Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
So is Jesus’ invitation about sharing the haul He help bring about or sharing the breakfast He already prepared or teaching His disciples a lesson or what?
Scripture
John 21:10-12
Jesus (to disciples): Bring some of the fish you just caught.
Simon Peter went back to the boat to unload the fish from the net. He pulled 153 large fish from the net. Despite the number of the fish, the net held without a tear.
Jesus: Come, and join Me for breakfast.
Devotional
Peter heard the man call from the shore to throw his nets on the right side of the boat
He wasn’t real sure why that side was any better than the other
Did what the man suggested
Made one of the biggest hauls of his life – 153 large fish
Not sure what constitutes large, but Peter was a fisherman and large would not be something you could hold in the palm of your hand
Recognized the command came from Jesus after the fact
Jumped in to meet Him
Didn’t care what others thought of His actions
Didn’t care about the wealth lost in getting to Him
Finally felt sorry for his friends and went to help unload the boat
Took time to unload 153 large fish plus whatever else was caught in the nets
Laid them out in the sand to dry
Checked the nets for tears
Hung them up to dry to be ready to go out again
Professional fishermen
Bring some of the fish you caught
Share what you have with others
Don’t be greedy with what God has allowed you to gain
Enjoy the fellowship with others as you give generously
Bring some of the fish you caught
Breakfast was already roasting on the fire
Brought fish, but fish was already cooking
Abundance came out of sharing
Joy came out of accepting the invitation from Jesus
What would have happened if Peter had not paid attention to that man on the beach that day?
Tired, hot, sweaty from a long night’s work
No fish to show for his toil
Would not have met the Master for breakfast
Would not have eaten some of the best fish created, just for him
God invites us to share out of the abundance He has given us so that He can invite us to experience even more with Him.
God’s math doesn’t add up in our sense of thinking
But we are not God
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
16:1-13 Jesus: Once there was a rich and powerful man who had an asset manager. One day, the man received word that his asset manager was squandering his assets.
The rich man brought in the asset manager and said, “You’ve been accused of wrongdoing. I want a full and accurate accounting of all your financial transactions because you are really close to being fired.”The manager said to himself, “Oh, no! Now what am I going to do? I’m going to lose my job here, and I’m too weak to dig ditches and too proud to beg. I have an idea. This plan will mean that I have a lot of hospitable friends when I get fired.”
So the asset manager set up appointments with each person who owed his master money. He said to the first debtor, “How much do you owe my boss?” The debtor replied, “A hundred barrels of oil.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your bill by half. Just write 50 on this contract.” Then he said to the second debtor, “How much do you owe?” This fellow said, “A hundred bales of wheat.” The manager said, “I’m discounting your debt by 20 percent. Just write down 80 bales on this contract.”
When the manager’s boss realized what he had done, he congratulated him for at least being clever. That’s how it is: those attuned to this evil age are more clever in dealing with their affairs than the enlightened are in dealing with their affairs!
Learn some lessons from this crooked but clever asset manager. Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination.
If you’re faithful in small-scale matters, you’ll be faithful with far bigger responsibilities. If you’re crooked in small responsibilities, you’ll be no different in bigger things. If you can’t even handle a small thing like money, who’s going to entrust you with spiritual riches that really matter? If you don’t manage well someone else’s assets that are entrusted to you, who’s going to give over to you important spiritual and personal relationships to manage?
Imagine you’re a servant and you have two masters giving you orders. What are you going to do when they have conflicting demands? You can’t serve both, so you’ll either hate the first and love the second, or you’ll faithfully serve the first and despise the second. One master is God and the other is money. You can’t serve them both.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Did you get that lesson about the purpose of money? We really blow it these days. We think the purpose of money is to get more stuff for us. We think it is to make us more comfortable or make us look more important or ensure our future. But Jesus didn’t mention any of those things when He talked about the purpose of money as He discussed this parable with those around Him, did He? “The purpose of money,” He said, “is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind.”
That is a far cry from what the world tells us to do with our money, isn’t it? Financial managers will tell us to hoard it away. Make sure you multiply it so you don’t run out. Don’t give too much of it away because then you won’t have it. The world says use it for your personal gain. That’s how you get ahead in this world.
