I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Giving Generously
Generosity is at the heart of God, and so when we give, we are showing people God’s heart. Generous living is such an important aspect of our faith, that it is discussed all throughout Scripture…
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James teaches that God gives wisdom generously to those who ask. (James 1:5)
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John wrote that God so loved the world that He gave Jesus to us. (John 3:16)
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Paul praised the church in Macedonia who, though they were living in poverty, “overflowed in a wealth of generosity … for they gave according to their means.” (2 Corinthians 8:2-3 ESV; emphasis added)
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Paul told the Corinthian church that God “loves a cheerful giver,” and that when we give, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT)
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King Solomon believed that, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17 NIV)
God shows us in the Bible that when we give to the poor, when we lend to one another, and when we give to our brothers and sisters in the Church, He will supply our needs and He will bless us according to His will and His ways.
He sees what we give and He blesses us—but this doesn't mean giving is a magic formula. We shouldn’t use our giving to test God to see if He will give us something in return. We give because Jesus gave His life for us. We give because we are made in the image of our generous and gracious God.
We give because God first gave Himself to us, and we trust that He will provide for us, and be enough for us.
So in what ways can you be generous to someone else? Are there people in your community you could give to, even if it means sacrificing something? How can you give as the Lord gave to you?
Luke 9
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; and of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him. And the ...
God Keeps His Promises
“'The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.”
Jeremiah 33:14 NIV
A lot of people would have laughed at Jeremiah when he said these words. Why? Because it seemed like God had abandoned both Israel and Judah.
At this point in the story of the Bible, Israel is gone—wiped out by an invading army. Now Judah is alone, and another massive army is at their gates to destroy them too. The situation couldn’t have been more hopeless.
Have you ever experienced a moment like that? Maybe it was a life-changing loss, or impossibly difficult news. In those painful moments, it can feel impossible to trust God’s promises. The people listening to Jeremiah probably felt the same way. But it wasn’t the end of their story because circumstances can’t ruin God’s promises.
Yes, the enemy broke in and took God’s people into captivity for decades. But God didn’t abandon His people or give up on...
