Roots 21- Days of Prayer

Transcription

1 Roots 21- Days of Prayer You are about to start a 21- day journey into God s word through brief daily messages from the Rock Church. We ask that you take a minute each day to read over the Bible verses and devotional, and then to pray! This journey is a reminder that God calls all of us to be generous givers, in all areas of our lives! April 14 John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. One of the most famous verses in the Bible shows us God s heart. God so loved the world, that he did what? He gave! God loved us so much that he gave. He gave his best, his only son; and he did this so we could receive eternal life. We are most Christ- like when we give like this. Lord, help me to have a heart that gives like you gave to me! April 15 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. Paul is challenging the church in Corinth to help needy believers, and he uses a powerful illustration: Christ, the chief of all givers, the riches of heaven at Christ s expense. We have access to God because Christ chose to become poor. Our model, then, is Jesus Christ giving up all to save us. True giving begins when we sacrifice. Lord, help me to give sacrificially to the people you have brought into my life! April 16 Acts 4:34-35 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. The book of Acts records the first approximately thirty years of church history. Acts Chapter 4 records that the first century church in Jerusalem was taking care of their own. A generous spirit marked the church at this time. The church so completely met each other s needs, that there wasn t a needy person among them. The church s generosity caught everybody s attention, so much so that they turned the world upside down with the gospel. Lord, show me how I can help fellow Christians in life, to such a degree that it catches people s attention. April 17 John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Mary s act of worship is significant. She washes his dirty feet using her hair, as well as perfume that cost a year s wages. Mary was declaring to the entire room that this was her Lord and she adored him. Lord, help me to give in such a way that demonstrates my adoration of you! April 18

2 Matthew 19: 21 Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Here Jesus interacts with a rich young man who claimed to have followed all of God s laws completely. Jesus, however, had the insight into the young man s heart to see that money had a hold on him. As Americans, we read these verses as some of the richest people in the history of the planet. So Jesus challenge to the rich young man might apply to us! Lord, help me to live in such a way that money never takes my heart away from complete devotion to you! April 19 John 10:10b I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Luke 12:15 And Jesus said to them, Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Jesus cares deeply that people understand what it means to live an "abundant" life. Jesus warns us to be on our guard against all covetousness; abundant life is not the same as abundant possessions. Generosity is God's cure for covetousness! Real, full life happens when our hearts are opened to the idea that this life is for using our possessions for God's Kingdom, not for accumulating everything we possibly can. Lord please protect me from covetousness of all kinds! April 20 Psalm 112:9 He has freely scattered his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. Proverbs 31:20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Psalm 112 and Proverbs 31 describe the characteristics of godly men and women, and generosity is the common theme! We are all called to this task: both God s man and God s woman are openhanded with their resources. God s families freely scatter gifts to the poor. God s people encourage one another to trust the Lord with their finances in order to reach the world. Lord, please show me how I can be a godly man or woman in the area of giving. April 21 Proverbs 11:28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. Have you ever sat and watched a flourishing tree in the spring after its leaves have grown? There's hardly a more peaceful thing on this earth. If we trust in our wealth to save us in times of trouble, we will fall; it will fade away. God is calling us to trust in Him, not in our riches, and His promise to us is that we'll flourish like a peaceful leaf. Lord, help me to be generous so I live a life of greater dependence on you! April 22 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. The Macedonian church, in the middle of extreme trials and poverty, gave abundantly. We tend to incorrectly believe that only really rich people can give abundantly. But these verses show us it is not about the amount, but the proportion. Paul praises the poorest of churches the highest, not because of

3 their dollar amount, but because they gave sacrificially and proportionately. And what was their earthly reward? They experienced an abundance of joy. Lord, help to me experience the abundant joy of giving to others! April 23 Luke 6:38 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. Like a kid counting their presents under the Christmas tree, it s so easy to measure what we ve been given. Who served me today, who blessed me, is there enough for me? Jesus is challenging us to measure not what we get, but what we give. What would it look like to give a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over? Lord, please show me what it means to give abundantly to you and to the people you have placed in my life. April 24 Matthew 6:20-21 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. In uncertain economic times, people look for safe investments. But here Jesus shares with us a profound truth. The only safe investment is an eternal investment. Our real estate, stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, and precious metals can all be taken away. But only one investment is eternal, and that is a spiritual investment. Lord help me to cultivate an eternal perspective in my life that impacts how I spend and give my money. April 25 2 Corinthians 9:11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. Christian, God has blessed you! This passage makes it clear that the purpose of that blessing is to, in turn, bless others. God provides abundantly for us, so we can then meet the practical needs of those around us. Here, Paul is exhorting the Corinthian believers to give a monetary gift to support the church in Jerusalem. He's encouraging them to apply faith and to trust God by giving generously. Lord, please provide me with an opportunity to bless those around me, so they can thank you! April 26 Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! Genuine, willing, and humble generosity flows out of a firm understanding of just how much God has blessed us. We're blessed to be chosen by Him and brought near. Blessed to dwell in His courts. We're blessed to be satisfied by His goodness and to benefit from His perfect holiness. He lavishes good things on us in so many ways. Lord, please help me to remember how much you have blessed me! April 27 Acts 2:44-45, 47 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