Jesus’ advice and the world’s advice are rather contradictory to each other, aren’t they? But who should we listen to? If God made the world and He will be the final judge of our actions at the end of time, doesn’t it make sense to pay attention to His rules instead of the world’s rules? Doesn’t it make sense to take God’s advice since He’s the one we will face someday?
Even if you don’t believe there is a heaven and hell, being generous and kind doesn’t do any harm to you or anyone else. And if you are right, you have done good things for others all your life. You have been good and kind and generous and helped others along life’s path. But if you’re wrong and you fail to give to others, hoard everything you make, push aside others and fail to help others along life’s path, what will you say to God when you face Him at the judgment?
If you don’t believe, you still might not make it across the threshold into heaven, but I’m not God, thank goodness, and I don’t know how He will judge at the end of time. Perhaps ignorance of Him will be weighed against good things you have done or failure to do those good things. Perhaps generosity and kindness will have something to do with the intensity of punishment received. I have to tell you I don’t know how all that will work. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But one thing for sure, Jesus’ words about the use of money point us again and again to using it to help others not ourselves. Being generous and helpful and kind with the assets God entrusts to us. So we’d best get on with those duties, don’t you think.
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 6:1-4 Jesus: But when you do these righteous acts, do not do them in front of spectators. Don’t do them where you can be seen, let alone lauded, by others. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to the poor, do not boast about it, announcing your donations with blaring trumpets as the play actors do. Do not brazenly give your charity in the synagogues and on the streets; indeed, do not give at all if you are giving because you want to be praised by your neighbors. Those people who give in order to reap praise have already received their reward. When you give to the needy, do it in secret—even your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. Then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
What would happen if the government suddenly decided not to give credit for charitable giving? Would it change your giving habits? Would you give less to your favorite charities or to the church? Would your contributions take a nose dive if you didn’t get credit for giving to others? It’s an interesting question and one these words of Jesus ask us ask ourselves. You see, it’s not just the announcement in the press or your name on a board or in a bulletin that might make your head and chest swell because of what you give.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t take advantage of every tax break we can. Our government certainly doesn’t exactly act with much frugality with its runaway spending and $16 trillion debt. I’m not much in favor of giving more money to officials that don’t know how to tighten their belt when they are asking all of us to. And I don’t think God faults us for taking those deductions on our tax returns when it’s time to face the music at this time of year when we start collecting all those bits of information.
But we should seriously ask ourselves why we give. If its because of a tax break, don’t give. If it’s to get the applause and recognition of those around us, don’t give. If it’s to get our name on the cornerstone or chiseled on the arch of the doorway, don’t give. God says, if we have the wrong motive and expect any blessings from Him because of that extravagant gift, you’ve missed the boat. You’ve already received your reward and it will be pretty sour when it comes around.
You might get a few applause and a few pats on the back for your generosity, but it will pass quickly and soon people will see your name on that stone and wonder who it is. Then people will walk by and never even notice the name. The building will eventually sell or be used for another purpose and your name is likely to be chiseled off or covered up. You reward will have passed on and no one will care.
Does that mean God doesn’t want you to give to the needy? Absolutely not! He loves a cheerful giver He says. He commands us to give of our means. He told us to give of our first fruits, the best that we have. In an agrarian society, He said give of the portion normally set aside to ensure the future, the first fruit, the seed crop for the next year. He said give and He would take care of you. But give because He wants you to know He will provide for your needs. He does so without fanfare on His part, and with praise on your part.
He wants you to give and so He fills your cup to overflowing so you can give out of the surplus He provides you. We often think we just must have that extra something, but do we? Do we need that fourteenth extra outfit? Do we need that new gadget that will sit in the closet in two weeks never again to see the light of day? Do we need the latest, fastest, shiniest, best? Maybe we need to figure out the difference between need and want in our materialistic culture and begin to give out of our abundance. May it’s time to share quietly from the things that tie us down and consume our time and effort every day and release them to God for His use.
