By Cindy Beall
Possessions and money. The almighty dollar. This is actually one of my favorite things to talk about. I absolutely lu-huv giving financially. It is so much fun. So much fun.
First and foremost let me say that the tithe is not a matter of generosity. It's a matter of obedience. Don't agree? Check out Malachi 3.
Once that is happening in your finances, try increasing your giving percentage by a few points. Give to a missions organization or to a group that lends aid.
When you are comfortable with that increase, raise it again. Send someone's child to summer camp or buy school supplies for a needy family or take a friend out to lunch and spring for the bill.
If you find yourself feeling pretty good about those things mentioned above, raise that percentage again. 10% should be the starting place, not the finish line.
Here's a crazy idea. Give a car away
Did I just say that? Seriously? A car?
Yes, yes I did. Sure did. It's extremely fun. Oh, and why don't you go ahead and get the car cleaned before you take it to its new owner. And the oil change that is needed? Don't make them do it. If you wanna have some real fun, fill the baby up with gas. You'll be laughing all the way to the gas station.
For some of you, this is resonating within you. Heck, you've probably already started searching through your house to find things to give away. If I'm speaking your language, then give! And do it all year long...not just during the month of December.
Any awesome giving stories that you'd like to share?
They always pump up my faith so bring it!
Scripture Of The Day: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." - 2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)
Cindy Beall is a Christ follower who uses her gift of exhortation by writing and mentoring women. She uses her past experiences, including the near death of her marriage, to encourage people that God truly does redeem. For more information about Cindy, log onto http://www.cindybeall.com
Showing posts with label importance of giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label importance of giving. Show all posts
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Great Commission
By Dr. Frederick K.C. Price
In all the years I've been a pastor, I have never heard anybody talk about the second commission. We've always thought about just one commission, the Great Commission. I believe that the other commission is the foundation for the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18).
Beginning with John 21:15 is the other commission. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus the disciples were together and Peter said, "I'm going fishing." And the other disciples said. "We are going with you." They went and fished that night and didn't catch anything. Then afterward, Jesus appeared to them, prepared breakfast for them and told them where to drop their nets and they caught a net full of fish. After they ate, verses 15-17 says:
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." Hesaid to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend (the traditional King James version says, "feed") My sheep. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." The word feed is the Greek word bosko and it means "to nourish, to provide food" ... to feed people in the natural with food and/or spiritually.
This is the other commission, but most everybody gets fixated on "over there, everywhere but here." But "over there" is based on "over here," because when Jesus gave them the commission He said to them, "now don't you dare leave Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high, because you will be witnesses to me [in Jerusalem]" (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).
In order to accomplish the Great Commission, there has to be a strong home base. In order to have a strong home base; you have to feed the sheep and lambs.
Sheep and lambs are not sinners. They are the saved. He says to "go feed the nations." I'm talking about spiritual food. He said go preach the gospel. Sinners need the gospel preached to them. Christians need to be fed the Word of God.
Every born-again person has a part in God's global strategy to bring an awareness of His love to mankind.
The Bible says in John 3:16, "God loved the world." He didn't just say He loved Christians or just white, black, red, brown, yellow folks. It says, God so loved the world. He loves everybody.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:11-16: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (a mature fully grown man) man...
Godly maturity is developed from knowing the Word. That's why Jesus told Peter, "feed my sheep and feed my lambs." In other words, take care of them or tend to them and see that they get strong ...
...to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies...
Every joint supplies - not some of the joints supply. Not a few of the joints supply, but every joint supplies. If you are in the Body of Christ you are a joint and there is something that you can contribute. You need to find out what your part is and do it.
We are all that God has. He doesn't work through angels; He works through men. He works through those who have been blood-bought and blood-washed. If we are not yielded to Him, we stymie God. We hinder the love of God to be shared with others.
Scripture Of The Day: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." - James 1:27 (NKJV)
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan. To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit http://www.faithdome.org.
