First Baptist Church Woodstock Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

Transcription

1 First Baptist Church Woodstock Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

2 Be Generous 2017 by First Baptist Church Woodstock. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible. New King James Version.

3 Introduction Dr. Johnny M. Hunt I feel I have been very privileged over the years since I came to know Christ, especially in the area of giving. I am so grateful that the Lord placed Alfred Joyner in my life to model generosity; not to just model it but to mentor me in the sense of sharing with me Biblical truth the very first week I came to know Christ. He not only taught me generosity but he also helped me learn the Scriptures. Over these past decades of studying God s Word over and over again, I see the importance as well as the challenge in scripture to be generous. One of my favorite passages is where Jesus was speaking in Luke 16:10 and he said, He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. I have often said that when I came to Christ I had a rather small pie when I thought of my income. Thanks to the help of mature believers I attempted to give a large slice of that pie to King Jesus. Now decades later the Lord has certainly blessed me in income, writing, speaking and the like. I am grateful that today I can continue to give an even larger slice of a bigger pie. It blesses me to know that I am attempting to be faithful now that I have much, even as I did when I had little. It is a challenge to be generous if you did not start when you had just a small slice of pie. I guess you could say that one of my favorite verses in the Bible when it comes to challenging others in the context of a pastor to his people is Philippians 4:17. The Bible says, Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. I can honestly say thus far in my journey with Jesus that I am not a taker. I am a giver. I love to challenge others to give because I know the fruit that abounds to your account. You actually are the beneficiary of your own giving. As you study what it means to be obedient, to be blessed, to be sacrificial, and to be joyful, let the words of Christ wash over you and simply ask him, Father what would this look like in my life? and know that you are entering a journey that gets richer with every passing day. You are loved, Pastor Johnny Hunt

4 Week One Be Obedient Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

5 October 1 He Owns It All By Jim Law Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase. Proverbs 3:9 What a straightforward statement and command from the wisest man ever to walk the face of the earth apart from Jesus. Solomon, in his great wisdom, says we are to honor and give to the Lord out of ALL of our possessions AND the firstfruit out of any additional increase we may obtain. We have mistakenly learned that 10% of everything belongs to the Lord, but the fact of the matter is that 100% of all we have or ever will have belongs to the Lord. If we get a handle on that fact, it will change our perspective on giving to the Lord. He owns it all!!!! We are simply a steward or manager of the resources that He has allowed to flow through our hands. The scripture speaks so much about possessions and how we are to handle them because the Holy Spirit knew we were going to have so many struggles with that issue due to our stinginess, selfcenteredness, and greed. Ask the Lord today to help you have His heart on possessions, and ask Him to work deeply in the recesses of your heart to bring clarity on this issue. Honor the LORD with your possessions Dear Lord Jesus, I pray for Your wisdom in this area of my life. Your life is a picture of giving and extreme generosity. If I desire to be like You, I need to recommit myself to You and your example of generosity. Help me be obedient in this area of my life to the point that it produces real joy to give to You abundantly. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 3 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

6 October 2 Giving From What God Has Given You By Steve Hyland This verse gives some good insights on how God looks at giving and how we should react based on those insights. 1 Everyone should give as they are able. Jesus said the lady who gave one penny at the temple gave the most because she gave everything. All should give as they are able because God sees the proportion of giving not just the actual amount given. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you. Deuteronomy 16:17 2 We are asked to give from what God has given us. First, we must have the right understanding of where our blessings come from. They come from God, not ourselves. 3 We are stewards, not owners, of what God has given us. As stewards, we will be held accountable by God on how we used the talents given to us by Him. Our stewardship is much broader than just money; it includes using our spiritual gifts to operate in the body of Christ. Every man shall give as he is able Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life. Help me to be a faithful steward of the resources You have given me that will expand Your kingdom. Guide me through Your Holy Spirit daily. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 4 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

7 October 3 Write a Yes on your Heart! By George Bagwell Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, Go and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, when you have it with you. Proverbs 3:27-28 The wisdom of this proverb is that we shouldn t withhold good from those to whom it is due. It goes on to describe a specific situation with a neighbor in which we are to act with immediate generosity. This example shows us to whom good is due - our neighbors! In the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37, Jesus reveals two important truths. First, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. Second, our neighbors are those people all around us who need our love and mercy. Simply put, we are to give to our needy neighbors quickly and generously. Most of us would never make the conscious decision to withhold good from another person. However, if it is in our power to act on behalf of a hurting neighbor and we simply ignore the need, are we not withholding good from that one? It is often easier to be obedient when we determine the answer before we are asked the question. When we are called upon to obediently give to our neighbors and the nations, may YES, already be written on our hearts! Lord Jesus, give us generosity with love and obedience attached. Giving is a precious gift from You, enabled by Your abundant mercies and grace. Help us to give in obedience to Your Word which is such a rich blessing. May we take the love that You have given us and return it to others that many may be blessed. Amen. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due 5 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

