to give. When we are generous—to God and to our families, friends, neighbors, and others who are in need—our hearts are filled with joy. They are enlarged by the very act of giving. When we give generously, we become more generous. That is how generosity works.

In the beginning, we may be hesitantly generous. We may be reluctant. But something happens to us in the midst of our giving, and we find ourselves becoming more generous. In this respect, generosity is similar to love and gratitude. Sometimes we may not feel love, but when we choose to act in loving ways, loving feelings begin to flow. Sometimes we may not feel like giving thanks, but the best way to cultivate a heart of gratitude is to give thanks in all circumstances. Likewise, the more we give, the more generous our hearts become.

Generosity changes us, filling us with joy and filling our lives with blessings. When we are generous with what we have, we find that unexpected blessings flow back into our lives, catching us by surprise. Somewhere along the way, as we see our acts of generosity helping others and perhaps even changing the world, we say in wonder and amazement, “Wow, look what happened,” and we find ourselves blessed. What’s more, as our generosity blesses others, they are changed, too.

(adapted from Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity)

Four Spiritual Action Steps  

     Determine what % of your gross income you currently give God.
     Find a way to increase that percentage.  Discuss this with your family.
     As you do, note your feelings, thoughts and attitudes.  What do you notice?
     Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 9:6-15

As you do each of the above, the Lord will be revealing things to you about Himself and yourself!  What are you discovering?

         Comment