In all the years I've been a pastor, I have never heard anybody talk about the second commission. We've always thought about just one commission, the Great Commission. I believe that the other commission is the foundation for the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18).
Beginning with John 21:15 is the other commission. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus the disciples were together and Peter said, "I'm going fishing." And the other disciples said. "We are going with you." They went and fished that night and didn't catch anything. Then afterward, Jesus appeared to them, prepared breakfast for them and told them where to drop their nets and they caught a net full of fish. After they ate, verses 15-17 says:
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." Hesaid to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend (the traditional King James version says, "feed") My sheep. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." The word feed is the Greek word bosko and it means "to nourish, to provide food" ... to feed people in the natural with food and/or spiritually.
This is the other commission, but most everybody gets fixated on "over there, everywhere but here." But "over there" is based on "over here," because when Jesus gave them the commission He said to them, "now don't you dare leave Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high, because you will be witnesses to me [in Jerusalem]" (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).
In order to accomplish the Great Commission, there has to be a strong home base. In order to have a strong home base; you have to feed the sheep and lambs.
Sheep and lambs are not sinners. They are the saved. He says to "go feed the nations." I'm talking about spiritual food. He said go preach the gospel. Sinners need the gospel preached to them. Christians need to be fed the Word of God.
Every born-again person has a part in God's global strategy to bring an awareness of His love to mankind.
The Bible says in John 3:16, "God loved the world." He didn't just say He loved Christians or just white, black, red, brown, yellow folks. It says, God so loved the world. He loves everybody.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:11-16: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (a mature fully grown man) man...
Godly maturity is developed from knowing the Word. That's why Jesus told Peter, "feed my sheep and feed my lambs." In other words, take care of them or tend to them and see that they get strong ...
...to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies...
Every joint supplies - not some of the joints supply. Not a few of the joints supply, but every joint supplies. If you are in the Body of Christ you are a joint and there is something that you can contribute. You need to find out what your part is and do it.
We are all that God has. He doesn't work through angels; He works through men. He works through those who have been blood-bought and blood-washed. If we are not yielded to Him, we stymie God. We hinder the love of God to be shared with others.
Scripture Of The Day: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." - James 1:27 (NKJV)
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan. To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit http://www.faithdome.org.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Do What You Have The Power To Do
By Bishop Vashti McKenzie
We would all like to do some good during the time God grants us life. Yet, some who could do good are unsure about when to do good, how long to do the good thing, when do you stop doing good or to whom the doing good is extended.
The Bible encourages us to give to all who ask. But suppose you have nothing to give? The Bible tells us about serving others through the ministry of hospitality because we may be entertaining angels unaware. What about all the “unangel-like” personalities who show up in between? The Bible encourages us to return good for evil but sometimes people get tired of being taken advantage of and returning good is the last thing on their minds.
If we have two coats give one away. You did and now there are twenty others hoping you’ll do the same for them. You’ve given your offering and tithes and now someone is asking you to stretch to do even more.
You are not insensitive to the needs of those around them. You have not forgotten what compassion feels like or how compassion compels you to give to those in need and serve the Lord with gladness at the same time. You may not be sure of the when and how of your response.
There is Biblical encouragement and examples. There is also a sea of role models from the pages of the Holy Scripture and living in the 21st century. After all wasn’t it written in the gospel of Mark that it was Jesus who went around doing good.
We’d all like to do some good during the time God grants us life. The book of Proverbs offers some help. Proverbs is the practical side of God’s commands. It is a “How-to guide” about how people are to behave and how things work written by someone who has done that and been there. It is wisdom by experience that lines up with God’s instructions on how to live.
1. Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel. (Proverbs 11: 17) It is a privilege to be a conduit for God’s love towards someone else. The experience may bring calm, peace and some feel-good feelings. This may help answer the question, "What’s in it for me?" The refreshing of your own soul.
