Be Joyful. Week Four. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

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1 Week Four Be Joyful Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

2 October 22 Generosity that Leads to Rejoicing By Pam Williams Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly. 1 Chronicles 29:9 We find in this beautiful account, what happens when the people of God are generous. Firstly King David led the way in verse 2 by giving all of his resources for the temple of God, and again in verse 3 he gave over and above with his own personal treasure. He then challenged the leaders and the people to give abundantly. Verse 6 shows us that then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders and officials - all gave willingly and generously. The glorious result of this obedient, joyful giving was that the people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, and they gave freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. This resulted in David, the King, rejoicing greatly as well. As recorded in verse 14, King David is overwhelmed at the goodness of God. His words are what should motivate us as well. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. We need to thank God for the generous people He has placed in our lives. Their actions encourage us to follow this pattern of trusting God with our resources and asking Him to guide us to the needs of others. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. Dear Lord, thank You for the example of generous givers in our lives. Please let us follow these examples and make this our pattern for living. Amen. 33 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

3 October 23 Abundant Joy By Ronda Davenport Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 As Paul writes to the Corinthians, encouraging them toward generosity, he commends the grace of God at work in the Macedonians. This grace has produced in them a joy leading to generosity even in the midst of difficulty. I love how Paul starts with God s grace! He is truly not saying, Look how great the Macedonians are, rather, Look at the power and grace of God displayed in His people! The formula we see at play here is God s grace + abundant joy = rich generosity, despite affliction and poverty. The constants that are necessary for generosity are God s grace and our joy. Knowing that we have access to an inexhaustible supply of God s grace, could it be that the area in which we struggle is joy? The Macedonians show us that abundant joy is not based on our circumstances but on the richness we have in God, our Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ. Many of us are living as though we are impoverished when we hold all of the treasures of Heaven in our hands. Joy is a matter of perspective. When we understand that, through Jesus, we have life eternal and the indescribable gift of His presence here on earth, we can be filled with joy in any circumstance. We are poor and ragged souls adopted by the King and invited to share in His great inheritance. In the joy of this amazing wealth, we are free to generously obey as our Lord directs to meet needs all around us. Are you basing your joy on your circumstances or are you living in the blessed knowledge that you are the child of the King? Their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their generosity King Jesus, may our joy come from You alone! By Your grace, may we abound in rich generosity through every circumstance. Thank You for being our joy in the midst of sorrow, and our strength when we are weak. We love You! Amen. 34 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

4 October 24 Care Giving By Gavi Steele So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 We often think about giving in a monetary sense, but is it possible to joyfully give in every area of our lives? Giving, in every way, is an act of worship and surrender that brings about great communion between us and Christ. The events and things in our lives become His to use for His glory. The possessions and relationships we hold all belong to God. So why do we approach His throne of mercy with clenched fists? My mother would always say, When you do a work, do it with clean hands and pure heart (Psalms 51). This kind of heart gives without worry knowing that the God of this earth is capable of replenishing. Another one of my mother s favorite sayings was, If you always give, you will always have. Giving always turns into unexpected blessings. If we give financially, we may see our own finances shift for the better. If we give of our time, we may see that there is no shortage of people ready to give of their time when we need it most. If we give of our love, love most certainly finds its way back to us. Our God is longing for the surrender of His people to His will which includes a passionate heart to give and give joyfully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart Father, we honor You as our Lord and come before Your throne with surrendered hearts that desire to burn for Your will to be done in our lives. Change the desires of our hearts to match Yours. Give us opportunities daily to give with joyful, loving hearts that are submitted to the mission of Your kingdom. Lord, help us to desire a relationship with You more than anything so that our lives will never cease to abound with Your love. Your sacrifice on the cross was a gift joyfully given. Help us to honor You daily in our lives, joyfully giving in Your will. Amen. 35 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

