2 Corinthians 8:1-4 The Message
The Offering
8 1-4 Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Are you a person who plans and saves and strategizes for your retirement years?
It seems most people will take the time to invest in their long term future on earth yet give little thought or consideration to investing in their eternal home.
Our retirement years are few, but our eternity is a much, much longer time.
It would be prudent of us to have an eternal perspective and invest into your life beyond this short term temporal existence.
The most important investment we can make into heaven is to bring people with us. There is nothing we take to heaven when we die except other people.
Jesus said, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents” (Luke 15:10).
Do we live our lives with the understanding that every soul is precious to God?
Jesus stated that if a man has one hundred sheep, and one goes astray, He will go after the one and rejoice much when the one is found.
Jesus went on to say in Matthew 18:14, “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
He was showing the importance of even one person being saved.
It takes effort to share the gospel with others but Proverbs 11:30 says, “He that wins souls is wise.”
The Bible actually says we are wise when we win people to Christ!
God wants us to have His perspective and His heart for others, try to influence as many people as possible for the kingdom. One of the ways we can naturally be a good witness for Jesus is to be aware of how we represent Him on our jobs.
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
If you want to be a witness to your employer, employees, put in extra effort every day. Show up on time, refrain from negative talk and grumbling, and do your job with excellence. When the opportunity arises to share your faith, your witness in front of other will win you their respect and their attention.
It’s unfortunate that it often takes a tragedy, a severe illness or a catastrophic event to have a conversation with someone about God and the afterlife. How wonderful it would be to see far more people live their lives with the hope and joy of Jesus in their lifetime, and not just when their life is near its end.
Do you believe that having a discussion about God will be uncomfortable and possibly produce some difficult questions?
If you said yes, you are right.
However, in your procrastination, you may miss the only opportunity to have a conversation with someone before it is too late. Would the potential discomfort be worth it if that person found their way to heaven? Of course, it would.
When a person does not know Jesus, there is usually an overwhelming fear that comes as their days draw near to the end.
I have personally observed this so many times in visiting people in the hospital.
They are suddenly ready to listen and be open to the truth.
That can be the only time someone is willing to talk about heaven.
If you are ever faced with this situation, with someone you care about, do not miss the opportunity to share the Gospel with them.
You can help someone find peace with God. You can lead someone to full assurance of salvation and confidence of an eternal home in heaven.
The question is, Are we spiritually astute enough to see this time as a time of eternal opportunity? The stakes are high. The eternal destinies of multitudes at stake.
Every player is needed. We are in the army of God! We do not want to miss the opportunities to be low-profile, high-impact players on the King’s Team. We are hard playing for imperishable crowns to bring glory to the King of Kings.
How indescribably beautiful and so immeasurably valuable it is to wonder how beautiful God is, make investments in eternity by changing the life of another!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 19 The Message
19 1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
Professor Night lectures each evening.
3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
4-5 God makes a huge dome
for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
racing to the tape.
6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
warming hearts to faith.
7-9 The revelation of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
down to the nth degree.
10 God’s Word is better than a diamond,
better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
better than red, ripe strawberries.
11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
Keep me from stupid sins,
from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
God, Priest-of-My-Altar.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 