4 Here is another snapshot into the first century church in Jerusalem. The entire church was involved in selling their possessions and helping each other out. This was a remarkable level of generosity among this first community of believers. The lesson is simple: a change in the heart after salvation results in greater generosity among the saints. And what was the result of all of this generosity? God grew his church (verse 47). Lord, help me and the other members of the Rock to be living examples of first century Christian generosity! April 28 Proverbs 11:25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Often times, if we're honest, it's easy to rewrite this verse to suit our needs. I will refresh others when I have been refreshed first. Or, Those who refresh others should refresh me I ve done enough. It's in these moments that the Holy Spirit gently challenges us to take God at His Word. If God says the generous will prosper, then they will. If God says the refreshers will become the "refresh- ees, then they will. Great blessings accompany the generous life! Lord, please help me to be a child of God who gives to you and others in faith April 29 2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you see that you excel in this act of grace also. Paul exhorts the Corinthian church to excel in everything! We often think of being godly and mature in terms of our faith, speech, or love. But Paul also includes acts of giving. He challenges the church to excel in their giving. God would not ask of us anything we can t do by his power. God is looking for sacrificial and proportional giving. And this means any Christian can excel in the grace of giving. Lord, help us to be a church full of men, women and children who excel in the grace of giving! April 30 Matthew 5:23-24 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Some parents believe years of neglect of their children can be made up for with lavish gifts. But in these verses, Jesus kills that thought. God is more interested in your heart than your gift. He says the relational hurts must be fixed first. Jesus solution is simple, leave the gift on the altar, reconcile, and then give the gift. Lord, help us to be men and women who work consistently for reconciliation with our brothers and sisters May 1 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Imagine liquidating everything you had, selling your house, car, clothing and gear and draining your bank accounts and 401k. And then just imagine giving all of that away. But Paul then makes a dramatic statement. He says that even if we give at this level, but didn t have love, it would gain us nothing. God wants our giving to be done in love because He uses that to accomplish great things! Lord, help our giving to be marked by love!

5 May 2 Matthew 6:3-4 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. We live in a culture that loves to post details of accomplishments online: pictures of our delicious breakfast, our cute kids, recent home projects, our kid s awards, etc. So Jesus charge in this verse is very counter- cultural. Jesus encourages us to be secretive in our giving. Don t be tempted to tell your friend about your giving, saying, Look at what I did! Be discreet in your giving; there is special blessing in such humility. Lord, protect us from hearts that intentionally or unintentionally boast about our giving May 3 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Each one must give what he has decided to give. Here Paul introduces the idea of planned giving. We make plans for a variety of things: vacations, retirement, major purchases, or home projects. Paul tells us it is critical we have a plan when it comes to our giving, be it our church, needy people around us, or different ministries. Good planning leads to quality giving. Lord, help us to be intentional to create a plan of giving that honors you May 4 2 Corinthians 8:10-11 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. Speaking of the Corinthian church s giving, he says now finish doing it. It is easy to get excited about helping an individual or the church, but with time, our enthusiasm can wane. Paul appreciates how excited this church was to help initially, but here he says, Finish the work. May your excitement at the beginning of the project be exceeded by your excitement at the end. It is not just enough to talk about giving; we actually have to follow through. Lord, help us to be men and women who finish what we start when it comes to our giving May 5 1 Timothy 6:17-19 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. As we bring our 21 days of prayer to close, Paul raises two temptations that face people who are blessed financially. As Americans living in 2013, we are blessed financially! First there is a temptation of pride, that we think we are better somehow because we have been blessed financially. Second there is a temptation to put our trust in our wealth, instead of in our God. Lord, please protect us from temptations, pride and independence from you!