The Privilege of Giving
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6
I heard the story of a Southern preacher who was speaking to his congregation and said, "We have to crawl before we can walk."
The congregation responded in unison, "Let us crawl, Preacher. Let us crawl."
Then the preacher said, "We have to walk before we can jog."
"We have to walk, preacher, then. Let us walk," came the reply.
The preacher continued, "We have to jog before we can run."
"Let us jog, preacher. Let us jog," they answered.
"But before we can run," he told them, "we have to learn how to give."
There was a moment of silence, followed by these words: "Let us crawl, preacher. Let us crawl."
Any time a pastor raises the topic of finances, some people get a little uncomfortable. But the Bible certainly has a lot to say about money.
It is the main subject of nearly half the parables Jesus told. In addition, one out of every seven verses in the New Testament deals with this topic. Scripture offers 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 on faith, and more than 2,000 verses dealing with the subject of money.
One of the reasons we are uncomfortable with this topic is because of the abuse in this area on the part of some Christian leaders. This misrepresentation of God puts a bad taste in our mouths.
But let's not go too far the other way and fail to recognize that the Bible does have a lot to say about giving, and there are many wonderful promises attached to it.
Yes, it is a responsibility. But it is more than that. It is a privilege as well.
[ Pastor Greg Laurie ]
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Our Confidence Is in Jesus
I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
- Philippians 4:13
Satan does not want you to fulfill God's plan for your life because he knows that you are part of his ultimate defeat. If he can make you think and believe that you are incapable, then you will not even try to accomplish anything worthwhile. Even if you do make an effort, your fear of failure will seal your defeat, which, because of your lack of confidence, you probably expected from the beginning. This is what is often referred to as the "failure syndrome." The devil wants you and me to feel so bad about ourselves that we have no confidence in ourselves.
But here is the good news: We do not need confidence in ourselves-we need confidence in Jesus! I have confidence in myself only because I know that Christ is in me, ever present and ready to help me with everything that I attempt to do for Him. A believer without confidence is like a jumbo jet parked on the runway with no fuel; it looks good on the outside but has no power on the inside. With Jesus inside us, we have the power to do what we could never do on our own.
Once you learn this truth, when the devil lies and says, "You can't do anything right," your response to him can be, "Perhaps not, but Jesus in me can; and He will, because I am relying on Him and not on myself. He will cause me to succeed in everything that I put my hand to" (See Joshua 1:7). Or should the enemy say to you, "You're not able to do this, so don't even try, because you will only fail again, just as you have in the past," your response can be, "It is true that without Jesus I am not able to do one single thing, but with Him and in Him I can do all that I need to do" (See Philippians 4:13).
[ Joyce Meyer Ministries ]
Reverse and Restore
Today's Verse:
...Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever! For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed and return to be as it was at first, says the Lord" ( Jeremiah 33:11, AMP ).
Today's Word:
Are you going through a difficult situation in your life? Today's verse is a promise from God that tells us that when we have the voice of gladness and count it all joy, when we offer up the sacrifice of praise, God will cause captivity to be reversed and whatever has been stolen will be restored. Two words I love here: reversed and restored. No matter what is going on around you, when you stay full of joy and praise, God is going to turn things around in your favor. He is going to reverse negative situations. He's going to restore things you thought were lost for good! But notice it doesn't happen by complaining or being negative or sour. It happens when you have the voice of gladness, the voice of joy.
That means you get up in the morning with a song in your heart! You go out each day with a smile on your face. Things may not always go your way, but don't get discouraged. Shake it off and count it all joy. When you live with this attitude, you might as well get ready-God is going to reverse and restore every area of your life!
Prayer for Today:
Father in heaven, I come to you today giving you all that I am. I choose to praise you no matter what is going on. Fill my heart with joy and help me see the bright future You have in store for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
[ Joel Osteen Ministries ]