2. The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on. (Proverbs 16:26) Hunger or the possibility of hunger may help someone develop the skills to take responsibility for their own lives. When their pay is docked because they keep coming to work late, hunger may motivate them to be on time. When they lose the job because they were not productive, hunger may motivate them to do better next time. When you say no after they have borrowed from you too many times because they spend too much on wants and come to you to fund their needs, hunger may motivate them towards financial discipline. This may help answer the question of how often do I do good. It may also help you shape the kind of good you do. A food pantry, community garden, job fair, employment opportunities and training, a shelter, or a support group are all different ways to meet a hunger need.
3. Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. (Proverbs 3:27) If you have the means to respond, do not withhold good from those who are in need. If you have it to give, give. God is not asking you to do what you cannot do or give what you do not have to give. If you have the power to act yourself or you can influence others to provide service, by all means get the job done.
I have discovered that if you have the desire to do good, to serve or to give, God will empower you to act or provide you with the resources to act. Do what you have the power to do, the Lord being your helper!
Scripture Of The Day: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.” - Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is the presiding bishop of the 13th Episcopal District of the AME, and serves as a guiding example for women and church leaders throughout the country. For more on Bishop McKenzie, visit http://www.13thame.com or hear her messages daily at http://www.thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com.
We would all like to do some good during the time God grants us life. Yet, some who could do good are unsure about when to do good, how long to do the good thing, when do you stop doing good or to whom the doing good is extended.
The Bible encourages us to give to all who ask. But suppose you have nothing to give? The Bible tells us about serving others through the ministry of hospitality because we may be entertaining angels unaware. What about all the “unangel-like” personalities who show up in between? The Bible encourages us to return good for evil but sometimes people get tired of being taken advantage of and returning good is the last thing on their minds.
If we have two coats give one away. You did and now there are twenty others hoping you’ll do the same for them. You’ve given your offering and tithes and now someone is asking you to stretch to do even more.
You are not insensitive to the needs of those around them. You have not forgotten what compassion feels like or how compassion compels you to give to those in need and serve the Lord with gladness at the same time. You may not be sure of the when and how of your response.
There is Biblical encouragement and examples. There is also a sea of role models from the pages of the Holy Scripture and living in the 21st century. After all wasn’t it written in the gospel of Mark that it was Jesus who went around doing good.
We’d all like to do some good during the time God grants us life. The book of Proverbs offers some help. Proverbs is the practical side of God’s commands. It is a “How-to guide” about how people are to behave and how things work written by someone who has done that and been there. It is wisdom by experience that lines up with God’s instructions on how to live.
1. Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel. (Proverbs 11: 17) It is a privilege to be a conduit for God’s love towards someone else. The experience may bring calm, peace and some feel-good feelings. This may help answer the question, "What’s in it for me?" The refreshing of your own soul.
2. The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on. (Proverbs 16:26) Hunger or the possibility of hunger may help someone develop the skills to take responsibility for their own lives. When their pay is docked because they keep coming to work late, hunger may motivate them to be on time. When they lose the job because they were not productive, hunger may motivate them to do better next time. When you say no after they have borrowed from you too many times because they spend too much on wants and come to you to fund their needs, hunger may motivate them towards financial discipline. This may help answer the question of how often do I do good. It may also help you shape the kind of good you do. A food pantry, community garden, job fair, employment opportunities and training, a shelter, or a support group are all different ways to meet a hunger need.
3. Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. (Proverbs 3:27) If you have the means to respond, do not withhold good from those who are in need. If you have it to give, give. God is not asking you to do what you cannot do or give what you do not have to give. If you have the power to act yourself or you can influence others to provide service, by all means get the job done.
I have discovered that if you have the desire to do good, to serve or to give, God will empower you to act or provide you with the resources to act. Do what you have the power to do, the Lord being your helper!
Scripture Of The Day: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.” - Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is the presiding bishop of the 13th Episcopal District of the AME, and serves as a guiding example for women and church leaders throughout the country. For more on Bishop McKenzie, visit http://www.13thame.com or hear her messages daily at http://www.thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Investing With Confidence
By Lisa Crum
Several years ago, shortly after my husband and I got married, we had the opportunity to have dinner with a friend who is a financial planner. Naturally, before the evening was out, we were asking him the type of questions any couple might who’s getting older and barreling toward retirement like a runaway train. Between dinner and dessert, our friend graciously explained to us the difference between investing in mutual funds and stock picking.
