Generous Growth

On January 13, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 11: 24 – 25

There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want. There generous man will be prosperous and he who waters will himself be watered.

How is it that the one who gives generously shall increase all the more while the person who hordes shall experience lack? It hardly makes sense. This, however, is the law of sowing and reaping that Jesus taught his disciples and is still teaching us today. This is how the Kingdom of God works. You cannot reap a harvest without putting some seed in the ground. When the Israelites were being fed in the desert by manna from heaven, they found that when they tried to store away extra, it rotted. That is what happens with our resources. I am all for saving but not at the cost of being tight fisted and stingy. The Kingdom goes to those who learn how to give.

I have noticed that the people who get the most disturbed about Christians and especially ministers having substance are those who are not givers. The reason might be that they simply do not have a revelation yet of how generous Father God is yet. They seem afraid to release anything that belongs to them. Once they find out that there is joy in giving then they will no longer be afraid of loss. Then, perhaps, they will not begrudge others having material wealth because they will understand two important principles. First, they will not fear that someone else having wealth means that they will somehow be deprived and second, they will understand that those people acquired their substance through their own generosity as the scripture says. Once we understand how the kingdom of God works and have experienced God’s generosity in our own lives then there really is no place for fear of lack or jealousy.

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Legacy

On August 26, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 13: 22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

We tend to like the last part of this verse but the first part doesn’t get much play time. Yes, it is true, the sinners are busy building mansions that the saved will live in. However, we are not meant to spend all of that wealth on ourselves. We are supposed to leave a legacy for our grandchildren.

We have all seen the bumper sticker which reads, “I am spending my children’s inheritance.” While that is funny at one level, it is tragic at another. Our economies, both personal and social, suffer because we have forsaken the sound financial principles that God handed down to us. We have become consumers on a grand scale. We no longer worry about saving for a rainy day because we expect someone else to catch us if we fall. We depend on our parents, the government or even the church. When did it become the responsibility of others for our welfare?

God wants to have a personal, financial relationship with you. He wants you and He to cooperate in the financial future of you and your family. It is not his intent, however, to prosper you so that you can spend it all on your own lusts. He intends for you to build a heritage by listening to Him. This financial plan will bless us but if we will listen to God and manage it correctly, it will also be a blessing to generations who follow us. Tithe ten percent and save ten percent. Build a strong foundation for future generations. Then teach them to tithe ten percent and save ten percent. If we would begin to do this, I mean if we all began to follow God’s economic plan, we could put our economies back on their feet in no time. There is a way which leads to destruction and there is a way which leads to abundance. Let’s follow God’s way.

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IT WORKS!

On January 19, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 6: 38

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

If you have been reading this devotional for any period of time you know that I believe in this principle. I very much believe in the principle of seed, time and harvest but it is so easy to lose our conviction as we await our harvest. I shared the story of my overseeding my lawn this year and how I was beginning to wonder if anything was ever going to happen. All of a sudden, grass sprung up all over my yard. So the message there is, “Don’t give up on your seed.”

Recently I saw the truth of give and it will be given to you in striking reality and I want you to know that it really does work. Someone I know gave a significant contribution to a ministry. There were no strings attached. She is just a cheerful giver. The next thing she knew was that she received a gift of greater value than the donation she made. The gift was completely unexpected. It fairly came out of the blue.

Later she called me with her testimony. She realized that God led her to give. You see, God had in mind all along the blessing He wanted to get to her so He had her sow a seed which He then multiplied into something larger. God is so good and that is the way He works. And, it works all of the time. Even when you don’t see it working, those little seeds are in the ground sending out roots and growing. Before you know it you have a crop. Yahoo for harvest! 

So this isn’t theory, it isn’t empty theology. The Bible is a “How To” manual and it tells us how to reap a harvest … plant a seed. If you give, God will take that little seed and turn it into a full harvest. Just think how many tomatoes one tomato plant yields. That is God’s economy at work. Whatever you give to Him, He multiplies back to you many times over. So, if you have a financial need, give. It is the most counter-intuitive thing in the world but it works gang. Give and it shall be given unto you. Don’t believe me? Run your own experiment. See what God will do when you become a giver. I’m telling you, you will never have to worry about finances again.

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The Blessing of the Lord

On August 25, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 10: 22

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.

Upon what are you dependent for you prosperity? I hope it is not this economy because the present economy is sure to let you down. We are blessed in the Lord with every blessing under the sun. Part of that blessing is the wealth of God. Having a hard time believing that? Look at Kind David or his son Solomon. Solomon was the richest man ever to live. He was so wealthy that he didn’t even bother to count silver. It just wasn’t worth his time or effort.

Modern day Christians have a hard time receiving all that God has to give because we have bought into the lie that it is wrong for Christians to be wealthy. That doesn’t even make sense and it certainly isn’t biblical. You are the kid of the Almighty, you should be abundantly blessed. Deuteronomy 28: 6 says that we are blessed coming in and going out. 

Do not worry about this present economy. It only means that the world system is failing. Your prosperity and the provision for your needs are not in the hands of the world but rather in the hands of the Almighty. Lift up your eyes and your voice to him. Tell him that you are putting all of your trust in him for your financial well being and you will be able to look back on these times and say that in the worst economic climate since the great depression you prospered.

   

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