Generously – April 9, 2009

Generously

2 Corinthians 9:8

Jim Stephens

04-09-09

 

Scripture:

 

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 9:8 NLT)

 

This section of Paul’s letter (2 Corinthians 9:8-16) caught my attention years ago and I am learning by experience that it is absolutely true!  I get stirred by it every time I read it and I want this to be the story of my life.

 

Like a farmer planting good seed in good soil, the productive potential of generous giving is enormous!  Jesus told a story about seed that produced thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was planted.

 

Paul said that giving to help those in need is like planting seed that multiplies into a continually reproducing harvest.

 

10 For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NLT)

 

Prayer:

 

Father, I thank you for your generosity and the generosity of those you have used to pour blessing into my life.  I purpose to live and give as a channel of blessing to others.  May I always be generous with my time, generous with my love, and generous with my resources.  Amen.

Everyone Is Invited – February 3, 2009

Everyone Is Invited

Exodus 35:5, 10

Jim Stephens

02-03-09

 

Scripture:

 

“5 Everyone is invited to bring these offerings to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze… 10 Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the Lord has commanded.”  (Exodus 35:5, 10 NLT)

 

Observation:

 

God desired to dwell among his people, so he instructed them to build a holy place where his presence could reside and where he could meet with them.  Once he gave Moses the plan for the Tabernacle, everyone was invited to contribute to the project according to what they had and everyone was invited to participate in the construction according to their God-given skills.

 

If their hearts were stirred and they desired to do so, they brought to the Lord their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle and its furnishings and for the holy garments. (Exodus 35:21 NLT)

 

Application:

 

There is still plenty of opportunity for those whose hearts are stirred!  For everyone who loves God and loves people and desires to serve, there is opportunity to give and opportunity to use our God-given skills.

 

In this season of economic downturn there is need and opportunity on every hand.  Let’s ask God to stir our hearts with a desire to give and serve, and to show us how to use our God-given skills to do the most possible good.

 

Prayer:

 

Father, Please don’t let us miss the hour of greatest opportunity to honor you and to serve others.  Your word says that we all have resources and we all have God-given gifts and skills.  Direct us by your Spirit so that we can be your instruments of blessing and peace.  Amen.

 

Like God Gives – January 21, 2009

Like God Gives

Luke 21:1-4

Jim Stephens

01-21-09

 

Scripture:

 

1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people putting their gifts into the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two pennies. 3 “I assure you,” he said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Luke 21:1-4 NLT)

 

Observation:

 

It’s interesting that Jesus took time to watch people give.  Wealthy businessmen proudly dropping in cloth bags of gold coins, fathers leading their young sons to the collection box and coaching them as they dropped in silver coins, and a poor widow shyly putting two copper coins in the box and quickly walking away, embarrassed at how little she had given.

 

Jesus called to his disciples and showed them how God sees our giving.  It’s not how much you give that gets God’s attention (this is the God who created a billion galaxies and owns the cattle on a thousand hills), it’s how much you have left when you have given (this is the God who gave his one and only son so we could live and not die).

 

Application:

 

How can I give like God gives?

·        A single mom who earns the income that provides for her kids and still gives her time to serve others and her tithe to do God’s work gives like God gives.

·        A busy executive who carves out a piece of his most valuable resource, his time, to serve in his church or community, and who gives financially in a way proportionate to his income gives like God gives.

·        The young woman or man who postpones the career track for a couple of years to serve the under-resourced or to represent Jesus in an under-evangelized nation gives like God gives.

·        The older person who sacrifices well-earned leisure to parent the parentless or utilize a lifetime of skills to meet a present need in church or community gives like God gives.

 

Prayer:

 

Father, help me learn how I may give like you give.  Help me by my words and my example influence others to give and live in a way that Jesus will notice.  Amen.

 

Generous – December 11, 2008

Generous

Philemon 4-6

Jim Stephens

12-11-08

 

Scripture:

 

4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. (Philemon 4-6 NLT)

 

Observation:

 

What an amazing story!  Philemon was a prosperous member of the Colossian church whose slave Onesimus had run away to Rome.  Onesimus probably knew Paul from visits Paul had made to Philemon’s house where one branch of the Colossian church met.  Somehow Onesimus made his way to the place where Paul was imprisoned and Paul led him to faith in Christ and then convinced him to return to Philemon, submit himself, and make things right.  Paul wrote this letter to ask Philemon to generously and graciously forgive Onesimus and receive him back, now as a brother in Christ.

