Proverbs 11:24  One person gives freely yet gains even more; another withholds unduly but comes to poverty.

The verse in Proverbs states a person who freely gives will not only receive back what he has given, but he will also receive even more. 

This verse is not for frugal financial planners who see a way to earn more money to put away. The verse is not a financial contract. It is God’s reaction to those with a heart to give to God, organizations, and people in need. As you give from your heart, beyond the tithe, to give to the needs of others, you are getting God’s attention. He will bring blessings back into your life.

The blessings you receive may not always be financial. It can be through relationships, healing, and benefits in the families. God sees and is also a giver. He loves a cheerful heart of giving.

Cornelius

Acts 10:1- 4 “At Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing.” ( Devotion to following God meant he already gave the church tithe 10% of his income.) “he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” Cornelius also gave to those in need and the poor. He was a giver in his heart.

GOD’S RESPONSE

 3 One day, at about three in the afternoon, he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.”  Notice the angel did not say his tithe giving came up as a memorial to the Lord; it was his prayers and gifts to the poor that got God’s attention. Continue reading in Acts 12 how God brought Cornelius and his family the gift of receiving the Holy Spirit. 

Building Barns

Luke 12: 16-21 “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

There is nothing wrong with enjoying your money. But when you choose to supply yourself with larger and larger things while others are suffering around you, God also notices. God says about this man, “Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This man came to poverty in his heart even as he hordes all his wealth.

Become a giver. 

Give God the portion He requires and see the blessings. Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 

Give to people and organizations dedicated to helping those who need help. This Thursday, Grace House has its banquet. The other centers in Indiana will also begin to have their banquets and fundraisers. 

I challenge you to give as I am and expect God to notice and respond in your life.

To give now, click Indiana-atc.org

Let your Lightnside glow brighter by giving to the needs around you.

Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither- whatever they do prospers. 

Jeremiah 17:8 They will be like a tree planted by the water…

What makes a strong tree?

Not the sunshine or easy weather. The strong trees are not grouped in the thick forest and packed in with others. No, the strong trees are open to nature’s force. The strong trees face nature head-on. The winds beat it and try to twist it. Storms bend it one way and then another.  The tree almost breaks from the storm. Almost…but it straightens back upright as the storm goes away. What bad luck to be out in the storms of life…or is it a blessing? How cruel the storm is to beat upon the tree…or is it…love? 

We cannot grow without storms

The storms cause the soil around the tree to loosen. Cracks in the ground open up, exposing elements to nature. Deep wounds may appear, then in the calm, they heal. In the calm, the loosened roots push down deeper for a more excellent grip. The gaps and wounds heal and strengthen. The sun appears, and new growth bursts forth. The tree is growing both upward and downward deeper into the soil. 

Do you feel the storm in your life?

Are you bowed over by the wind and fierceness of life’s storm? Do you feel like it is hate or cruelty? It may be the love of the kind that brings growth, and maturity. Resist the power of the storm, grow roots deeper, stand tall in the sunlight and grow in the knowledge of Christ and the Power of His might. 

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

We are the trees of Thy planting,  O God, We are the trees of Thy wood.  

Now let the life-sap run, Clean through our every vein,

 Perfect what Thou hast began, God of the sun and rain.

Thou who dost measure the weight of wind,  Fit us for stress and strain!

A. W. C.

Be a tree planted by the waters that grow strong in the storms.

Your fruit will be sweet, and your choices will be productive.

Let your lightnside grow through the storm of life.  

Philippians 3:13  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: 

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.

The past isn’t always easy to forget. Whether it’s a success or failure, the past can take hold of our minds in the present day. Bitterness or dreaming of days gone by are mostly caused by looking and focusing on the past. Some of us have wrestled with words spoken to us by another who may not have intended to harm us, but we may have misjudged their original intent and kept harmful words attacking our looks, talk, and acceptance.

Do you have words or events from the past that have defined some personal self-evaluation causing you to withdraw from a Biblical Truth or restrict your confidence in yourself? Most of us have these past issues. 

Today, this scripture is a turning point to free us from past bondage and refocus on the now and future. Easy to say, hard to do.

Forgetting what is behind

“When Paul says that he forgets what lies behind, he refers to a forgetting which is no mere passing effort; it is active obliteration so that when any harmful thought of the past would occur, it would be banished from our mind. It is a constant, deliberate discarding of any harmful thought of the past. Forgetting is stronger in Greek. It means to ‘completely forget.’ To translate Paul’s words, “I, in fact, am forgetting completely the things that are behind.”

F.B. Meyer wrote, “learn to forget and do not dwell upon past sin.” He explained, “There may be things in our past of which we are ashamed, that might haunt us. But if we have handed them over to God in confession and faith, He has put them away and forgotten them.” “So you forget them and the sin which blackened your record and reach forward to realize the beauty of Jesus.”

“Forgetting” is a present, active word

Forgetting is not a one-time task. It is part of putting on the whole armor of God including the Helmet of Salvation (mind), the shield of faith (against the devil’s attacks about the past), and the sword of the spirit (the power you have through the Holy Spirit to rebuke the enemy. Ephesians 6:10-17 

Moving forward in faith

Straining or reaching forward should be the healthy focus of all Christians. You cannot change the past, but the future is wide open for you. What are you striving for? Where in the future do you feel God is taking you? There are five characteristics of forward-moving Christians.

• They know where they are going.
• They have a sense of God’s call on their life.
• They understand the purpose of their life.
• They focus on God and God-given goals.
• They choose wisely from their options to move toward their goal.

Do you know Christ as your savior? If not, you are missing out on the blessings of His forgiveness and peace. You are also missing out on the help of the Holy Spirit to help guide your path. Most important, when you die, you will be missing heaven and be lost in torment without God forever.

Right now is the time to decide you are moving forward with Christ, God, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible. It all starts by calling out to Jesus and asking Him to be your savior. Tell Him you have sinned, and you want to repent. Tell Jesus you believe He is the Son of God who has died for you. Ask Him to come into your life right now. Tell Jesus you will follow Him for the rest of your life. If you prayed this prayer, I know you are feeling a new peace in your heart. You have a new lightnside to light your path. The next step forward is to find a church with good worship and strong preaching. 

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Part of this blog comes from the book ‘Loving God with all your mind’ – by Elizabeth George