~ Billie Hanks, Jr.- Plan to Be Rich in Heaven. A major motivation behind giving on earth is to store up treasures in heaven. Again, recall that Jesus declared,
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . . For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV) (Google image, 50 Ways to Encourage Faithful Giving .
If you really want to know where your heart is, look back over your cancelled checks for the last three years and see where your money has gone. This exercise may reveal more than you want to know! How much of your money is actually being stored up in heaven?
No matter what the affections of your heart may be, your checkboook will reveal them to you. Spending money unwisely may be foolish, but spending God's money without His consent is sin. Sooner or later, such a lifestyle will undermind our testimony for Christ and will adversely affect the quality of our lives.
Satan is eager to accommodate our fleshly desires and will provide moths, rust, and thieves in abundance to help dissipate and consume as much of God's money as possible. So resist Satan and invest your money in the safest place in the universe; heaven.
Give to Those Who Minister to You. We should support financially those who minister the Word of God to us, as Paul pointed out in 1 Cor. 9:14 —"The Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel" (See 1 Cor. 9:7-14).
Plan for a Short Life. We are, in the language of a friend from Texas, "tenant farmers with a short- term lease." Job said, "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle." Job 7:6). And the apostle James wrote, "You don't know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. (James 4:14). The brevity of life inspired Moses to write these words: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12, KJV)
Make Christ Lord of All. A person can hear what God has to say about giving and start out with excellent intentions. But when he encounters worries, financial temptations, and the constant allurement of 'other things,'his first love for Christ may be choked out, and he becomes mediocre in his spiritual commitment.
Plan ahead to Give. (See 1 Cor. 16:1&2, NIV) These practical suggestions of setting aside on the first day of the week a sum of money in keeping with their income, saving it up, so that no collecitons needed to be made for when Paul came. These instructions were practical and easy to follow. Everyone was to participate and do his giving prior to Paul's arrival.
Our admonition today is:
Give to Our Church.
Invest in People.
Let God Lead You.
Give Cheerfully.
Give With Your Whole heart.
Give for God's Glory.
When we glorify God by giving, we are actually acknowledging His presence in the act itself. This is one reason we should not give for the praise of men.
(Portions are taken from A CALL TO GROWTH, by Bille Hanks, Jr., and then applied to our giving.)
50 Ways to Encourage Faithful Giving - Download a PDF of this page to share with others.
Father, please forgive me for times I have been ungrateful and help me to choose to be grateful in every circumstance. You have given me so much. Today, I choose to have an attitude of gratitude. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
#36 Testimony- A friend
"I believe in God’s holy angels and that He uses them in many ways to help us.
One night when I still lived and worked in NYC, I was taking the subway home quite late, after 10 pm. I lived next to the last stop on the D line in the Bronx so there were fewer and fewer people in my car until I was alone and just too tired to move to another car.
At the last stop, 4 teenage girls got on and sat right next to me. A very large man came into the car and sat directly across from me.
I continued to pretend I was reading but felt like something was not right. Two of the girls pulled knives out of their bags. They were laughing and talking loudly, but I didn’t understand them.
I looked across at the man who smiled and gave the slightest shake of his head. He never moved. The Girls continued to move closer to me. All of a sudden, they put their knives away and quietly went to another car.
They were almost solemn. In a couple of more minutes, we came to the next stop and the man got up and went onto the platform and just disappeared.
I had several more stops before home. I never saw another person but felt very secure knowing that I am surrounded with heavenly help. I read Psalm 91 every day!"
Recommended Reading-
THE BAIT OF SATAN, by John Bevere
1206-1210 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-
~ Spend some time alone with God. Ask Him to reveal anything in your life that is dishonest or lacks integrity. Confess each one and receive His forgiveness.
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
Sermon listing:https://www.
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