"So take heart, men, for I have faith in God..." (Acts 27:25 ESV)
Have you ever considered how much your faith affects other people's faith? Paul did! And on the day when most men expected to die in an angry sea, Paul had faith that all would live. Therefore, he could say, "Take heart! I have faith in God!” A man with a word from heaven straight from the mouth of God cannot be moved! His resolve is unshakable. His mountain-moving faith holds firm for himself and others who will join him in believing. Negativity indeed spreads like wildfire, and men become quickly infected with its contagion. In most cases, fear drives such unbelief, causing people to believe for the worse. The crew that Paul was sailing with was expecting the worst based on what their eyes could see and what their bodies were experiencing. Paul had a word from God! The Word of God is living and active. It is spirit, and it is life. It causes the heart of the hearer to resonate with faith! That faith causes things that are not to be as though they were. As you pass through this life, walk with the Word of God hidden in your heart. Be convinced of its power and surety! Let your confidence in it be known to all. Indeed, the faith you stand in will be contagious for others to stand in as well. May they take heart from the fact that you believe.
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"The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:25, NLT)
If you want to grow in generosity, ask God to give you the desire to be generous to others rather than resenting the time, energy, money, and inconveniences that can be involved. Let me share with you seven practical ways to grow in generosity:
Generosity is not something that happens naturally with most people. Many times, it is taught through relationships. But most times, it is an intentional decision that we make in our lives. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3, NLT) "But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity." (Isaiah 32:8, NLT)
Generosity is a pathway to Thanksgiving. The Bible has much to say about generosity because it is the record of a generous God reaching out to an impoverished and lost humanity. What is generosity? Webster defines it as the quality of being kind, understanding, and not selfish. It is the willingness to give to others. Generosity is the willingness to give something of value, such as money, time, attention, etc., to someone else without expecting anything in return. Generosity begins with God! John 3:16 says, "God first loved us." In Romans 5:8, He revealed His kindness to us while we were yet sinners. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that it was Christ who, "though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor". Generous is who God is. It describes how He interacts with us. Generosity begins in the heart. Being generous starts with a heart attitude of treating each person as though they have already achieved the potential of greatness that is in every one of us. Generosity is the opposite of being selfish. Generosity gives because it is in the heart to give to others. After all, we want to! It is how God gave to us and God treats us. Generous people make room for God's love to flow through them, touching other people's hearts. Generosity becomes the pathway to thanksgiving. "…thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live."
(1 Thessalonians 5:18, The Message Bible) Give thanks in all circumstances. There are no "exception clauses" regarding when we are to give thanks. We are to give thanks "in everything'". The words "in everything, in all circumstances, no matter what happens" come from one little Greek word: 'ALL.' It is all-inclusive. We are to give thanks "in everything". This leads to our big question: Why should I give thanks in all things? Answer: Because it is the will of God. It is what He desires of us. God is not asking us to give thanks for all things. He is asking us to give thanks in all things. There is a big difference between the two. Now, the question is: "How can we give thanks when bad things happen?" First, we resolve to do God's will, which is to be thankful in all circumstances. Second, we look for the grace of God that He extends to all of us: His ability in us to do what we can't do in and of ourselves. Third, when you find grace, you have found God, and God is enough! When bad things happen to us, giving thanks to God is our way of escape! Paul and Silas praised God while in prison with their backs bleeding. Somehow, they found grace, and when they found grace, they became joyful in their circumstances. "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, NLT)
It is the will of God that we be thankful in all circumstances. Thanksgiving is the essence of Christian living. This should be the natural expression of all who call themselves Christians. So, what does it mean to be thankful? In the New Testament, the Greek word for thanksgiving is "Eucharististo.'" It means 'to be thankful' or 'to give thanks.' Some churches call communion time 'the eucharist.' The root word of eucharisto is charis (grace). Therefore, we are grateful for God's grace first and foremost. "Chara' means joy. Joy is what you experience when you are thankful for the grace that has been given to you. Understand this because you cannot do what God is asking if you don't. Gratitude without understanding grace can't produce joy. Grace exists in every situation of life that we find ourselves in. The key is seeing that grace and knowing that it is God's ability in us, empowering us to get through every situation and circumstance in life. This is why I say, "You have to find God when life is difficult!" I am saying that you have to be able to see and receive the grace of God when life is hard. Being thankful in all circumstances produces the joy we experience when finding His grace. Therefore, I can always be joyful if I can see His grace. "...For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38, ESV)
