John Wesley (1703-1791) acquired significant wealth as a result of his books and publications; however, he gave it all away and had the equivalent of $30 upon his death.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 (TM)
Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don't hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.
Selfishness and hoarding come so natural to us. Generosity seems hard.
All of us know that we can't take any of this stuff with us.
Solomon (probably the wealthiest man of all history) lamented: I took a hard look at everything I accumulated on this earth. I can't take it with me - no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they're worthy or worthless - and who's to tell? (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19).
Yet, we all want more! We want the lottery. We want wealth and possessions.
We read that the poor are happier than the rich. And on some level, it makes sense to us - but, nah, give me more!
We read that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Again, on some level, we agree - but, nah, I'll keep what I have.
We read of people who live in intentional poverty: Wesley and Mother Teresa; we admire them - but, nah, that's not for me.
Did you hear the story of the man who got to Heaven? He was so excited to see the mansion that Jesus had prepared for him! However, when they arrived at his heavenly address, it was a poorly built shack. He was shocked! He asked for an explanation. He was told that they had done the best they could with the materials he sent ahead!
By giving to others, we are laying up treasure in Heaven!
So, how's your heavenly house coming along?
Showing posts with label God's Generosity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Generosity. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
God's Provision
Debbie works as a teacher's assistant at the local elementary school. She gets paid hourly. We save through the year so we can pay ourselves through the summer. It goes so easily because of graduations, weddings, vacations, and other special summer activities. Every year we bump up the amount we're saving from each pay!
This summer, we were surprised again at how much we had spent by the end of July. We'd essentially spent $500 more than we planned by that time. We sat down and looked the situation over. It would mean being frugal for the last week of July and the first four weeks of August. But, if we stayed faithful to a strict budget, we would have $400 to cover our end-of-summer vacation. We made a pact and placed our budget sheet in the kitchen where we would see it every day.
On Sunday, our church leaders officially welcomed us back for the 2011-12 year. They handed us a card. After preaching and the carry-in dinner our treasurer asked if I'd opened my card. I slipped to the side to do so; then quickly took it to Debbie to read. It was a very kind expression of gratitude for our service - and included a check for $500.
Notice how much God loves! We hadn't even asked for more money - just self-discipline. But out of His great generosity and love, He gave us just what we needed.
Here's a tip: As an expression of our gratitude, we've already passed part of that gift on to someone who had a need!
This is the way God's economy works! Start now honoring Him with your finances! Jesus spoke more about money than He did about Heaven! Something to think about...
This summer, we were surprised again at how much we had spent by the end of July. We'd essentially spent $500 more than we planned by that time. We sat down and looked the situation over. It would mean being frugal for the last week of July and the first four weeks of August. But, if we stayed faithful to a strict budget, we would have $400 to cover our end-of-summer vacation. We made a pact and placed our budget sheet in the kitchen where we would see it every day.
On Sunday, our church leaders officially welcomed us back for the 2011-12 year. They handed us a card. After preaching and the carry-in dinner our treasurer asked if I'd opened my card. I slipped to the side to do so; then quickly took it to Debbie to read. It was a very kind expression of gratitude for our service - and included a check for $500.
Notice how much God loves! We hadn't even asked for more money - just self-discipline. But out of His great generosity and love, He gave us just what we needed.
Here's a tip: As an expression of our gratitude, we've already passed part of that gift on to someone who had a need!
This is the way God's economy works! Start now honoring Him with your finances! Jesus spoke more about money than He did about Heaven! Something to think about...
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