Learning to See God’s Generosity

In review of 2 Corinthians 9:8 it says, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.”

Bottom Line:

God will generously provide for your needs. Then you’ll have everything, and plenty left over to share with others.

What this means to me:

I can be assured that when I follow Jesus, God will bless me with everything I need. He will give more than enough so that I can do good things for others.

I think people often hesitate to give generously to God because they worry about having enough money left over to meet their own needs. In this section, Paul assured the Corinthians that God was able to meet their needs. A person who gives only a little will receive only a little in return. Don't let a lack of faith keep you from giving cheerfully and generously.

In addition, a giving attitude is more important than the amount given. The person who can give only a small gift shouldn't be embarrassed. God is concerned about how a person gives from his or her resources.

He is pleased when we who are created in his image give generously and joyfully. If I have a difficult time letting go of my money, it may reflect ungratefulness to God.

The will of God will never take me where the grace of God cannot keep me. His grace is sufficient. It might not look like it today from a worldly perspective, but focus on the message found in the Cross.. A message of life-altering, grave-shattering abounding hope, grace, and mercy.

While here on earth I will have trials and tribulations. No one gets by without them. When I focus on God and my priorities are aligned with His, it doesn’t mean I won’t suffer; it means that I will find HIm right beside me

Praying with the Right Motives

In review of James 4:3 it says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Bottom Line:

Be cautious of your motives when your pray. You may not receive because your reasons are selfish.

What this means to me:

Be careful of my motives when I pray. I may not receive, because I may be asking with the wrong or selfish reasons only.

James tells me in chapter 4 that I “don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

James summarizes that the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Am I talking to God at all? When I do, what is the content of what I talk about? Am I only asking to satisfy my desires? Am I seeking approval for what I have already planned to do? My prayers will become more powerful when I allow God to change my desires so that they perfectly correspond to his will for me.

I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives me good gifts that He wants me to enjoy. However, having friendship with the world involves seeking pleasure at others' expense or at the expense of obeying God. Pleasure that keeps me from pleasing God is sinful; pleasure from God's rich bounty is good.

The cure for evil desires and selfishness is humility. Pride will make me self-centered and will lead me to conclude that I deserve all I can see, touch or imagine. It creates a greedy appetite for more than I need. However, I can be released from my self-centered desire by humbling myself before God, realizing that all I really need is his approval.

Gratitude for His Gift

In review of Ephesians 2:8 it says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”

Bottom Line:

God saves us when we believe, it’s His gift and not something we can do on our own.

What this means to me:

God treats me much better than I deserve. He saved me by his grace when I first believed. This is not something I did or could possibly do, it is simply a gift from God.

This verse comes from a letter of Paul’s to the church in Ephesus. He is explaining to them our true identity in Christ. He tells us “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

When someone gives me a gift, I don’t say, "That's very nice-now how much do I owe you?" The appropriate response to a gift is "Thank you." Yes how often, even after been given a gift of salvation, feel an obligation to try to work my way to God for this gift. However, what I’m learning is that because our salvation and even my faith are gifts, I should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy.

I became a Christian through God's unmerited grace, not as a result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on my part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, I should seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please myself. While no action or work I do can help me obtain salvation, God's intention is that my salvation will result in acts of service.

I need to adjust my feelings to fit the facts. I am saved, made holy, and sanctified by faith in the Lamb of God. Therefore, I shouldn't allow Satan to control me via my feelings. My emotions can be toxic and detrimental to my success. Satan will use whatever he can get ahold of, to control and to destroy me. But there is great news! Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, the flesh, and the devil. And I’m an overcomer through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

I’m going to experience a bad day now and then. But once I get down, do I stay there? Rather I start singing a song of praise and ask God to saturate my day with His peace and His joy? I should not allow the circumstances that I’m in right now to dictate my mood, good, or bad. Circumstances come and go, but true joy comes from the Lord.

God is good. He is faithful and full of grace. With Him on my team, I can charge the gates of hell with a water pistol and come out victorious! I am saved and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! I should not allow negative emotions to consume me. I have too much going on for me to be controlled by toxic emotions and temporary circumstances.

Wisdom Starts With Taking God Seriously

In review of Proverbs 9:10 it says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Bottom Line:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of God results in good judgment.

What this means to me:

If I am to exercise wisdom I must first have reverence for the Lord and take Him seriously. When I do, I open to learning and having knowledge of Him. With this I gain understanding.

Today's verse comes from Proverbs 9 (wisdom and folly.) What I’m learning is that wisdom appeals first to the mind; Folly appeals to the senses. It is easier to excite the senses, but the pleasures of folly are temporary. By contrast, the satisfaction that Wisdom brings lasts forever. Wisdom begins with knowing God. He gives insight into living because he created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about him; we must stand in awe of him and have a relationship with him.

So would I like divine guidance so accurate that I could make decisions with the wisdom of Solomon? Decisions that would cause the prosperity of God to explode in all I do?  Would I like guidance from God that produces peace of mind, self-confidence, divine health, and joy unspeakable?  Would I like to reach my highest potential?

Scripture reveals that this is very easy to have right now. It’s not something I must wait to gain after entering the pearly gates. Today is the day to start gaining divine wisdom, and it’s much easier than I think.

