A Heart to Give

Do you have a heart for giving? The Bible is full of examples of people who gave unselfishly to bless the Lord and His people.

The people of Israel gave so much to the building of the temple that they had to turn away people's offerings! The widow woman gave her last to the prophet of God and was blessed to have food throughout a famine. Hannah gave up her own son to the Lord as thanksgiving for her answered prayer. A woman gave her last copper coins to the temple and was noticed by Jesus. The early church gave all their belongings to the benefit of the entire body so that no one had any lack.

Nowadays, people tend to shy away from giving. We ignore the beggars on the street. When the preacher starts talking about giving in church, we get uncomfortable and half listen. We set up our own "boundaries" of what we will or won't give to others. Our times of "service" or "volunteering" are more about padding our own resumes or making ourselves look good rather than giving back to those in need.

We serve a God who definitely leads by example. He gave Adam a paradise to live in and have dominion over when He first created the world. He gave us His word to follow so that we could live blessed lives. He gave His only Son so that we could be reconciled to Him. He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us and guide us in all things.

We have been given so much! The least we could do is pay it forward and give to someone else as well. God loves cheerful givers! He loves them because they look just like Him!

Take some inventory of your own heart. Do you love to give? Are you giving out of love or duty? Do you give grudgingly or freely? Do you look just like your Father in the area of giving?

If you find yourself lacking, ask the Lord to transform your heart. Ask Him to break away stinginess and selfishness. Ask the Lord to expand your love for others to where you want to give.

And then give. Practice today and give to somebody just because. When you give, you look like your Heavenly Father. When you give, you make Him proud.

Verse of the Day: Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Afternoon Ti: Inspiration

I came across this article this morning in my readings. It really made me pause and think. I can identify with what Marina wrote. It is tragic that she has passed. I hope she knew the Lord.

What sticks out is her notion that "we can still do anything." Of course, she believed this because she was only twenty-two, but I believe this because I have Jesus on my side. It doesn't matter if you're twenty-two, thirty-two, or sixty-two. God's mercies are new every morning, and nothing is impossible with Him.

This piece is a reminder that we all should be striving to live our lives to the fullest. Tomorrow is not promised. But God has given you a promise that must come to pass.

Take a moment to read Marina's article here and get inspired.

Don't Shrink Back!

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the glory of God that clothed them was removed and they realized their nakedness. Their sin caused them to feel to feel shame, and they hid when they knew that God was coming to talk with them. (Genesis 3)

As a PK (Preacher's Kid), I've been blessed to be around numerous men and women of God growing up. When I was younger, I would enjoy sitting in the back rooms and listening in on their conversations. It was enlightening to hear what they were like when they weren't preaching to a crowd of people. I thank God that the majority of those men and women were people of integrity and set good examples for me.

It's funny because most of my friends didn't feel the same way that I did about hanging around the preachers. They wouldn't want to go and talk to the ministers out of fear that God would reveal to them something negative about my friends. They were afraid that their 'sins' would be exposed. They shrank back from the anointing God had placed on those people's lives.

In the same way, some of us shrink back from God's presence when we are in sin. We don't pray as deeply as we normally would (if we pray at all). Some of us stop going to church. Others dodge ministry leaders in our church. Like my friends, we don't want to be 'exposed', we don't want anyone to hone in on our secret sins.

Yet, if we continue reading Adam and Eve's story, we see that even though God rightly rebuked them, He made a way for the sins to be covered. At that time, it took the sacrifice of a lamb, but God told Adam and Eve what to do to make things right. He even gave them the lamb's wool as a covering for their nakedness.

We all sin and fall short of God's glory. However, we serve a just and gracious God. Of course there are consequences for our sin, but God's grace is there to cover and make things right again. We are blessed to have the eternal sacrifice of God's Son, Jesus, to cover our transgressions. And He has made a way for us to be reconciled with God.

So what you fell? That doesn't mean that you should turn away from God's presence. It's all the more reason for you to run to Him, so He can make you whole again. Don't shrink back, press in. Your Heavenly Father is waiting with love to make it all okay.

Verse of the Day: God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9, 10

Moving Forward

Right now, I am so excited with what God has given me to do! I've been taking some steps to move forward in the call that He has given to me, and I'm excited to see the results.

When Abraham was first called by God, the Lord told Him to get away from everything he knew and go to a place God would point out. God told Abraham that he would become a great person and be the father of a great nation.

