A Prayer of Dedication

Focus Text: 2 Chronicles 6:12-21, 40-42
Central Truth: Christians should dedicate themselves to do God’s will.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify areas of their lives which should be dedicated to God.
Lesson Outline:
I.   Adoration (2 Chron. 6:12-15)
II.  Entreaty (2 Chron. 6:16-21)
III. Petitions (2 Chron. 6:40-42)

2018-10-22T09:00:02+00:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Weekly Lesson Summaries|Tags: , |0 Comments

Should we only give if we have much?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" Jason Lindahl writes:

Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). Human nature being what it is, if people are led to believe that certain circumstances excuse them from tithing, they will tend always to find themselves in those circumstances! Instead of encouraging people to withhold more because they are poor, we should encourage them to step out in faith and trust a never-failing God to bless them for keeping His commands. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 38.

2017-04-07T09:00:00+00:00April 7th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

The Attitude of Giving

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
“Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (v. 7).
Giving — proportionately, purposefully, willingly, even exuberantly: there is nothing like it. It is true that we are commanded to care for our own; I doubt that anyone disputes that. Watch for the needs of your family, those that are closest to you. When you are incapable of helping a particular need, ask God for the faith to believe in His unending care for His own. Then set your eyes on heaven and eternity; keep in mind the “recompense of the reward” to those who are faithful. Ask God to help you see, really see, needs. We have a special obligation to the local church — the “storehouse.” Give consideration to the outreach to the Native Americans, the inner cities, overseas missions, our Christian day schools, and Bible colleges. Joyously support traveling evangelists; give to local charities, those who are working with addicts, in prison ministries. Help sponsor a scholarship to a local Christian school or a Bible college. Don't be a grouch about giving back to God, for He loves a hilarious giver. (Leonard Sankey)

Give of your sons to bear the message glorious;
Give of your means to speed them on their way. — Mary A. Thomson

This devotional is the Sunday, April 9, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

2017-04-05T09:00:00+00:00April 5th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: |0 Comments

Christian Principles for Giving Money

Lesson 6 - April 9, 2003
Focus Text:  Malachi 3:8-10; 2 Corinthians 9:5-15
Central Truth: Proper biblical stewardship includes giving as God directs.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways in which their stewardship of money could be improved.
Lesson Outline:

  1. The Pattern for Giving (Malachi 3:7-12)
  2. The Principles of Giving (2 Corinthians 9:5-7)
  3. The Privileges of Giving (2 Corinthians 9:8-15)
2017-04-03T09:00:00+00:00April 3rd, 2017|Categories: Weekly Lesson Summaries|Tags: |0 Comments

Give Cheerfully

Read 2 Corinthians 9:1-7
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (v. 7).
Last Sunday night after service, a five-year-old girl trotted over to where I had been sitting and thrust a wadded-up piece of paper toward me. “What do you have?” I asked.
She did not say anything. She just smiled. I straightened out the paper and discovered it was a sheet from a coloring book. The edge was ragged from where it had been not-so-expertly torn from the book. The color choices were pretty, but it looked like the artist had struggled with things like direction and keeping inside the lines. But somehow, that beautiful lit-tle smiling face above the imperfect artwork changed my view. I thanked her profusely for such a fine gift and promised it would find a prominent place on my refrigerator.
My young friend could have thrown that wad of paper away. She could have decided it was not as good as her older sister's artwork and therefore did not deserve to be shown to anyone. She could have given it to me with a frown on her face. She might have even kept it for herself and never shared her work with anyone else. Instead, she did her best, chose a friend, and gave cheerfully.
Sometimes, the cheerfully part is all I feel I can do. It is awfully easy to look at the talented folks around me and decide the world is better off with-out my contribution. But then I remember that with God as my Father, I am sure to have at least one proud supporter. After all, who knows? Maybe that silly picture of mine, when proudly displayed on His fridge, can be a witness or encouragement to someone else. (Michelle Avery)

Let us give what we have and trust God to bless it abundantly!

This devotional is the Thursday, February 9, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

2017-02-09T09:00:00+00:00February 9th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: , |0 Comments

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