I’m finding that God wants me to have a life without limit! All I need to do is begin to seek His face. I then saturate my life with His Holy Word, knowing He can guide me.

Success, Courage and Obedience

In review of Joshua 1:9 it says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Bottom Line:

Be bold, strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid; do not be discouraged. God will be with you.

What this means to me:

I am to be bold, strong and courageous. I should not be afraid or discouraged. God tells me that he will be with me wherever I go.

Many think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But what I’m learning is that the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against popular belief. He said that to succeed Joshua must, be strong and courageous - for the task ahead would not be easy, to obey God's law, and to constantly read and study the Book of Instruction - God's Word. Likewise for me to be successful, I too should follow God's words to Joshua. I may fail to succeed by the world's standards, but I’ll will be a success in God's eyes - and it his opinion that is most important.

It also seems strange to equate success with obedience. For many, success is controlling others; for Joshua it meant being controlled by God. God told Joshua that to succeed he must obey the rules for living found in God's law. Often I can't see what the results or future benefits of following God will be. When I’m not certain what to do, obedience to what God has revealed in the Scriptures is the only sure step I can take. I should resolve to set aside time each day to read and think about God's Word, to remind myself of God's words day and night and to Act today on what I know God has said. When I do God will assure my success in carrying out his purposes.

So where am I in the fight of life? No matter my place, there is great news and a recipe for total success! I am to be bold, be of good courage, be strong - for the Lord my God is with me!

Before I even knew there was a problem, the victory was already mine. His angels surround me, preparing my way. They are my rear guard. The power of the Holy Spirit is living within me. I can lift up my head and rejoice! Great things are on the way!

So I should not focus on what I see happening around me; instead focus on the One who surrounds me with His everlasting mercy and grace. If I concentrate on the raging waves that threaten to suck me under, I’ll surely drown. But when I concentrate on the One who commands, “Peace, be still!” I’ll walk hand-in-hand with my Savior right over your problem until I come to dry land on the other side of the shore.

So until the day of His return, Jesus will complete the good work He started in me.

Learning More About Prayer

In review of Colossians 1:9 it says, "So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding."

Bottom Line:

Pray for others by asking God to to show them everything he wants them to do and know.

What this means to me:

I can learn to pray for others by continually asking God to to show them everything he wants them to do and they have all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.

Today’s verse comes from Colossian 1. A gnostic may value the accumulation of knowledge, but in this book Paul points out that knowledge in itself is empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to a changed life and right living. So he prayed that they, might have complete knowledge of God's will and have spiritual wisdom and understanding. That their lives would produce every kind of good fruit, even as they learned to know God better and better. Knowledge should not be merely accumulated; it should give direction for living.

Like Paul, I need to learn more how to pray. Prayer is not getting God ready to do my will; it is getting me ready to do God’s will. It is the vehicle that gets me where I need to go, exactly when I need to be there, the door to wisdom and understanding.

All believers have these same basic needs. When I don't know how to pray for someone, I can use Paul's pattern for the Colossians:

1) understand God's will

2) gains spiritual wisdom

3) honor and please God

4) produce every kind of good fruit

5) learn to know God better and better

6) be strengthened with God's glorious power

7) have great endurance and patience

8) be filled with joy

9) give thanks always

What I’m learning is that prayer invites God to intervene on my behalf, binding in the supernatural realm what I bind on earth. I should learn to Get Him involved. I can ask my friends to pray too, and start moving heaven and earth until His perfect will is complete in my life. Also, I should not be afraid to think big either. For I serve a big God!

He is so big that I don’t just hope God heals; I know He does. I don’t just hope for a better tomorrow; I know a better tomorrow is coming. I don’t just wish for wisdom; I know He supplies it amply. I can learn to place my trust in God, knowing that He walks with me every step of the way.

So, I should never leave things to chance, rather I should leave them to God!

Promises, Problems and Provision

In review of Psalm 103:17 it says, “The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's’ children.”

Bottom Line:

For those who honor the Lord, his love lasts forever, and his goodness endures for all generations

What this means to me:

The love, mercy and kindness of the Lord remains with me forever, because I fear and trust him.  I know that His goodness will endure for all generations.

Today's passage comes from Psalm 103 in which David praises God for who he is and what he has done in his life. God forgives, heals, redeems, and crowns us with love and tender mercies. He fills our lives with good things. In verse 17, he tells us of how the love of the Lord will remain forever with those who fear him. His salvation will extend to the children's children.

Hope for the Believer is based on the evidence found in the Word of God. If He has done it in the past, He will do it again. The Bible reminds us that He is the same from everlasting to everlasting, never changing. He is always the same.

I can easily think back, did He help me with financials issues? Did Help heal me several times? If He has done this in the past, why wouldn’t I believe that he would do the same again. God has not run out of miracles or mercy.

My hope should be anchored to the never-failing promises of God. When I find myself facing adversity, I can search the Word of God and He will give me a promise to fit my problem. This isn’t just simply placing my finger in the middle of the Bible when it flops open. What I’m learning is that It’s more about inviting God into my problem and asking for Divine wisdom. I can ask Him to give me His promise for my situation.

After all, there are three P’s: if you have a Problem, open up the Bible and find God’s Promise that will lead me to His Provision.