Key verses
Philippians 4:4-7 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Luke
Luke 6:38 is another clear example of generosity. "Give, and it will be given to 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." Jesus said that. Doesn't it sound great? And the idea of giving abundantly sounds wonderful. God just needs to help loosen the grip we have on our time and money, doesn't he?
Just a side note on Luke 6:39, where Jesus talks about how a blind man can't lead another blind man. Every time I hear that phrase, I think of John Kenneth Galbraith's line in his book The Affluent Society: "The bland leading the bland" (p. 4). I'm not too certain if we should be drawing links between the two meanings, but it is an interesting use of the phrase.
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
Friday, May 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Turn us toward You
Psalms
"Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain" (Ps. 119:36). This verse in Psalm 119 caught my eye. As you read your bible, pay attention to what might stick out to you, and consider why God might be directing you to that particular passage. It may be for a specific reason.
"Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain" (Ps. 119:36). This verse in Psalm 119 caught my eye. As you read your bible, pay attention to what might stick out to you, and consider why God might be directing you to that particular passage. It may be for a specific reason.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Are we being generous?
Mark 12:41-44 -
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Just consider this story for yourself. Do you see yourself as being blessed when you offer back to God, or are you trying to bless God with your possessions?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Generosity overflowing
Doesn't it hurt to be generous sometimes? I don't know about you, but even though I want to give freely to God's mission, or those in need, or just enjoy a good time with friends, there's something in me that says, "No, this is mine. This is my money, my time." But how liberating would it be to just let go? If we have the right attitude, we would receive back one-hundred-fold the reward if we were generous versus reticent. If we do it grudgingly, and all the while think about what else could have been done with our resources, there's really no point, although after a while it might become a little easier to do. If you're one of the ones who finds it difficult to be benevolent, ask that God would develop that gift in you, and you'll see a difference.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Generosity, among other things
Key verses:
Isaiah 6:3 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
Luke 21:4 "All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Hebrews
Let me begin with the Hebrews passage, although that is the last one I read. I think what the author is saying here is that, in the past, God spoke to us through angels, and that message was important. BUT, he has now spoken to us through Jesus Christ and, since Christ is higher than the angels (as the author just argued in the previous chapter), we should listen to this greater message (hence, the great salvation in v. 3).
Luke
Note on Luke 21:6 - the destruction of the temple did come about in AD 70 when the Romans came and completely destroyed it.
Isaiah
Isaiah 8:12-13 showed me that there are always people around who want to distract you from the truth and get you to join their bandwagon.
For further investigation: who is Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14? The footnote in my bible suggests that it was a young boy living in the 700s BC. From our point of view, in the year of our Lord 2010, it's so easy to look through all of the Old Testament with the New Testament lens. I would have assumed that Immanuel in Isaiah 7 was referring to Jesus, but I will look into this further.
Proverbs
Proverbs 19:20 - a reminder to keep an open mind. Criticism or advice is sometimes hard to swallow, but it keeps us on the right track if we have the right attitude.
These proverbs have such good lessons for living life well! For instance, here's another one: "A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again." Be prudent about what you do (think before you act). How many times does a phrase like that get drilled into us, and yet how many hot-tempered people do you know (answer - perhaps too many?)? We have to actually live out what we're reading!
Life Application
What's one practice that I can take on today or in the days to come that will help drill into me what I have learned from today's reading? Greater generosity.
Isaiah 6:3 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
Luke 21:4 "All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Hebrews
Let me begin with the Hebrews passage, although that is the last one I read. I think what the author is saying here is that, in the past, God spoke to us through angels, and that message was important. BUT, he has now spoken to us through Jesus Christ and, since Christ is higher than the angels (as the author just argued in the previous chapter), we should listen to this greater message (hence, the great salvation in v. 3).
Luke
Note on Luke 21:6 - the destruction of the temple did come about in AD 70 when the Romans came and completely destroyed it.
Isaiah
Isaiah 8:12-13 showed me that there are always people around who want to distract you from the truth and get you to join their bandwagon.
For further investigation: who is Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14? The footnote in my bible suggests that it was a young boy living in the 700s BC. From our point of view, in the year of our Lord 2010, it's so easy to look through all of the Old Testament with the New Testament lens. I would have assumed that Immanuel in Isaiah 7 was referring to Jesus, but I will look into this further.
Proverbs
Proverbs 19:20 - a reminder to keep an open mind. Criticism or advice is sometimes hard to swallow, but it keeps us on the right track if we have the right attitude.
These proverbs have such good lessons for living life well! For instance, here's another one: "A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again." Be prudent about what you do (think before you act). How many times does a phrase like that get drilled into us, and yet how many hot-tempered people do you know (answer - perhaps too many?)? We have to actually live out what we're reading!
Life Application
What's one practice that I can take on today or in the days to come that will help drill into me what I have learned from today's reading? Greater generosity.
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