generous – Be Still…

Malachi 3:6-15 – Test God

Read Malachi 3:6-15

God welcomes us to test him. He means business in this call to repentance! In this prophecy, God reveals his character as a good father. He says, “I do not change.” Why does that make God good? Because when something doesn’t change, it’s reliable. We can always count on God. He always loves us. That’s very good!

Unfortunately, the people have taken advantage of God and cheated him. They have robbed God of the wholehearted devotion he deserves. Their response to God (in those days it was sacrifices) was less than desirable. Not only did they try and sacrifice damaged goods, but the potential of what they could share with God was reduced because of their greed while seeking the wrong thing.

2 Corinthians 9:1-15 – How Much to Give?

Read 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

In my post from 2 Corinthians 8, we heard Paul’s teaching on giving and how we should see it as a privilege and not an obligation. What exactly are we giving? Perhaps it’s our time. Perhaps it’s a portion of our income. Perhaps it’s both. What we give is between us and God. Here again, Paul teaches that we should give cheerfully.

I don’t know about you, but from my experience when I am generous with my giving, it just feels good. There is some satisfaction about putting our tithe in the offering each week. Even when it was an auto-deduct from our bank account, I knew it was happening and it gave me joy. God can do so much more with that gift than I can by holding on to it.

Proverbs 11:21-31 – Refresh Others

Read Proverbs 11:21-31

What are you doing today to refresh someone? What does it mean to refresh them? I suppose it means something different depending on who you are blessing. A busy mom would love help with getting kids to and from activities or the laundry from last week folded and put away. A widower would be refreshed by a home-cooked meal. An athlete by someone cheering them on. A store owner by someone bringing in a crowd of customers eager to buy. A patient in a hospital bed by a visitor coming to spend time with them.

Can you think of a way you can make a difference for someone today? Verse 25 says, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” We should be looking for ways to be generous with our time to help others. What a promise! If we refresh others, we will be refreshed!

Matthew 6:19-24 – Show Me the Money

Read Matthew 6:19-24

Where do you find your security? Is it in your wealth? Are you driven to succeed only to have more money in the bank? Do you cut every corner imaginable just so you can make ends meet? Jesus is talking about our relationship to money, our need for money, and how we should view money. You may have seen before how this passage can be misinterpreted leading people to a wrong understanding.

Again, Jesus wants us to be relying on our Heavenly Father and focusing on building that relationship. When we distract ourselves with money, having more of it that is, we are keeping ourselves from having more of God. Again, the attitude of our heart is what God is watching.