Later, when I went to work briefly at a financial advisory firm (as office help, not as an advisor, I might add…my disclaimer being to take this as an object lesson in Christian living and not financial advice!), I learned a little more about the subject…but it pretty much just boils down to this.
Passive investing in a mutual fund or an exchange traded fund is a hands-off approach, where you place money in an indexed pool of investments of a particular kind, managed by a fiduciary who is experienced in investing, and you let it ride over the long haul during good times and bad; the idea being that the good times do outweigh the bad and eventually you come out on top.
Active investing, also known as market timing or playing the stock market, might put you more in charge of calling the buy/sell shots, but often places you in a situation where you’re a day late, and then a dollar short. You see something doing well, you buy stock in it; but by that time, everyone else knows it’s doing well and therefore the value (and the price you’ll have to pay for it) goes up.
You find one of your investments doing poorly, you hurry up and try to sell the stock before it bottoms completely out, and then you wind up losing money because you often must sell it for less than you paid. There are endless reasons argued by pundits on both sides why one or the other is the better method, but like a cheesy slogan I’ve heard on TV about some unknown gadget, it sounded pretty good to me to just “set it and forget it.”
If you can forget it, that is…You know, kingdom work is a lot like financial investing, and there’s a lot to learn from examining the parallels. I don’t know about you, but one of the things which drives me regularly to the cross to ask for forgiveness is my tendency to try to play “stock market” with the love of God.
Jesus chose to invest in a very diverse group of people, and then let His decision rest in the Fiduciary’s hands. Some would serve Him forever, would spread His message into all the earth, and many would even die a martyr’s death in His name. Some, however, He knew might never straighten up and fly right, yet He loved them and was good to them anyway, giving them every opportunity to do right until the very end.
He included a Judas when He ordained the twelve. He healed all ten lepers, knowing only one would remember to come back and give thanks. What Jesus taught us through His example leaves us inexcusable for our finicky, selective doling out of the love of God to people in this mixed up, dying world. He’s telling us to love others as much as we love ourselves…and to love God even more than that (Matthew 22:37-40).
Since He did not give us any footnotes to clearly define which of our “neighbors” might fit that love-your-neighbor commandment, we must take it that He means to love them all! Yep, not just the trusted one next door who lends you his cordless drill when you forget to put yours on charge…but also the one who plays his music way too loud and lets his dog come over to “do its business” on your lawn!
The same goes with family, coworkers, and the like. We’re called to love not just the grandchildren whose voices on the other end of the phone send our heart soaring, but also the co-worker who would lie on us and make us look bad just to advance herself. The outcome may not always be what we wish, but people can’t help but be impacted by the love of God if you’ll dispense it and not sparingly.
Your grandchildren and your co-worker may remember that love for two entirely different reasons, but you can be certain that neither will be in vain, and neither will go unnoticed in heaven. It’s a hard discipline to learn, isn’t it? But it works consistently because Jesus modeled it with perfection.
After mingling with saints, sinners, temple-dwellers, and tax-collectors, He said to His Father regarding those with whom He’d been entrusted, “…not one of them got away, except for the rebel bent on destruction (the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).” John 17:12 THE MESSAGE
Know this: your love and prayers perpetuate beyond your earthly life, and the returns on your investment will not be fully realized until you meet some of your “shares” in eternity! Not one ounce of it is wasted, so you can’t afford to write off one single person on your prospectus.
There are always going to be some folk with whom you prefer to surround yourself (as do all of us), but never let it be said that you hoarded up the love of God to use on just those people you thought were most deserving or who are the most likely to become followers of Christ. You’re not the Fiduciary, so instead of analyzing who’s worth the trouble, who will or will not ever change, or who will be the most appreciative, just permit Him to use you as a conduit to make this priceless gift available, as Jesus did, to whosover will.