At that time Abraham had nothing indicating that he would be the father of a great nation. He didn't have a son; He didn't even have a daughter. His wife was barren. Yet, Abraham chose to believe the word of the Lord. He chose to step out and follow God's instructions. And Abraham's obedience caused him to move into exactly what God had ordained for his life.

What has God asked you to do? Are you moving forward in the plans He's laid out for you?

It can be scary to initially move forward with God's plans. Often God asks us to do things that take a lot of courage and faith. But, it is when we pull up that courage and tap into our faith in God that He is able to move. God's not going to move until we do our part. He works with our faith. And faith without works is dead. (James 2:17) If you're not moving, you probably aren't in faith.

Move forward with God today! Be strong and very courageous! God won't ask you to do anything you're not capable of. God will never lead you into failure. His promises are "Yes" and "Amen". (2 Corinthians 1:20) You will not fail. As long as you keep moving forward with God, you will always succeed.

Verse of the Day: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him... Genesis 12:1-4a

Evening Ti: Memorial Day

Today America stopped to celebrate Memorial Day. We remembered those who gave their lives in service to this country in order for us to celebrate the freedoms that we hold so dear. It is because of their sacrifices that we can experience the rich lives that we have in this country.

This evening, I was thinking also of those who sacrificed so much so that we can have our spiritual freedoms as well. America's founding fathers fought so that our country would be a religiously free country. No one is forcing us into a religion, we have the freedom to choose what we believe. This freedom gives us the opportunities to worship God how we please and evangelize as we desire. We don't have to worship in secrecy or fear, and we don't have to worry about authorities coming in to shut our churches down.

We are so blessed.

As you remember those who gave their lives for our country's freedom, don't forget to give thanks for those who blazed the trail for us to have religious freedoms as well. It is their foresight that has given us the liberty we have in our own lives of worship.

Thanksgiving Friday!

Another week has whizzed by, and I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow! I'm so tired I could fall asleep right now... I mean, right on this desk right now. I'm exhausted. BUT, there is still much work to be done. These kids are graduating today, so I have to stay awake.

This week I'm thankful for God ideas. In the midst of all the hubbub and bustle, God dropped a couple of key ideas into my heart. I've prayed over them and tucked them away to unpack next week when I have some time to breathe. I'm excited! God knows how to keep me motivated. He's always talking, we've just got to make sure we're listening. Thank you, Lord, for continuing to impart into my life.

I'm also thankful for the gifts God has given me. Just going through all the organizing, planning, overseeing, and scheduling that I've had to do these past couple of weeks has shown that God has blessed me with the right mix of goods for me to perform on an excellent level at what I do. Thank you, Jesus, for blessing me with what I need to succeed!

Lastly, I'm grateful for peace. Even though I've been running here, there, and everywhere, I've been blessed with peace in the midst of it all. I haven't been stressing out, burning out, or wilin' out. I've been at peace. I can only thank the Lord for that. He has truly kept my mind at ease. Thanks God, for your peace that passes all understanding.

So, what are you thankful for today? Make sure you send up some prayers of thanksgiving! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Verse of the Day: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

Afternoon Ti: Your Reward

I apologize for the late and missing posts. It's graduation season, and I am in the midst of a flurry of activity!  This morning was our Senior Awards ceremony, and I had a lot of things to pin down and get in order to make the ceremony run smoothly.

Watching the faces of the kids light up when their name was called reminded me of how everyone loves to be pointed out and recognized for something. It could be a job well done, a prestigious achievement, or a simple acknowledgement, but we all want to be noticed, we all want to be thanked, we all want to feel approved.

Sometimes our desire for approval makes us do things and behave in certain ways merely for the reward we believe is coming at the end of it all. We do things looking to get. We give out betting on receiving back.

That's not the way Kingdom minded people should live. We should not live in a manner that looks to get something. We shouldn't be looking for rewards or accolades. We shouldn't be looking for the approval of the people around us.

The only driving force in our lives should be pleasing God.

Don't always look for a person to point you out. Yes, it is nice when someone notices the great things that we do, but that should be icing on the cake, not the cake itself. If we never receive a thank you, a gift, a smile, an acknowledgment, a medal or certificate... the only thing that should matter is that God saw what we did. His approval is what sticks. His accolades are what lasts. His acknowledgment is what really gets you into greatness.

What's wonderful is that God sees and knows it all. He's got treasures, crowns, and gifts waiting on you that far exceed anything anyone down here can give you. And, His gifts last forever!

Verse of the Day: ...I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Galatians 1:10