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joy and gratitude in giving


Let me take us in the same direction we went yesterday.  I started about generosity from our sermon on Sunday and the series Treasure.  Take a few minutes to examine yourself.


Are you generous?  Are you a giver?


The opposite of being a giver is a taker.  Are you a taker?  Are you selfish or stingy?  Those are tough and revealing questions.


Claim the promises of Scripture.  God says if we give, we will be blessed.  If we are generous, it will turn out for our good and the good of others.  This promise makes a lot of sense to me.  I hope it does for you as well.


Proverbs 11:25  NASB

A generous person will be prosperous, And one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.


Being generous leads to being blessed.  But we should not be generous so that we will be blessed.  It is the overflow of goodness.  It is the overflow in us of knowing God’s goodness and how.


Jeremiah 48:7  NASB

For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures, You yourself will also be captured…


What does it look like to be selfish or to trust in the wrong thing?  There are consequences for doing what is right all the while there are consequences for doing what is wrong.


See that last verse once again.  Trusting in yourself, your own achievements and in the treasures you have will lead you in the wrong direction and even in to bad things happening.


Turn back to the right.  I really like the next outcome of being a giver, of being generous.  It ends with joy and gratitude.  


2 Corinthians 9:12  NLT

So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.


Joy and gratitude are a big deal.  See your treasure the way God sees it.  Better yet, see your treasure how God gave it to you.



Pray for those dealing with the impact of the hurricane, battling covid, dealing with Afghanistan, Haiti, Cuba or flooding in Tennessee.  

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