Help- Trust- Generosity

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.
16Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;17for the power of the wicked will be broken,but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

23The Lord makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

24though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing. (Psalm 37 selections about God's provision)

Thoughts: These verses in Psalm 37 link three things- 1) that God helps us in times of trouble; 2) that we can trust in God; and 3) that because of this, we can be generous and lend freely.  In times of disaster, famine, and stumbling- God upholds those who trust in Him.  We can commit our way to Him and trust Him. So we can be content.  The wealth of the wicked will fade like the flowers.  But the blessings of the godly will last forever.  

    In the face of the election, it is important to recognize we can be content as we trust in God.  We can be content with what we have.  

Prayer: Lord, hellp me to trust in you and commit my way to you.  Then help me be a generous person- giving to you and neighbor in need. 

Why Give? Not Forgetting to be Grateful to God

 2Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lordyour God disciplines you.

6Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

10When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8)

Thoughts: Giving keeps us from forgetting God.  If we think we have produced our own wealth all by ourselves, we deceive ourselves.  God gives us life, breath, strength to produce wealth, the mind and talent to produce wealth.  Giving is a concrete show of faith unlike anything else we do.
      Robert Putnam of Harvard did a study on generosity and he found that the key indicator of being generous... the most common factor that showed whether someone is generous or not... is... blessing our food.  When we bless our food we show we are taking time to remember God is the giver of our food and our wealth.
       God gives us health, preserves and protects us.  When we give back to Him we remember this and are grateful.  If we are not grateful, and do not believe God gives us life and helps us in life- then we will not give.  But if we are grateful, giving is a great response.  

Prayer: Lord, let me not forget you.  Give me grace to give out of gratitude to you.  I am blessed and thankful.  

Why Give? What Does Scripture Say?

Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

8“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3)

Thoughts: If you feel far from God, this passage indicates one way to get back to God is to be generous.  Faith in many ways shows itself when we are willing to give up stuff to honor God.  Giving is a matter of trust.  If you can trust in God and give to others, then  you can experience God.
       All that we have belongs to God . But God gives us everything and asks for 10% back as a way that we recognize He is the One who gives us our blessing.  When we hold back what we know God wants we are in effect robbing God.  Now, if we held back from the IRS we would get in real trouble- with interest and penalty.  We may think we can take God's share without any blink or consequence, but it separates us from God.  So God asks us to come back- return to Him.  If we return to Him, He will return to us.  

Prayer: Lord, return to us.  Help us to be a generous people.  Keep us from going more and more into debt for stuff, titles, or degrees.  Help us to always put you first.  

God Reigns no Matter the Circumstances

You, LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. (Lamentations 5:19)

Thoughts: Lamentations was written at time in which the nation had been devastated by war and famine.  Yet Jeremiah writes that the Lord is still on the throne.  It takes incredible faith to believe God is in control when it seems the whole world is falling apart and God's name was being trashed.  Yet, God was indeed still working.  Miraculously the faith was preserved.  Though at times the church is reduced to just a remnant- almost snuffed out; God is still at work and will fan the ember into flame again.  In the West it is easy to say God is being sidestepped by powerful people, powerful evil forces, and powerful pride in the name of intelligence.  Yet, God is still very much at work.  People of faith believe that God will always preserve Himself a people. 

Prayer: Lord, give me faith to believe in you even if I do not see you- as I believe in the sun even when it does not shine, and in love even when I do not feel love.   

Go and Make Disciples

17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:17-20)

Thoughts: Some doubted Jesus.  But Jesus said, "All authority has been given to me."  He is worthy of worship; he is worthy of hearing and heeding; He is worthy of giving a message for everyone.  Jesus is Lord of all the earth- all nations- and His word is to spread to all- not just to some.  

Prayer: Lord,give me grace to know who you are, go in your power, and know you are with me whever we go.   

Go and Make a Difference

15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:15-18)

Thoughts: This is a passage that people in the West discount right away.  It talks of miracles accompanying the spread of the Gospel.  For the skeptics miracles are not to be believed at all costs.  But the spread of the Gospel itself is a miracle.  Skeptics think it is incredulous and amazing that anyone could possibly believe in healings or protection or the defeat of evil.  For skeptics wrong is bound to get worse and worse. Skepticism and pessimism tend to go together.  But for Christians- there is ultimate optimism.  Not only will we ultimately win in heaven (we believe- and the resurrection shows), but God answers prayer and gives hope right now- in this life.
     My missionary friends tell me of more and more answered prayers and miracles accompanying the spread of the Gospel- in more spectacular and greater quantities than in the West.   Read "Peace Child" the story of the end of cannibalism because of the spread of the Gospel in Papua New Guinea.  The Gospel makes a difference wherever it goes. It has made a difference in the spread of medicine and medical knowledge, in education, in freeing people from addictions to drugs, alcohol, superstition and the drabness of atheism and pessimism of skepticism.
     We are sent.  The assurance is that if we go- God will go with us- in power- and making a difference.  If God opens the door for you- go through it.  If God gives you an opportunity to speak for Him- do it and see what happens- you might just see a miracle. 

Prayer: Lord, give me grace to go, and go believing in your power.   

Jonah Didn't Go Where He was Sent- at First

1The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. (Jonah 1)

Thoughts: Sometimes God not only opens a door- He encourages us, calls us, and even pushes us through it.  God wanted the people of Ninevah (the capital of the Mediterranean world at the time) to repent.  Jonah didn't want to go.  Perhaps he saw that Ninevah would be Judah's enemy.  Perhaps he knew how brutal and callous the people of Assyria and Ninevah were.  Jonah chose instead to ignore the sending voice of God and go his own way.  He chose to go to an ancient resort town of Tarshish.  But God told him through a storm, some sailors, and a fish that he needed to listen.  When God saved Noah from drowning, Jonah was more than willing to go. But when the people repented, Jonah regretted it.  Jonah was more than willing for the "evil" people of Ninevah to die than to repent and be saved.  But Jonah was wrong and the Lord told him so.  The Lord told Jonah he needed not only to hear his voice but to trust God's heart.  God cares for others, and invites us to care too.  

Prayer: Lord, when you call, give me ears to hear.  When you open a door, be patient with me and help me go through it.