8 October 4 Giving in Obedience By Scott Burns In Luke 3, John the Baptist exhorts the multitude to produce fruit that is consistent with their repentance and changed lives: to bear the fruits of a true believer. So the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? John replies in Luke 3:11 that believers ought to give. He answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise. Luke 3:11 How many of us have surplus that we keep to ourselves when others are in need? Too often we neglect the necessities of others due to our own selfishness and greed. We do not obey as John has laid it out. As true followers of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to love God and love others. May the love of God replace our selfishness with a sacrificial and giving heart. Let us be obedient in following the early church s example demonstrated in Acts 2 and provide for anyone in need. Instead of looking the other way, we must respond by giving and sharing out of our overabundance. He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none In a world that teaches self-centeredness and selfpreservation, may our church be known by its fruit as we seek to obey Him in our giving. Father, help us in humility to obey You by giving to others. We have so much and it all belongs to You in the first place. We want to be good stewards of what You have blessed us with. Help us, Lord, to give as You gave in Your obedience. In Jesus name, Amen. 6 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

9 October 5 Blessed to Be a Blessing By Paul Hahn I was born on Christmas Day; so needless to say, I know what it means to receive! People ask me, Don t you feel like you get short-changed every year? The truth is I ve never felt short-changed; the honor of sharing the day we celebrate Christ s birth has been one of my favorite things. Every time someone asks for my birthdate, I feel honored, and that special feeling is far better than any material gift imaginable. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 On the other hand, being a husband and the father of four children has provided me many opportunities to give. On Christmas Day, I am far more excited about what I m giving than what I might get. Watching my wife or one of our children open that perfect gift and light up like it s the best gift ever is what blesses me. Have you ever experienced that feeling? I wonder if that s what God felt like on that glorious third day when Jesus rose from the grave. God gave His only Son (John 3:16)! Jesus gave Himself as payment for our sins (Galatians 1:4)! Jesus is the perfect gift for every person in the whole world! It is more blessed to give than to receive Have you personally received that gift? If you have, your life has been changed, and you are becoming more like your generous Father every day. What is He telling you to share today? Time? Talent? Treasures? Then give it and prepare to be blessed as only He can bless! Heavenly Father, teach me to love giving more than I love getting that I may be blessed by You as I bless others! Amen. 7 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

10 October 6 God - The Giver of All Gifts By April Amburn Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 In this verse, we see Paul telling Timothy to command those who are rich to not be haughty nor trust in riches but rather in God the giver of all gifts, including money. A haughty person acts superior and looks down on others. We see throughout Scripture that haughtiness (or pride) precedes destruction. God s command to us in this scripture is for our good. God is a loving Father who owns all things and loves to give gifts to His children. Because He is a good Father, He sometimes withholds things that we want because He knows what is best for us. We can choose to be disobedient and do things our way to get what we want; however, we end up paying the consequences. Depending on ourselves to provide wealth leads to a life filled with stress and anxiety. Obediently trusting God to give us all that we need frees us to enjoy His gifts. God wants us to be a light for Him wherever He places us. Every job that we have is a gift from God, and sometimes, God will use that job to provide for our family s financial needs. We need to remember it is God, not ourselves and our jobs, that provides riches. Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty Heavenly Father, help us to be obedient to the commands that You have given us in Your Word. May we see that it is not our finances that provide the things we enjoy, but You. Help us to trust in You alone to provide everything we need. In Jesus name, Amen. 8 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

11 October 7 Rich Toward God By Ken Smith Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:16-21 In this passage, God gives an increase, and the response to this blessing is much like today for most people. I will collect more and more. Some do it for a comfortable life, some just to possess more; but God is interested in obedience. We are to give away so He can replenish from His bounty. All through scripture, God has led His people to be generous. We can either choose to be like Him or to allow our flesh to control what He has so graciously given to us. Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35. In the eyes of the Lord, are you a generous person or are you much like the man in this passage? What kind of person do you want to be? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. Christ gave up a kingdom for us. What is God leading you to give for Him? Lord, please let me be sensitive to Your leading in the area of giving. Help me to be willing to give all that You ask of me. Amen. What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? 9 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

12 October 1 7 Prayerfully Journal Your Thoughts: 10 / Be Generous: A 28-Day Devotional Journey

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