All That I Need and More

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
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2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God is generous. He provides More than enough. He provides so much that we will have the ability to be generous as well. Because that’s what he wants from us… to give to others with all of our heart the way that he does for us.
We all have different circumstances and means of living, but God wants all of us to have the same giving heart.
From those of us who live an extravagant lifestyle, to those of us who are accustomed to pinching every penny – the Bible tells us that we have plenty to contribute.
Not just enough to fulfill our basic needs.
Not just enough to live a joy-filled life, rich in His love.
But enough to give generously when we see a need. And to do so worry-free!
Some days we’re going to have enough cash in our pockets to donate.
Some days we’re going to have enough food on the table to invite another to fill an empty seat.
Some days we’re going to have enough time to be a listening ear to a friend, or a volunteer at a food bank.
And some days we may feel like we have nothing to spare. No surplus. No extra. When we live our lives with a generous and giving mindset, we find that even on those days we have enough. Enough faith.
Faith that will allow us to make the sacrifice that needs to be made that day, even if we’re not sure how we’ll recover from it. We trust in His timing and His provision.

Dear God, Jehovah Jireh, You are the God who provides! I lift my hands in praise of You and thank You for all You have bestowed upon me. I pray every day that I can be a provider too. God, please open my eyes to opportunities to be generous. I want to share with others the blessings that you have showered upon me so abundantly!
Amen

The Measure You Use

Jesus said: Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you. If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated. – Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭37‬-38 ‭CEV‬‬

“Give and it will be given to you,” sounds like what you expect to hear when they pass the collection plate. But Jesus is having a conversation about how to treat others, and how we want God to treat us.

Jesus is telling us that what we give, whether it’s judgement, condemnation, or forgiveness, is coming right back at us!

Do we want to be measured with harshness for our mistakes and flaws? No, of course not! So we need to be very mindful of how we look at others.

We want God to shower us with His grace, so we can’t give our forgiveness sparingly.

We love when God shows us His blessings, so we can’t be picky about our acts of service, or stingy with our kindness.

The MESSAGE version sums this up so well…

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” – Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭MSG‬‬

“Giving, not getting, is the way.” ♥️

Give your time.

Give your patience.

Give your affection.

Give your gentleness.

Give compassion.

Give grace.

Give a little bit of joy.

You will never go wrong if you give these things.

And give these things FROM YOUR HEART.

Dear Jesus, I hear what you’re speaking, and I want to give like You do. I want to give with my heart wide open. Jesus, as I step out into the world today, help me stay mindful of the impact that my words and actions can have on those around me. Help me keep my spirit light, my mood positive, and my words kind. Remind me that I must show the same respect, the same grace, to everyone I encounter – friends and enemies alike.

Amen

Be Positive

“With tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrate gentleness and generous love toward one another, especially toward those who may try your patience.” – Ephesians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Lord,

I just wanted to start by saying Thank You for providing me with something today…

something that I didn’t have yesterday,

and something that I hope I will have a little more of tomorrow. Optimism is not something that comes naturally to me, but I’m trying, Lord. I’m trying to leave hurtful experiences and struggles in the past.

Lord, pour your positivity into me and help me face every situation with love and kindness.

No matter WHAT I face.

No matter WHO I face.

Soften my guarded heart so that my words come from a gentle and affectionate spirit.

Lord, cloud my judging eyes and give me a clear vision of your peace and love. Let me see the world through eyes of compassion and grace, not through eyes that are wary due to scars from the past.

Amen

Don’t Forget to Do Good

“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
– ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:16‬‬ NLT

Such a simple message. And it’s so easy to overlook the two most important words.
Don’t forget.
How often do we start our day with the best intentions in our heart and then allow our own feelings, circumstances, or motives to steer things in a whole different direction?
How often do we want to help others, but get too caught up in the aspects of our lives that make us constantly “too busy” to slow down and share our time and our resources with the people who need them?
God wants us to see past our own troubles so that we can be prepared to help others with theirs. He wants us to put the needs of others before our own wants and desires.

When I feel myself being sidetracked and find that I am too focused on myself, I will pray:

Dear Lord, please help me to remember Your love in every situation that I face today. Whether my circumstances are good or bad, I want Your love and kindness to flow through me to every person that I come in contact with. Amen

More Than Enough

Abram traveled back to where he had previously built an altar and called on the name of The Lord. He was back in the place where he knew God wanted him to be.
Abram and Lot were still traveling together, and they had acquired so many possessions that the land could not support them both. Abram no longer had the same worrying nature that had led him to Egypt. Now his faith was in God, so when faced with this difficulty, he was able to bring peace to the situation by acting with generosity towards Lot.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He trusted that God would provide for him, so he was willing to allow Lot to choose what part of the land he would like for himself.