He’s well able to take care of the rest of the details. “…I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.” - 2 Tim 1:12 NLT
Invest liberally, and with confidence!
Scripture Of The Day: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." - 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
Lisa Crum is a freelance writer and Christian songwriter. She is a staff member at Regional Church of God in Delbarton, WV, where she serves as administrative/ pastoral assistant as well as in music ministry. For more information about Lisa Crum, visit http://www.regionalchurch.org.
Several years ago, shortly after my husband and I got married, we had the opportunity to have dinner with a friend who is a financial planner. Naturally, before the evening was out, we were asking him the type of questions any couple might who’s getting older and barreling toward retirement like a runaway train. Between dinner and dessert, our friend graciously explained to us the difference between investing in mutual funds and stock picking.
Later, when I went to work briefly at a financial advisory firm (as office help, not as an advisor, I might add…my disclaimer being to take this as an object lesson in Christian living and not financial advice!), I learned a little more about the subject…but it pretty much just boils down to this.
Passive investing in a mutual fund or an exchange traded fund is a hands-off approach, where you place money in an indexed pool of investments of a particular kind, managed by a fiduciary who is experienced in investing, and you let it ride over the long haul during good times and bad; the idea being that the good times do outweigh the bad and eventually you come out on top.
Active investing, also known as market timing or playing the stock market, might put you more in charge of calling the buy/sell shots, but often places you in a situation where you’re a day late, and then a dollar short. You see something doing well, you buy stock in it; but by that time, everyone else knows it’s doing well and therefore the value (and the price you’ll have to pay for it) goes up.
You find one of your investments doing poorly, you hurry up and try to sell the stock before it bottoms completely out, and then you wind up losing money because you often must sell it for less than you paid. There are endless reasons argued by pundits on both sides why one or the other is the better method, but like a cheesy slogan I’ve heard on TV about some unknown gadget, it sounded pretty good to me to just “set it and forget it.”
If you can forget it, that is…You know, kingdom work is a lot like financial investing, and there’s a lot to learn from examining the parallels. I don’t know about you, but one of the things which drives me regularly to the cross to ask for forgiveness is my tendency to try to play “stock market” with the love of God.
Jesus chose to invest in a very diverse group of people, and then let His decision rest in the Fiduciary’s hands. Some would serve Him forever, would spread His message into all the earth, and many would even die a martyr’s death in His name. Some, however, He knew might never straighten up and fly right, yet He loved them and was good to them anyway, giving them every opportunity to do right until the very end.
He included a Judas when He ordained the twelve. He healed all ten lepers, knowing only one would remember to come back and give thanks. What Jesus taught us through His example leaves us inexcusable for our finicky, selective doling out of the love of God to people in this mixed up, dying world. He’s telling us to love others as much as we love ourselves…and to love God even more than that (Matthew 22:37-40).
Since He did not give us any footnotes to clearly define which of our “neighbors” might fit that love-your-neighbor commandment, we must take it that He means to love them all! Yep, not just the trusted one next door who lends you his cordless drill when you forget to put yours on charge…but also the one who plays his music way too loud and lets his dog come over to “do its business” on your lawn!
The same goes with family, coworkers, and the like. We’re called to love not just the grandchildren whose voices on the other end of the phone send our heart soaring, but also the co-worker who would lie on us and make us look bad just to advance herself. The outcome may not always be what we wish, but people can’t help but be impacted by the love of God if you’ll dispense it and not sparingly.
Your grandchildren and your co-worker may remember that love for two entirely different reasons, but you can be certain that neither will be in vain, and neither will go unnoticed in heaven. It’s a hard discipline to learn, isn’t it? But it works consistently because Jesus modeled it with perfection.
