Good morning -
It is a tale of two men. Both were nearly the same age; both were farmers. They had seen hard times; one man had inherited the family farm after his father's death during the Great Depression as the bank was about to foreclose. He stated that he had his faith and little else.
There were many similarities with these two men, but also some striking differences. Hardship drove one man to hoard and protect what he had; the other chose to be generous in spite of hardship. And those differences made all the difference. No matter how much the one man protected and kept, he never seemed to have enough. The generous man, however, had an abundance and gave still more from a grateful heart.
"he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed" (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
It's a truth attested to by many faithful givers: you can't out give God. God gives, but in proportion to our giving - sparingly to the sparse giver and generously to the generous giver. Obligation and legalism in matters of giving is ineffective because God loves those who freely choose generosity. Those who choose generosity through faith never lack because God abundantly provides. To this I can personally testify.
Life is a matter of investment choices. We will all invest whatever resources we have - time, money, and energy. The key is to invest wisely. No one would choose to invest money in a lending institution with a record of financial loss; where 10 percent of customers' money is lost and never found. And yet many people unwittingly and unknowingly invest heavily in things of this age that are destined for destruction at the coming of the Lord. Sadly, members of the family of God are among those unwise investors.
Shrewd stock investors look for obscure up-and-coming companies to invest in, knowing that they stand to greatly multiply their investments. The safest and wisest investment of all is in the up-and-coming Age To Come. Those who "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33) can expect a phenomenal return on investment.
Those who have an eye on retirement invest regularly in a retirement plan. They tend to present duties and obligations but carefully and quietly invest in the future. So it needs to be with every disciple of Jesus: we need to tend to today's obligations and duties but also carefully invest in the Kingdom of God.
Living today while investing in Tomorrow,
Pastor Steve
It is a tale of two men. Both were nearly the same age; both were farmers. They had seen hard times; one man had inherited the family farm after his father's death during the Great Depression as the bank was about to foreclose. He stated that he had his faith and little else.
There were many similarities with these two men, but also some striking differences. Hardship drove one man to hoard and protect what he had; the other chose to be generous in spite of hardship. And those differences made all the difference. No matter how much the one man protected and kept, he never seemed to have enough. The generous man, however, had an abundance and gave still more from a grateful heart.
"he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed" (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
It's a truth attested to by many faithful givers: you can't out give God. God gives, but in proportion to our giving - sparingly to the sparse giver and generously to the generous giver. Obligation and legalism in matters of giving is ineffective because God loves those who freely choose generosity. Those who choose generosity through faith never lack because God abundantly provides. To this I can personally testify.
Life is a matter of investment choices. We will all invest whatever resources we have - time, money, and energy. The key is to invest wisely. No one would choose to invest money in a lending institution with a record of financial loss; where 10 percent of customers' money is lost and never found. And yet many people unwittingly and unknowingly invest heavily in things of this age that are destined for destruction at the coming of the Lord. Sadly, members of the family of God are among those unwise investors.
Shrewd stock investors look for obscure up-and-coming companies to invest in, knowing that they stand to greatly multiply their investments. The safest and wisest investment of all is in the up-and-coming Age To Come. Those who "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33) can expect a phenomenal return on investment.
Those who have an eye on retirement invest regularly in a retirement plan. They tend to present duties and obligations but carefully and quietly invest in the future. So it needs to be with every disciple of Jesus: we need to tend to today's obligations and duties but also carefully invest in the Kingdom of God.
Living today while investing in Tomorrow,
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 11:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home