Let God talk to you about those things and quietly let them go. Quietly let Him find the right place for the wants in your life and figure out the difference between your needs and your wants. God doesn’t intend for you to live in misery, but neither do you need to live in the lap of luxury when there are those around you starving and without hope. Can you feed the world? No. But you might be able to help a hungry youngster in your neighborhood that doesn’t know when she will eat next. You might be able to help a widow on a fixed income with medicine she can’t afford or a disabled vet who needs a ride to a medical appointment.
How can you give without fanfare? Without acknowledgement? Without even expecting a word of thanks? Just give knowing your heavenly Father keeps record of everything you do. Do your good works get you into heaven? No. Only faith in Jesus does that, but once there, our heavenly Father rewards us for the good works we have done. Jesus says so in His word. Be generous in your giving. But be quiet about it, too.
2 Corinthians 9 1 There’s nothing further I could add about your efforts for God’s people in Judea. 2 I know you are ready. I bragged on you throughout Macedonia, telling them how the people in Achaia have been prepared since last year; and your passion has been contagious. 3 Still I thought it would be best to send these brothers and sisters ahead to help you finish the final details so all my bragging wouldn’t be for nothing. 4 If some of the Macedonians decide to travel with me, all of us would be more than embarrassed if we arrived and you weren’t ready to give after the way we’ve been going on about you. 5 So to help you get your previously promised gift ready, it made sense to me to ask the brothers and sisters to go on ahead so you will have all the time you need to put it together as planned and so it doesn’t look thrown together or coerced. 6 But I will say this to encourage your generosity: the one who plants little harvests little, and the one who plants plenty harvests plenty. 7 Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.” 8 God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. 9 Remember what is written about the One who trusts in the Lord:
He scattered abroad; He gave freely to the poor;
His righteousness endures throughout the ages. 10 The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources you invest and produce an abundant harvest from your righteous actions. 11 You will be made rich in everything so that your generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us your generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God. 12 For this mission will do more than bring food and water to fellow believers in need—it will overflow in a cascade of praises and thanksgivings for our God. 13 When this mission reaches Jerusalem and meets with the approval of God’s people there, they will give glory to God because your confession of the gospel of the Anointed One led to obedient action and your generous sharing with them and with all exhibited your sincere concern. 14 Because of the extraordinary grace of God at work in you, they will pray for you and long for you. 15 Praise God for this incredible, unbelievable, indescribable gift!
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Don’t you like what Paul does for the Corinthian church? They promised to support the Christians in Jerusalem with an offering and Paul reminds them he is coming to collect it so they won’t be embarrassed should he get there and they not have it ready for him. How embarrassing would that have been had he shown up and they only had the few dollars they had in their pockets after they’d had the opportunity to collect for a year to help the people in Jerusalem.
At least now they had a couple of months to get their act together in case some of them had forgotten. Have you ever been put in that position or put someone else in that position? Let’s talk about you first. Have you ever made a promise to support something I put on your mind and then just sprinkled some change on it because you forgot until the last minute?
Perhaps it would help to put a jar on your dresser and put all your change, ones, or fives in it every day depending on what you pledged. Don’t worry, I bless cheerful givers. Maybe a savings account that a percentage of your paycheck goes into so you never see it so you don’t miss it will take care of an annual pledge to something I want you to support. For you tech-savvy, send yourself a future email each week or each month in advance of the deadline for the offering to make sure you’re on track with your giving.
There are a lot of creative ways to remember to give to others. Use them.
Now suppose you have a cause for which I’ve asked you to ask others to give. Give them some time to collect. As you know, most today live from payday to payday, so give them advanced warning that you will ask for them for a particular cause. Then give them reminders just before you collect so they, like the Corinthians, will not be embarrassed when you arrive to see their generosity.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians saved a lot of people a lot of embarrassment and reminded them that I love generosity toward those of My children who need it. I love to see you giving cheerfully to ministries that do good for others. Don’t be embarrassed about asking or giving money when it is for Me and My causes. Just think about how to do it so you and others can plan so that giving just happens.