Abram was humble in the situation. He was content, knowing that there was more than enough land for both of them. He showed Lot that his relationship with him was more important to him than the conflict at hand.
Lot chose the best land for himself. After Lot had parted, God spoke to Abram. He reassured him that it was not a loss. It didn’t matter what he had given away. God would be giving it all to him anyway.
When we trust God in all the areas of our lives, we can release our grip on things of this world. Our faith allows us to live without attachment to our possessions.
We can restore relationships that are in conflict by acting out of generosity.
We can resolve tension through compromise and cooperation. We can be content and free of the worries of losing our possessions, because it’s just stuff.
You can trust that if God wants you to have it, he will bring it back to you in His timing. And if it’s not part of His plan for you, then you are free from one more distraction that could be keeping you from seeing what He has in store for you.
What is more important – your relationships or your stuff?

Dear Lord, Thank You for providing for me in so many ways. Thank You for the friends and family in my life, for the roof over my head, and for a job that has always paid me enough so that I am never lacking. I have been through some really hard times in the past, so I find myself holding onto so many things that I don’t really need. Please help me to release my grasp on these possessions and act with generosity at every opportunity. I don’t want to hold back anymore, because I have faith that You will make sure that I always have enough.
Amen

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Today’s Scripture:

Genesis 13:1-18
1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lorddestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.

Be a Blessing

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God wants to bless us so we can be a blessing for others. He doesn’t want us to hoard His blessings and keep them for ourselves, He wants us to share.

Have you ever been in a drive-through and paid for the vehicle behind you? You don’t expect anything in return, just sprinkling a little bit of joy on someone’s day…
Have you ever pulled forward to the second window to pick up your food and noticed in your rear view mirror that the person you just blessed was blessing someone else? That’s what this verse is talking about! Only God’s blessings are even bigger and better than burgers and fries!
God wants to put joy in our hearts so we are inspired to make a difference in someone else’s life!

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Here are just a few ways you can be a blessing:
– Acts of kindness – even when it’s not needed, sometimes the smallest gestures can brighten someone’s day!
– Kind words – words of encouragement, compliments
– Listening – sometimes people just need to be heard and understood. Give someone the attention they need!
– Donations – whether it’s a charity that is near and dear to your heart or a coworker who is going through hard times, sometimes monetary donations are a blessing. When you are doing your spring cleaning ask yourself if someone at a homeless shelter could find your items useful, before you just toss them.
– Acts of service – volunteer at your local food bank or check with your pastor to see if there are any volunteer initiatives that you could participate in.
– Prayers – sometimes the best thing you can offer someone is a heartfelt prayer.

Dear God, I thank You for all the blessings that You have given me. I am so overjoyed that you want to make ME a blessing! Please open my eyes so that I might see every opportunity to bless others. I hope that by blessing others, I will bring glory to Your name!
Amen

Giving Your Best

God provides everything we need. He blesses us. He answers our prayers. This isn’t conditional on tithes, but to show our love and gratitude, we should do our part in this relationship by giving generously. This IS important to God, as we see in Genesis 4:3-5.

Cain brought an offering to the Lord, which is definitely better than nothing at all! But God knew he could do better. Abel also brought an offering. His first and his best. He didn’t feed himself and his family and then offer the tough meat or leftovers. He wasn’t selfish, and he didn’t hold back. This pleased God and made Cain jealous and angry. Instead of learning from this – that he was being selfish, Cain looked at it as being treated wrong or unfairly.

The most important message in this part of the story is that we not only need to give, but we need to give generously.  And first. When I get paid, I need to first set aside my tithes and offerings, before I spend a penny on myself. That car payment, that cable bill… Those should never come before God!

The mortgage company does not have the power to bless your finances.

– Pastor Robert Morris

The same goes for my time. If I’ve spent the whole day without giving God a single minute of my time until I crawl into bed tired, with a quick prayer – then I know that my priorities are completely off.

When I need to get my priorities straight, I will pray:
Dear God, Thank You so much for providing me with a life full of blessings. When I feel like there’s not enough time for everything, please help me to pause and assess my priorities, because I always want you at the top of my list.

Amen

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Today’s Scripture:

Genesis 4:1-7
1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”