5 October 25 Delight in God s Word and People By Eric Fuller Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 It would be safe to assume that most believers spend the majority of their time on things that have no eternal value. Climbing the professional ladder, attaining popularity, establishing a platform, or developing tremendous wealth leads some Christians to concentrate only on the temporal concerns of life. Time, energy, finances, and relationships are utilized to benefit the here and now instead of the eternal. This is not what God intended. There s much more to the Christian life. Instead, believers must allow God to steward all of their resources for the eternal significance of the Kingdom. In the end, only two things will matter. Out of all the technological advances, materialistic pleasantries, and geographical locations, there are only two things that will last forever- God s Word and People. That s it. Believers must determine how they will choose to invest the rest of their lives while on earth. Will it be in eternal things like God s Word and People? Allow God to utilize all that you have to make a difference in others. You can be a difference maker! Dear God, thank You for Your abundance in my life. Thank You for forgiving and saving me. Please help me to steward all of my resources for others and not just myself. Allow me to concentrate more on what I will give than on what I will receive. Help me to be outrageously generous. In Jesus name, Amen! For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also 36 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

6 October 26 It All Belongs to God By TJ Joy But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. 1 Chronicles 29:14 It seems like human instinct to give things away begrudgingly. Think about young children whenever they get candy or a new toy. It is difficult to get them to share, much less to give those things away to someone else. It can be challenging to give when whatever we are giving belongs to us. That is why you never see a salesman at a car dealership giving away their own personal vehicle, but will joyfully give away a vehicle that belongs to the company during a special event. It is fun to give away things that don t necessarily belong to us. Did you know that all riches come from God? King David says that everything in the heavens and on earth belong to Him. He is the creator of all things and the giver of all things. Therefore, we do not possess anything that God has not graciously allowed us to possess. As Christians, giving should bring us great joy because we are only giving what God has given to us. As we give, we are simply passing on God s belongings to others. When we realize that we own nothing and God owns everything, it allows us to give with great joy. For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You Father I pray that we would learn to give with joy. Your word says that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving is a privilege and it reflects the heart of Jesus when we do. Lord, be glorified in us as we give with joy. Amen. 37 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

7 October 27 Giving With Love By Anna Davenport And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3 As Christians, the attitude of our giving should be characterized by love and joy. God set this precedent when He so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only Son for the salvation of the world (John 3:16). Because of God s great love for us, He willingly gave the most generous, sacrificial gift the world will ever see. Following God s example, Paul encouraged the Corinthians to do everything, including giving, out of sacrificial love for God and others. When Jesus freed us from the law with His sacrifice on the cross, He did not decide that He no longer wanted us to give back to His kingdom. Instead, He gave us the freedom to give joyfully and sacrificially above what He originally required. We have nothing to gain from giving if there is an absence of love. However, when our motivation for giving is a genuine love for God and others, He will bless us in all sorts of amazing ways (Psalm 41:1-3, Proverbs 14:21, Malachi 3:10, Deuteronomy 15:10). These verses and many others throughout God s word show that in the same way that God calls us to be generous, He also is generous. He desires to bless us if we will just be obedient in His calling to give joyfully. God desires for us to give in an attitude of sacrificial love, not because God is unable to fulfill His will without our money, but because we can learn and grow so much in our relationships with God through giving. To a Christian, giving should not be a burden to bear, but an opportunity to find joy in worshipping our Savior who made the ultimate love sacrifice for us. And though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing Dear Jesus, may my motive for giving be out of a pure heart of love for You and my neighbor. In Your precious name I pray, Amen. 38 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

8 October 28 Generosity is Joyful By Wes Cantrell Then at the king s command they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of the Lord. And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given. So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king s official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king s scribe and the high priest s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. 2 Chronicles 24:8-11 Our scripture today takes place during the reign of Joash who became king at the tender age of 7. When Joash was made aware of the deplorable condition of the Temple, he inquired as to why this was so. Previous leaders had not been collecting the annual offering which was used to maintain the Temple. Joash reinstated this offering and from this we learn some great truths. 1 Giving Must Be Intentional. People do not give by accident. They need a cause and a plan to give. Joash ordered that a chest be made in which to receive the offerings. He sent out a proclamation so that people would be aware of the need and the opportunity to give. 2 Generosity is Joyful! The people responded gladly to the call to give. Godly people enjoy expressing their generosity, especially to the church! The people gave in abundance. The need was met and surpassed! 3 All Should Participate! Everyone gave something. Lord, please help me to be intentional and joyful in my generosity today and every day. Amen. Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced 39 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

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13 Our Message For You But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of

14 God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17