Ready – 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Set – 1 Samuel 3; 2 Corinthians 8 Go! – 1 Samuel 3-5; Psalms 77; 2 Corinthians 8
2 Corinthians 8:1-15 1 Now, brothers and sisters, let me tell you about the amazing gift of God’s grace that’s happening throughout the churches in Macedonia. 2 Even in the face of severe anguish and hard times, their elation and poverty have overflowed into a wealth of generosity. 3 I watched as they willingly gave what they could afford and then went beyond to give even more. 4 They came to us on their own, begging to take part in this work of grace to support the poor saints in Judea. 5 We were so overwhelmed—none of us expected their reaction—that they truly turned their lives over to the Lord and then gave themselves to support us in our work as we answer the call of God. 6 That’s why we asked Titus to finish what he started among you regarding this gracious work of charity. 7 Just as you are rich in everything—in faith and speech, in knowledge and all sincerity, and in the love we have shown among you[a]—now I ask you to invest richly in this gracious work too. 8 I am not going to command you, but I am going to offer you the chance to prove your love genuine in the same way others have done. 9 You know the grace that has come to us through our Lord Jesus the Anointed. He set aside His infinite riches and was born into the lowest circumstance so that you may gain great riches through His humble poverty. 10-11 Listen, it’s been a year since we called your attention to this opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace, so here’s my advice: pull together your resources and finish what you started.
Remember how excited you were at first; it’s time to complete this task in the same spirit. 12 Now if there is a willingness to help, give within your means. That’s perfectly acceptable. No one expects you to go without or borrow to give. 13-14 The objective is not to go under so others will have some relief; the objective is to use this opportunity today to supply their needs out of your abundance. One day it may be the other way around, and they will need to supply your needs from what they have. That’s equality. 15 As it is written, “The one who gathered plenty didn’t have more than he needed; the one who gathered little didn’t have less.”
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Let’s talk about giving. Paul encourages the Corinthians to give an offering to the Christians in other parts of the world in need. He assumes the Corinthians will give their tithes to the place where they worship and that congregation will take care of each other within their means. The church in Jerusalem, the incubator of the church, found itself in deep trouble, however.
By this time, Rome’s leaders had begun applying intense pressure on all the religions that did not adhere to the beliefs of Rome. The rebellious Jews, Christians, and mystics that sprang up around their empire created immense pressure on the throne and Caesar’s procurators, governors, and military leaders did everything they could to stop the growing uprising around the empire.
Christians in Israel’s capital city found themselves blamed for everything going wrong in the country regardless of the source of the problem. I let those things happen to allow the dispersion of Christians throughout the world, but it was no less painful for those who suffered through the pain inflicted upon them by the citizenry and soldiers in Jerusalem.
Consequently, the Christians in Jerusalem needed help from their brothers and sisters elsewhere. They could get no jobs in Jerusalem. They lost all their funds, their homes and property. They gave up everything to follow Me. They did it gladly, but like all people, they wanted to survive and living in Jerusalem made survival difficult. But even escaping the city required resources they didn’t have. The offerings of their brothers and sisters in Christ were important to them.
So, Paul raised offerings for them wherever he went on his mission journeys. His approach is one you should remember. I don’t ask you to take out loans to fund My work. I don’t ask you to become a pauper. I ask you to give from your abundance. What does that mean? Give up some of the things that are just wants, not needs. Give up your toys, your extras, the things you can do without for the good of the kingdom, for the aid of your brothers and sisters in Christ.
One day you may need help, but when you give generously to others, it multiplies and returns to you as a harvest. You will find rewards in many ways when you give from your heart to the benefit of My children. Show them My love through your generosity.
Ruth 2 1Now Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech, had a relative in Bethlehem, an honorable, wealthy man named Boaz. 2 One day Ruth (the foreign woman who returned with Naomi from Moab) approached Naomi with a request.
Ruth: Let me go out into the field and pick up whatever grain is left behind the harvesters. Maybe someone will be merciful to me.
Naomi: Go ahead, my daughter.
3 Ruth left and went into the fields to pick up the gleanings, the grain that had been left behind by the harvesters. And so it was that the portion of the field she was working in belonged to Boaz, who was a part of Elimelech’s family.
4 As she was working in his field, Boaz happened to arrive from Bethlehem, and he greeted the harvesters.
Boaz: The Eternal One be with you.