After mingling with saints, sinners, temple-dwellers, and tax-collectors, He said to His Father regarding those with whom He’d been entrusted, “…not one of them got away, except for the rebel bent on destruction (the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).” John 17:12 THE MESSAGE
Know this: your love and prayers perpetuate beyond your earthly life, and the returns on your investment will not be fully realized until you meet some of your “shares” in eternity! Not one ounce of it is wasted, so you can’t afford to write off one single person on your prospectus.
There are always going to be some folk with whom you prefer to surround yourself (as do all of us), but never let it be said that you hoarded up the love of God to use on just those people you thought were most deserving or who are the most likely to become followers of Christ. You’re not the Fiduciary, so instead of analyzing who’s worth the trouble, who will or will not ever change, or who will be the most appreciative, just permit Him to use you as a conduit to make this priceless gift available, as Jesus did, to whosover will.
He’s well able to take care of the rest of the details. “…I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.” - 2 Tim 1:12 NLT
Invest liberally, and with confidence!
Scripture Of The Day: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." - 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
Lisa Crum is a freelance writer and Christian songwriter. She is a staff member at Regional Church of God in Delbarton, WV, where she serves as administrative/ pastoral assistant as well as in music ministry. For more information about Lisa Crum, visit http://www.regionalchurch.org.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Lifestyle Of Giving
By Tanya James
I get very excited about giving. I mean uncontainable excitement and guess what, I am not even thinking about financial giving. It seems sometimes we get stuck there – believing the only way we can give is with money. This means if we don’t have any money, we may feel that we have nothing to give.
However, there are so many other ways to give. Matter of fact, giving should be a part of your lifestyle. It should be something that you do so freely and regularly that it’s just a natural part of who you are.
So you ask, "How can I give something other than money?"
You can give of your time by serving in a ministry within the four walls of your church or even volunteering with an organization in your community. Going even further than that, make sure you are giving your time to your family. Don’t always give the best of you to everyone else and only give your family your leftovers.
You can give of your heart and compassion to those that may simply need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on or someone to pray with them. Sometimes giving of your heart may be sharing an encouraging word or even a simple hug or hello to a stranger.
Of course, you can also give of your money – in addition to your regular tithes and offering – you can give to some of the special projects your church may be working on. You can give to that youth trying to save money to go study abroad. You can give to that family down the street that may be struggling due to someone being laid off. You can give to your local homeless shelter or children’s hospital …
Needless to say, daily we are presented with opportunities to give – lets all make an effort to give something of ourselves daily until it becomes a lifestyle. I guarantee you will find out what it means to be blessed to be a blessing!
Scripture Of The Day: "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” - Luke 6:38
Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto http://www.armedanddangerous.biz or http://www.themasterplan.biz.
I get very excited about giving. I mean uncontainable excitement and guess what, I am not even thinking about financial giving. It seems sometimes we get stuck there – believing the only way we can give is with money. This means if we don’t have any money, we may feel that we have nothing to give.
However, there are so many other ways to give. Matter of fact, giving should be a part of your lifestyle. It should be something that you do so freely and regularly that it’s just a natural part of who you are.
So you ask, "How can I give something other than money?"
You can give of your time by serving in a ministry within the four walls of your church or even volunteering with an organization in your community. Going even further than that, make sure you are giving your time to your family. Don’t always give the best of you to everyone else and only give your family your leftovers.
You can give of your heart and compassion to those that may simply need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on or someone to pray with them. Sometimes giving of your heart may be sharing an encouraging word or even a simple hug or hello to a stranger.
Of course, you can also give of your money – in addition to your regular tithes and offering – you can give to some of the special projects your church may be working on. You can give to that youth trying to save money to go study abroad. You can give to that family down the street that may be struggling due to someone being laid off. You can give to your local homeless shelter or children’s hospital …
Needless to say, daily we are presented with opportunities to give – lets all make an effort to give something of ourselves daily until it becomes a lifestyle. I guarantee you will find out what it means to be blessed to be a blessing!
Scripture Of The Day: "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” - Luke 6:38
Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto http://www.armedanddangerous.biz or http://www.themasterplan.biz.
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