Weekday Devotionals
Points of Passion Sunday
In Sunday’s service Pastor Pete showed us how Generosity and Evangelism go hand in hand. More specifically, he gave us a full account of our giving and how our generosity has impacted so many people and ministries, both locally and globally. I was seriously impressed. It’s a connection I hadn’t thought of before.
Our finances have generously affected not only the lives and circumstances of many, but also the hearts of many. Likewise, the smallest act of kindness and kinship, like holding the door for someone, smiling and saying hi to a stranger in the checkout line, stooping to pick up an item for someone who dropped it, etc., are also acts of generosity and result in shining the light and love of Jesus to someone who needs it. Because, we all need it! We are evangelizing through our acts of compassion, shining the light on the One who lives inside us.
Col 3:23 commands us: Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, like you’re doing it for God, not man, (And vs.24 follows with the promise): knowing that “from the Lord” you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Jesus.
Mat 25:40 reminds us that whatever we do for one of the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus, we’re actually doing for Jesus himself. We are His hands and feet here on planet earth and we reflect His love, generosity and compassion. And it really doesn’t take much. When we give our time, our money, our spiritual gifts, or our resources we are being faithful in our generosity and we are evangelizing through our actions.
Some may think it’s way easier to be randomly kind to someone than it is to trust someone else with their hard earned dollars. It’s a problem for many, actually, but if you truly know God and understand His character (by reading His word) then your faith will be in Him alone and you only need to relinquish control to Him. It’s hard to relinquish control of our money if we have little say in where it’s going, but please remember Proverbs 19:24 where it says that “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the Lord shall be made known.” And His ways are always higher than ours.
Jesus tells us in Mat 6:3 “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,”. This is one of my favorites. In other words, give it and forget it. Don’t keep an account, don’t make a mental list because this is really just between you and God. And vs 4 says: “…so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This is a command with a promise! And as 2Cor 9:7-8 tells us: “God loves a cheerful giver; one who gives from the abundance of his heart, not from someone else compelling or obligating him.”
God gives us good things because He loves us. When we love Him the way He loves us, with hearts full of faith and trust and obedience, generosity will naturally flow and not because we’ll get a reward but because we love Jesus. It doesn’t matter if it’s money or time or a note in the mail to say I love you. It’s about your heart and your obedience. We’re asked to bring our tithes to the house of the Lord, to help those in need, and to be kind to everyone. It’s not one or the other, it’s all those things. It’s a full measure of obedience and trust. It may be hard to do at first but when you trust Him, He will surely bless you.
I don’t know about you but I get so blessed when I bless someone else! That’s my immediate reward and I don’t expect anything else! I know God sees me.
Be Blessed! Susan G
In Sunday’s service Pastor Pete showed us how Generosity and Evangelism go hand in hand. More specifically, he gave us a full account of our giving and how our generosity has impacted so many people and ministries, both locally and globally. I was seriously impressed. It’s a connection I hadn’t thought of before.
Our finances have generously affected not only the lives and circumstances of many, but also the hearts of many. Likewise, the smallest act of kindness and kinship, like holding the door for someone, smiling and saying hi to a stranger in the checkout line, stooping to pick up an item for someone who dropped it, etc., are also acts of generosity and result in shining the light and love of Jesus to someone who needs it. Because, we all need it! We are evangelizing through our acts of compassion, shining the light on the One who lives inside us.
Col 3:23 commands us: Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, like you’re doing it for God, not man, (And vs.24 follows with the promise): knowing that “from the Lord” you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Jesus.
Mat 25:40 reminds us that whatever we do for one of the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus, we’re actually doing for Jesus himself. We are His hands and feet here on planet earth and we reflect His love, generosity and compassion. And it really doesn’t take much. When we give our time, our money, our spiritual gifts, or our resources we are being faithful in our generosity and we are evangelizing through our actions.
Some may think it’s way easier to be randomly kind to someone than it is to trust someone else with their hard earned dollars. It’s a problem for many, actually, but if you truly know God and understand His character (by reading His word) then your faith will be in Him alone and you only need to relinquish control to Him. It’s hard to relinquish control of our money if we have little say in where it’s going, but please remember Proverbs 19:24 where it says that “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the Lord shall be made known.” And His ways are always higher than ours.
Jesus tells us in Mat 6:3 “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,”. This is one of my favorites. In other words, give it and forget it. Don’t keep an account, don’t make a mental list because this is really just between you and God. And vs 4 says: “…so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This is a command with a promise! And as 2Cor 9:7-8 tells us: “God loves a cheerful giver; one who gives from the abundance of his heart, not from someone else compelling or obligating him.”
God gives us good things because He loves us. When we love Him the way He loves us, with hearts full of faith and trust and obedience, generosity will naturally flow and not because we’ll get a reward but because we love Jesus. It doesn’t matter if it’s money or time or a note in the mail to say I love you. It’s about your heart and your obedience. We’re asked to bring our tithes to the house of the Lord, to help those in need, and to be kind to everyone. It’s not one or the other, it’s all those things. It’s a full measure of obedience and trust. It may be hard to do at first but when you trust Him, He will surely bless you.
I don’t know about you but I get so blessed when I bless someone else! That’s my immediate reward and I don’t expect anything else! I know God sees me.
Be Blessed! Susan G
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