Harvesters: May the Eternal bless you!
5 Then seeing Ruth, Boaz spoke to the young man in charge of the harvesters.
Boaz: Whom does this young woman belong to?
Overseer: 6 She is the Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from Moab. 7 She came and asked my permission to pick up the grain our harvesters leave behind and gather it all into sheaves for herself. Except for one small break she has been here all day, working in the field from the morning until now.
Boaz (to Ruth): 8 Listen to me, my daughter. Do not go and glean in any other field. In fact, do not go outside my property at all but stay with the young women who work for me following the harvesters and bundling the grain into sheaves. 9 Watch the harvesters, and see which field they are working in. Follow along behind these servants of mine. I have warned the young men not to touch you. If you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars my young men have filled for the harvesters.
10 Overwhelmed, Ruth bowed down before Boaz, putting her face to the ground in front of him.
Ruth: I am just a foreigner. Why have you noticed me and treated me as if I’m one of your favorites?
Boaz: 11 I have heard your story. I know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your own husband died. I know you left your own mother and father, your home and your country, and you have come to live in a culture that must seem strange to you. 12 May the Eternal repay you for your sacrifices and reward you richly for what you have done. It is under the wings of Israel’s God, the Eternal One, that you have sought shelter.
Ruth: 13 I pray you will continue to look upon me with such favor, my lord. I am comforted by your kind words, even though I am not as worthy of them as even one of your servant girls.
14 Later during the meal, Boaz spoke to Ruth again.
Boaz: Come over here and have some of my food. Dip your piece of bread in the vinegar wine.
So Ruth sat down among the harvesters. Boaz also offered her some roasted grain. She ate as much as she wanted and even had some left over. 15 When her meal was finished, she got back up and returned to work. Then Boaz pulled some of the young harvesters aside and gave them instructions about her.
Boaz: Let her pick up grain from among the sheaves. Do not reprimand or humiliate her for gleaning where it is usually forbidden. 16 Instead, periodically pick out a stalk or two from the sheaves that have already been bound, and leave them for her to gather for herself. Make sure that no one gives her a hard time.
17 So Ruth worked in the field all day until the sun had nearly set. When she finished picking up the leftover ears, she beat her gathered barley grains from the stalks with a stick. All that work resulted in over 20 quarts of grain. 18 Then she carried it back to the city where her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Ruth took out the leftover food from what she could not eat of her midday meal and gave it to Naomi.
Naomi (to Ruth): 19 Where did you go to work today? Where did you glean all this from? May God bless the person who gave you this kind of attention.
So Ruth told Naomi the story of all that had happened to her that day and on whose land she had worked.
Ruth: The man I worked with today is named Boaz.
Naomi: 20 May the Eternal bless this man. He has not given up showing His covenant love toward the living and the dead.
This man is closely related to us—he is a kinsman-redeemer of our family.
Ruth: 21 That is not all he did. Boaz also instructed me to stay with his young workers for the remainder of his grain harvesting season.
Naomi: 22 It is best that you do as he says. Stay with his young women who bind the sheaves. They will keep you safe from the hostility and danger of working in another’s field.
23 So that is what Ruth did. She kept close to Boaz’s young female servants and picked up everything they dropped. She worked hard throughout the seven weeks of the wheat and barley seasons until the harvest was complete in early summer. And this whole time she lived at her mother-in-law’s home.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Two things I want you to take away from today’s scripture lesson – Ruth’s work ethic and Boaz’ kindness and generosity. Ruth could have used other means to gain income instead of breaking her back in the grain fields. Picking up left over stalks of grain and bundling them into sheaves in the heat of the day to thresh them later is dirty work. The left over grain is usually small, with few grains on the stalk. It’s left behind for a reason. Those left behind stalks are not worth the effort for the harvesters trouble. But for the hungry, the effort may provide the only food they get for the coming days.
So Ruth labored diligently for her mother-in-law and herself. She endured the back-breaking work. She endured the scorching sun. She endured the ridicule as one of the poorest of the poor to even be there. She endured it all and worked with all the energy she could muster to gather the scraps so she could feed the mother-in-law she pledged her life to.