People often get the terms' amount' and 'measure' confused. When you give, God is never looking at the amount you give but the measure you use. This is another principle of the Kingdom of God. Someone could give away a million dollars and never miss it. Yet others could give away $20 and will have given everything they have. God does not look at amounts but measures. Consider Jesus; one day, He was with His disciples near the Temple. He points out a small widow and says, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them." (Luke 21:3, ESV) She gave out of her poverty all she had, while they gave out of their abundance, never feeling what they offered. God looks at the measure, not the amount. This principle is given within the context of "Give and it shall be given to you." I remember once receiving supplies for hurricane victims. On this particular day, we were given two chainsaws. Neither of them worked! What kind of measure was that? A very poor one. Needless to say, we did not send them any further. I have found this principle to be trustworthy through the years. When in need, sow or give. Give according to what you need so that you receive back a measure that is pressed down and shaken together. And learn to love the joy of giving! "give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."" (Luke 6:38, ESV)
Many people are not aware of the Kingdom of God. Many believers have heard the words 'Kingdom of God', but do not believe it exists. But within the Kingdom of God are systems or ways of doing things that only exist within that Kingdom. Every country has a particular way of doing things within that country. It is how that country operates. The Kingdom of God is no different. If you are born again and believe that you are now subject to King Jesus and serve within His Kingdom, you must learn to operate by the laws of that Kingdom. One of the laws of the Kingdom of God is sowing and reaping and giving and receiving. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you." When you give in faith, understanding the law of giving and receiving within the Kingdom of God, you set in motion spiritual principles that must take place. Jesus tells us to expect to receive back a measure that is pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. My responsibility is to give! God's responsibility is to see that the measure gets back to me. It is a Kingdom principle that God wants all His children to learn to walk in. "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." (Proverbs 22:7, ESV)
History proves that the rich rule over the poor. It matters not the nation, community, or people group because the rich will always rule over the poor. One of the ways the rich rule over the poor is through debt. As our scripture says, "...the borrower is the slave of the lender. Consider the average credit card interest rate: anywhere from 20% to 28% at the time of writing. That is' highway robbery!' To be in debt with that kind of interest proves that the borrower is enslaved to the lender. It is a tragedy when people are forced to use credit cards because of unforeseen circumstances. It is an even bigger tragedy when people sell their souls to credit card companies because they lack self-control. The reason I am writing today is to sound the alarm! This is the time of year when many families go into debt, all for the sake of buying Christmas gifts. Families enslave themselves to lenders who are laughing all the way to the bank. Do not enslave yourselves to credit cards this year! Get free! Do everything within your means to live free of credit cards. This is what the diligent do: live free! Christmas is not about gifts! It is about receiving the Gift of Life in Christ Jesus. It is about celebrating the Life/Jesus, who came to give us life! "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty." (Proverbs 21:5, ESV)
The word diligent means to be sharp, to cut. When speaking of a person, it refers to their ability to understand and put into action. Diligent people are problem solvers. They are people who work smarter, not necessarily harder. They can 'cut' to the heart of a matter. The diligent seem to always be finding ways to abundance. They are not jumping onto 'get rich quick' tricks. They think through what they will do, like a farmer preparing to plant his crop. They do not just toss seeds on the ground. They will do their best to help the seed do its best. Look at these other amazing things that happen when a person practices diligence:
One translation of Proverbs 21:5 says, "Shortcuts lead to poverty." Diligence may take longer, but the wait will be worth the outcome. The prosperity principle in our passage is that diligence pays off! "Do your homework!' as one investor said. It is part of your 'due diligence.' Shortcuts do not pay off in the long run. Be diligent! For diligence leads to abundance, rule, precious wealth, and a prosperous soul. "Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich." (Proverbs 21:17, ESV)
The Bible has much to say about prosperity and poverty. You have to work to be poor, and you have to work to be prosperous. Most people do not think about it that way. Most people believe that poverty comes easily and wealth is hard to find. They do not realize they are working principles to stay poor. For example, our scripture above offers three ways to remain poor: love pleasure, love wine, and love oil. What is Solomon saying in this proverb? He is saying that if you are addicted to pleasures, you will have an empty life. You will always be looking for the next thrill and spending your hard-earned money on things that do not satisfy or increase. Solomon is saying that if you are a lover of wine or alcohol, you will be consuming your hard-earned money only to fill your toilet with it. Solomon is telling us that the man who spends all he has on himself has no consideration for his future. So if you want to be poor, spend all you can on yourself without regard for your future. Most people do not realize they are working a poverty principle to stay poor when they constantly spend their money on themselves. There is a reason most lottery winners are broke within a few years of winning the lotto. How often are you working the principle to stay poor? |
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