What do you have in your hands? Pastor Chris encourages us to consider the time, talents, and resources we have as gift to be given instead of things to hoard.
References
2 Corinthians 8:1-13
Now, brothers and sisters, let me tell you about the amazing gift of God’s grace that’s happening throughout the churches in Macedonia. Even in the face of severe anguish and hard times, their elation and poverty have overflowed into a wealth of generosity. I watched as they willingly gave what they could afford and then went beyond to give even more. They came to us on their own, begging to take part in this work of grace to support the poor saints in Judea. 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.
That’s why we asked Titus to finish what he started among you regarding this gracious work of charity. 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—now I ask you to invest richly in this gracious work too.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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Proverbs 21:5
A well-thought-out plan will work to your advantage, but hasty actions will cost you dearly.
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Proverbs 13:22
A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of the sinner is eventually passed on to the right-living.
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Proverbs 3:9-10
Pay tribute to the Eternal in all of your affairs. Honor Him with the best of what you make. That way you will prosper to the fullest and have plenty of food to eat and wine to drink.
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Proverbs 13:11
Money earned hastily is easily lost, but hard-earned money continues to grow.
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Proverbs 6:6-8
Take a lesson from the ant, you who love leisure and ease. Observe how it works, and dare to be just as wise. It has no boss, no one laying down the law or telling it what to do,Yet it gathers its food through summer and takes what it needs from the harvest.
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Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the Eternal is what makes someone rich,and He doesn’t add pain to it.
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1 Timothy 6:6-10
This is ironic because godliness, along with contentment, does put us ahead but not in the ways some imagine. You see we came into this world with nothing, and nothing is going with us on the way out! So as long as we are clothed and fed, we should be happy. But those who chase riches are constantly falling into temptation and snares. They are regularly caught by their own stupid and harmful desires, dragged down and pulled under into ruin and destruction. For the love of money—and what it can buy—is the root of all sorts of evil. Some already have wandered away from the true faith because they craved what it had to offer; but when reaching for the prize, they found their hands and hearts pierced with many sorrows.