I admire her work ethic in the dire circumstances in which she found herself.
I also admire Boaz’ kindness and generosity to her. My word reminds you that Boaz told his workers to protect Ruth. He instructed them to leave some extra stalks of grain for her and let her gather wherever she wanted in his field. If she happened to gather some of the grain that his harvesters cut but had not yet bundled, leave her alone and let her have the grain. Don’t take it from her even though they had a right to do so. Let her feed herself and her mother-in-law.
Boaz will later pay the price of making Ruth his wife, purchasing the land that belonged to her father-in-law and pledging to care for Ruth’s extended family in doing so. By taking Ruth as his wife, Boaz takes on the responsibility of Naomi’s welfare as well. The kindness and generosity he expresses is no less than the kind of love I show My children. Unconditional giving expecting nothing in return. Remember at this point Boaz didn’t know Ruth was kin to him.
Express My love to others in tangible ways. Let kindness and generosity be your guide. Work well and diligently as if working for Me. You’ll not regret it.
1 Corinthians 16:5-18 5 Get ready. I will come your way after traveling through Macedonia. For I’m just passing through Macedonia 6 and will probably stay with you through the winter so that you may provide for my next journey (wherever that may be). 7 I want to reconnect with you, not just pass through; if the Lord is willing, I hope to stay awhile. 8 But until Pentecost, I plan to stay in Ephesus 9 because, not only has God opened a significant door here for me to serve, but also there is a lot of opposition against me.
10 If Timothy comes, see that he is comfortable and untroubled; his work is the Lord’s, as is mine. 11 No one should treat him badly. Send him on to meet me in peace because the brothers and sisters here and I are looking for him. 12 You shouldn’t expect to see our brother Apollos, although I tried to persuade him to come to you with the rest of the brothers and sisters, because now is not the best time for him to come. When it’s his time, he will come.
13 Listen, stay alert, stand tall in the faith, be courageous, and be strong. 14 Let love prevail in your life, words, and actions.
15 Finally, brothers and sisters, I call on you to follow your leaders. People like those in the house of Stephanas—you know they were among the first believers in Achaia, and they have devoted their lives to serving God’s people— 16 I urge you to submit to the authority of such leaders, to every coworker, and to those who offer their backs and shoulders for the work. 17 I celebrate the arrival of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, as they have supplied me with what you could not. 18 They have been a breath of fresh air for me as I know they are for you, so respect and honor those like them.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Paul does something at the end of this letter as he does in most of his letters that too many people forget to do today. Pay attention to his words. In the very last words he gives gratitude for his co-workers in the faith. Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus are pointed out as men to follow, respect, and honor. He gives glowing remarks to these men who labor with him in building My church in trying times.
In an age in which everyone seems to look out for number one, grabbing all the attention and glory for themselves, it’s important see how My servants do things. They point not to themselves, but to others. They give credit for their success first to Me and then to those around them. They brag on the success and talents of others and put them in the limelight instead of themselves.
Generosity goes a long way in this world and the next. It goes against everything the world teaches, but it is a principle in My book that works every time. A seed that’s planted in the ground and forgotten brings a harvest. Love given away brings love in return. Kindness extended to others reaps kindness multiplied. When good things are hoarded for oneself, you’ll find they decay and disappear in the closets of your life. When they are given for others to share and benefit from them, they return multiplied, just like the seeds planted for harvests.
The world will try to convince you otherwise, but My plan always works. The world’s plan doesn’t. Remember, I created the world and all the rules and principles that make it work. You can try to manipulate those rules all you want, but ultimately, they are still My rules and they will work the way I intend them to work. Just as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, My principles are just as steadfast and true. You can’t get past them.
So try doing what Paul does. Give away the credit to others. Share the glory with those around you. Let generosity rule your life and hold on tightly to only the relationships in your life. Let everything else just rest loosely on your outstretched palms and let Me use whatever you have for the good of others. You’ll be surprised at what happens in your life. You’ll be awed by the increase in your joy, your contentment, your comfort, your peace of mind. You will be overwhelmed by the real meaning that comes to your life when you let go of it and live for Me.
Let generosity be the new watchword for your life this week and see what happens.
