Learn To Give, More Freely

Good Morning!! You may be familiar with the principle of tithing. God calls us as His children to give Him ten percent of what we have. A tenth, or a tithe, is to be given back to Him. Do we do this because God needs our money? No. We give back to God as a way to honor and obey Him. When we give back, we are showing our appreciation,...we are recognizing that all we have, comes from Him. The other ninety percent of our money belongs to God, just as much as that first ten percent,...and we are to manage it wisely. The wise manager walks in paths of peace.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops;—Proverbs 3:9 (NIV)

Money is an area that can be a source of chaos, or a place of peace in our life. I believe that the key to the direction it will take for you, lies in your ability to understand that your money does not belong to you. Ultimately, all income, and gifts come from God. They don't belong to us. We are called to be managers, or stewards, of the money that is entrusted to us. How could I give away money that I could have obviously used my self? Because I knew that the money wasn't mine.

When we trust the Great Provider,...we, too, will walk a path of wisdom, and peace.

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Father God, help us to trust You with our finances. You have a plan that is best. We want to walk in every part of Your plan for our lives,...including where our money is concerned. It’s not really our money anyway, Lord,...it’s Yours. Help us to unclench our fists, opening our hands and our hearts to Your desire, and Your will for our lives. Amen.

"If we don't believe, or struggle to believe, we are doubters.
But it's not that doubters simply don't believe,...it's that they don't really trust"

Investing In Eternity

Good Morning!! We live in a "stuff" driven world, where it doesn’t matter what, or how much we possess,... where it's never enough!, there is always something else to want. We're told that the more we have, the more successful we are! We frantically accumulate materialistic idols and false gods, to which we sacrifice our time, health, happiness and peace. Greed has become the driving force behind almost everything we do in life,...and is an unrelenting enemy of contentment.
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."—Luke 6:38 (NIV)

We all want to live a life of "enjoyment",...but money alone won't get it. We must not only recognize money for what it is,.. a resource loaned to us by God,...but we must also adhere to the absolute principle that when it comes to financial gain, our only responsibility is to manage and disperse that resource well. We want to make a difference, we want our lives to really count. But, in order to live a life that matters, a life of "enjoyment", we must not only understand Kingdom living, but Kingdom giving as well. Everything we are or have belongs to God, and comes straight from His heart of perfect provision. It is His hand that opens the door of opportunity. It's His plan that orchestrates the minutes and circumstances of each day to accomplish His Will in our surrendered lives. It's His perfect gift of Jesus Christ that made a way for unholy people, to enjoy an intimate relationship with a Holy God.

The reality is that our Father wants us to have wealth,...we just have to be careful not to settle for money!

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Father God,  we lay down everything we are,...and everything we have at Your feet. We want our lives to make a difference, for and in eternity. But Lord, we are so greedy. we cling to our possessions, and stockpile life resources. Today, we choose to become Kingdom livers, and givers! Help us to give with joy, and invest in others,...what You've invested in us. We love You! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"If we don't believe, or struggle to believe, we are doubters.
But it's not that doubters simply don't believe,...it's that they don't really trust"

Mean What You Say,...

Good Morning!! It is so easy for us to fall into the trap of repeating our instructions, or behavior speaks against what we claim to want. We are sometimes just too afraid to follow through with consequences that we've promised,...so we hope that if we give them one more chance, they’ll comply. We are to say what we mean, and mean what we say, or we run the risk of not being believed at all,...it's hard to take a liar seriously.
In studying some the most admirable and successful generals in history, you'll found that they all had one thing in common,...they were certain of their commands before they issued them.
All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.—Matthew 5:37 (NIV)

Therefore, we should never issue a warning or a command without following it through. If you say you won't put up with something, then don't. This rule of thumb requires that we think before we speak. Try not to say "yes" or "no" to something until you are sure that it is your definite answer. According to Proverbs 15:28 it is biblical that we not speak before thinking: "The heart of the righteous weighs its answers."  Let us weigh our answers, give confident commands, and be a mighty army for the Lord!

No one will respect or respond well to an uncertain and inconsistent instructions.

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Father God,  help us to be strong and confident in Your words, and ours. Help us to say what we mean and mean what we say. When we're fearful the reactions of the consequences we've set forth, for the people in our lives,...give us the strength to follow through, rather than giving them threats, or repeating our wishes again, and again. Help us to consistent, with love and self-control. Amen.