 

Paul used the phrase, “The generosity that comes from your faith..”

 

Application:

 

People who have much of this world’s wealth can be generous because of their faith.  Instead of merely heaping up wealth for themselves, they can be major impact givers to the needs of others and of God’s work.

 

People who have less or even little can be generous because of their faith.  Instead of miserly hoarding of their scarce resources, they can be faithful and gracious givers out of what they have, knowing that God will cause the seed they sow to produce a good harvest and that he will bless them with treasure in heaven.

 

Prayer:

 

Father, help me to be generous because of my faith.  Help me not only to give as an exercise of spiritual discipline but to give joyfully and generously in faith that you will provide and that I will have enough to give and give again.  Amen.

 

Broken Pieces – November 23, 2008

Broken Pieces

Matthew 14:19-20

Jim Stephens

11-23-08

 

Scripture:

 

19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God’s blessing on the food. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave some of the bread and fish to each disciple, and the dicsciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. (Matthew 14:19-20 NLT)

 

Observation:

 

It’s interesting that Jesus’ two recorded miracles of multiplying food are both in today’s reading.  The other miracle, in Matthew 15, reads like this:

 

35 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd. 37 They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. (Matthew 15:35-37 NLT)

 

In both instances, Jesus asked the disciples what they had in hand and they brought their very limited resources to him.  He took their meager supply of biscuits and dried fish and thanked God for it and blessed it.  Then he broke the biscuits and fish into pieces and gave it back to them and they took the pieces and broke them again and again and gave them to the people until every one had enough to eat and the leftovers they collected amounted to a thousand times what they started with.

 

The miracle involved the multiplication of meager resources that Jesus’ disciples brought to him and placed in his hands.  Jesus thanked God for what the disciples placed in his hands!  Jesus blessed what his disciples placed in his hands!  Then Jesus started the miracle by breaking the bread and fish into pieces and giving some bread and fish to each disciple.  The miracle continued in their own hands as they walked among the people breaking the bread and fish again and again until everyone had more than enough.

 

Application:

 

My miracle will begin when I care enough about the needs of others that I bring my meager resources to Jesus.  Jesus will be thankful for what I have offered and will bless it and put it back in my hands for sharing.  And as long as I keep sharing, there will keep on being enough.  I wonder what happens to the leftovers?

 

Prayer:

 

Father, sometimes I am insensitive to the needs of the people around me (Jesus said, “You feed them!”).  Other times I’m overwhelmed by the size and scope and complexity of the needs (Jesus said, “Bring me what you have.”).  When I see how gifted and successful others are, I don’t feel what I have is good enough or really matters (Jesus took what they brought him and thanked God for it and blessed it.”).  I want everything to be pretty much clean and pain-free and in order  (Jesus’ miracles involved only broken pieces.).  Ok, here’s my dry biscuit and my slightly-smelly sardine.  What’s next?  Amen.

 

Eager To Give – November 17, 2008

Eager To Give

2 Corinthians 8:12

Jim Stephens

11-17-08

 

Scripture:

 

If you are really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give.  God wants you to give what you have, not what you don’t have. (2 Corinthians 8:12 NLT)

 

Observation & Application:

 

I love Paul’s instructions and promises to the Corinthians in chapters 8 and 9.  I don’t want to be over-dramatic about this, but the simplicity of God’s view of compassionate giving causes faith and joy to rise up in my heart!

 

If I want to give, I can simply give and God doesn’t measure how much I give in proportion to the need, or in proportion to how much someone else gives.  God measures how much I give in proportion to what I have.

 

Even if I feel my giving is inadequate and I find myself wishing I had more or thinking, “Some day maybe my giving can really make a difference!” God looks at what I give and at what I have and says, “That’s good!”

 

Prayer:

 

Father, thanks for making it possible for anyone with a giving heart to give as much as a millionaire.  Thanks for the beautiful simplicity of your way of doing things.  Amen.