Devotionals

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GENEROSITY .........

May God speak to you through my writing... May He answer questions, give comfort and show His love through each one of us...



Acts 20:35
It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you in good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over.

I John 2:17-18
Whosoever hath this world's goods, and sees his brother in need and has no pity on him, how dwells the love of God? My little children let us NOT love merely in word or speech, BUT in deed and in truth...


We must give with the idea of " GIVING ", not expecting any thing in return...Giving and not getting any thing in return is a concept that the world can not understand, that even Christians have not fully grasped.

Over the past year our financial picture was changed drastically. We have always been able to give, to tithe abundantly, to give to the community, to friends, family. By the grace of God... without expecting anything in return. When we seen a need we often gave anonymously, to the world, God knows and our just reward shall be with Him.
UNTIL about a year ago, I began to feel like I had failed with my blessings. Our dreams seemed to vanish, our home, our business, and our children. all seemed out of control and out of our hands. I felt alone and abandoned. Feeling alone and desperate began to take over my thinking, clouding my knowledge of God and His promises. Anger is mostly what I felt, anger towards myself, friends and even God. Only later could I understand the difference between anger and displaced anger.
I needed help and I needed it badly, friends would commit to pray for me, some even offered advice.. Yet I could not hear from God. I began to play a remembrance game next, laying before God all the good we had done with our blessings, all the people whom we had given to, often without even a thank you. You see I thought that maybe He had forgotten them, or maybe if I reminded Him. He would also place someone in our life to also offer such a loving financial gift.
Self-pity soon took over and became the center of my thoughts; my vision had been closed. A Christian friend even asked us what had we done to deserve this? Why would God do this to us if we were living the life we " CLAIMED "? I listened closely to her words, even began to believe that I was being punished. This was the turning point for me. At first I began praying, God.. WHAT have we done? What have I done? Please..... God HELP ME!
Then something amazing happened.. I listened to God. NOT friends...NOT family.. BUT GOD!

Matthew 7:3-5
How can you say to your brother, Let me remove the speck out of your eye, and behold, a plank in your own eye?


Why do we assume that during trials, struggles and loss that anyone has done something to deserve such hurt? Are we not speaking against God’s Word when we also accuse?


What about the blind man? Remember the crowd? What were they saying?
They were asking Jesus, What had this man done? Or his parents? What had they done to deserve this?
Then Jesus made it ALL CLEAR... He replied to the crowd, that this was not a curse, but rather a blessing. So that God's glory may be seen through him...............
A BLESSING.... A TROPHY of Gods GRACE!!! This must be His plan for us.
Our finances have not change, but my attitude has. I stopped believing that people would help me, and placed my trust where it should have been all the time.. IN GOD.

Deuteronomy 8:2
Remember the way the Lord Thy God led you these forty years in the wilderness; to HUMBLE you and to TEST you, and to KNOW what is in your heart, and whether you will keep His commandments or not...

We continue to face the loss of many possessions, yet our faith in God is strong, our spirits no longer ache. While I still believe that God will and can bless us through others, I no longer expect any thing, BUT I continue to pray He will. You see giving is obedience.. an obedience that most never truly understand, giving means to GIVE freely. Not many people are willing to give finances ESPECIALLY when it causes us discomfort!
WE can justify in our minds why we shouldn't, even justify to others why we wont, BUT.... When we stand before the Throne, what then???? What will your excuse be?

Isaiah 9:10
The bricks have fallen down, BUT we will build again with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, BUT we will change them into cedars...

Praise God, He is in control!!!!!
I still remain today with a giving spirit, a giving heart.. A gift God has given me. A gift I almost let Satan destroy by hardening my heart towards others, by refusing to give because others refused to give to me. I almost let the people the devil used to destroy my spirit, to believe I was being punished.

Read God's Word daily.. So when you face trials you can be SURE.... God will not hurt us, He loves us!!!
AND REMEMBER.. We all have something we can give freely... how about encouragement? A flower? A card? Even a kind word.. And YES.. Finances.

Hebrews 13:15-16
Through Jesus let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God, continually, our lips giving thanks to His name. BUT FORGET NOT ALSO TO DO GOOD AND TO SHARE WITH THOSE IN NEED; WITH SUCH SACRIFICES GOD IS WELL PLEASED....

Father,
How I thank You for all the blessings you have given to us in the past, for the lessons we have learned, for the dream of tomorrow. I thank You for Your love, which truly comes without a price tag. You love us and give to us without expecting anything in return. I ask that you give us hearts like yours. To be faithful with what we have, what we may have. Remind me that all is Yours and someday all will burn. Cleanse our hearts; restore to us your values. Thank You for the friends You place in our lives, for those who have helped us in the past, for those we have helped.. we Thank You....
In the Only Perfect Name we Pray, Amen

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