"If we don't believe, or struggle to believe, we are doubters.
But it's not that doubters simply don't believe,...it's that they don't really trust"

Welcomed Into The Family

Good Morning!! We belong to God, because He made us. We are His children, because He has adopted us. As adopted children of God, we have been given full rights as His sons and daughters. That's exactly what the word "adoption" means,...to be given the rights of a son. We can know that we belong to God by faith. We may not always feel God’s presence or see Him at work in our lives,...but He is there. Feelings come and go, but trust believes in God's promises. God's Word doesn't say we can feel that we have eternal life,...It says we can know we have eternal life. And we know this by faith. (1John 5:13)
Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—Ephesians 3:1 (NIV)
And we also know that we belong to God, by His loving care. God is not some far off God. He is near to us,... and approachable for our needs. Our Father wants to be involved in every detail of our lives. He wants to know our joys and our pains. The word "Father" is translated "papa" or "daddy." Perhaps you’ve never had an earthly father to turn to in times of celebration, or sorrow,...but as a child of God you have a Heavenly Father to whom you can cry out "daddy" any time, any place, anywhere.

If you have placed your trust in Christ, then be assured that you are part of God's family,
...and it comes with all the love, support and inheritance Your Heavenly Father has to offer.

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Father God, we thank You for choosing us and making us a part of Your forever family. Thank You for all the rights and privileges You've given us as Your children. Help us to walk worthy of the name we now carry. Amen.

"If we don't believe, or struggle to believe, we are doubters.
But it's not that doubters simply don't believe,...it's that they don't really trust"

Access Granted

Good Morning!! In the Old Testament, there is a sense that God was unapproachable because of His holiness. In the temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies, where God resided,...from the other areas of the temple where the priests attended daily. The high priest only entered the Holy of Holies once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Before he could enter, the priest went through a rigorous ceremonial cleansing process. Bells were hemmed to the bottom of his robe, and a rope was tied around his foot. The people outside listened for the tinkling bells to make sure the priest was still alive,...and if per chance the sound ceased, they pulled the dead priest out by the rope.
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.—Ephesians 3:1 (NIV)
But in the New Testament things changed. God was, and is still the Holy Great I AM,...but He invites us to enter the Holy of Holies with the confidence of a child approaching his daddy. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, God tore the veil of the Holy of Holies from top to bottom, inviting all those who believe in Christ to enter,...with assurance and confidence. (Mark 15:38).  "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need " (Hebrews 4:16). In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12).

No longer do we have to offer blood sacrifices as they did in the Old Testament.
Jesus Christ is our perfect High Priest who offered the perfect sacrifice,...Himself.

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Dear Lord, thank You that we can come before You at any time. Unlike the people in the Old Testament, we don't have to be afraid to come into Your presence,...and we don't have to go through an earthly priest. You invite us to come directly to You. The only priest we need is Jesus,...our High Priest forever.  It's in His name, that we pray. Amen.

"If we don't believe, or struggle to believe, we are doubters.
But it's not that doubters simply don't believe,...it's that they don't really trust"

A Love That Endures

Good Morning!! "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (I John 3:1). To lavish is to give freely, profusely, extravagantly, and abundantly. He doesn't give us everything we want when we want it. No father wants spoiled children. Rather He gives us everything we need to produce well-behaved children,...who bear His name well.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.—Psalm 136:1 (NIV)
Today's scripture, is how David begins reminding us that God created the world,...lead the captives out of Egypt and through the desert,...and conquered the enemies of the Israelites so they could move into the Promised Land. While He works in many varied ways and with many different people, one thing remains the same,..."His love endures forever"!

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10 NIV).

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O' Lord, our God, we don’t want to live like spiritual paupers any more. We thank You that You are a father whose love never changes,...that You are a father who has provided everything we need for life and godliness,...and that You are a father who will always be by our side. Amen.

"With God's strength behind us and His arms beneath us, we can face whatever lies ahead."

Hold On, And Fear Not

Good Morning!! God's delays are never because of poor planning,...it's often a matter of our disobedience, or a matter of us needing to wait upon His perfect timing. It might even be a issue of God preparing us for something better than we've asked for. He knows we often wring our hands, wondering if this time He'll forget,...but the truth is, God never forgets. He sees us and knows our anxious thoughts,...has sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter.

We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.—Psalm 33:20-21 (NIV)

We all know waiting is never easy. The good news is, when we wait on the Lord, we can trust that it will be worth the wait.  We need to rest in the knowledge that He never sleeps, slumbers or forgets, and He never is late, and His plans for us will surpass even our highest hopes or biggest dreams.

Remember a time you had to wait for God to answer one or more of your prayers,...can you see how His timing was better than yours?

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Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your faithfulness. Help us to trust You, even when we can’t see what You are doing. Help us wait with anticipation as You reveal Your plans for our lives. Father we thank You for Your steadfast love. Amen.

"With God's strength behind us and His arms beneath us, we can face whatever lies ahead."