generosity

The Heart of the Prodigal Father

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” – Luke 15:22-24 Do you know what the word prodigal means? I grew up thinking it meant sinful because of The Prodigal Son parable in the Bible, but it doesn’t. It means either overly generous or wasteful in your spending. Today we will look at the parable in the Bible we label The Prodigal Son, but call it The Prodigal Father instead. In this story, there’s a father of two sons whose land has been in the family for a hundred years. The younger son is the

June 10, 2022 No Comments

Live Life With Open Hands

“The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” – Deuteronomy 28:12 Here are some encouraging thoughts to dwell on as you start your day: God is all sufficient; He’s all joyous, all powerful, and all loving. In fact, there is no more joyful being in the world than the Lord. Even better, He is thinking about you, He knows you by name, and He knows how many hairs are on your head! Wow! I know my kids and I love them immensely, but I guarantee you I don’t know how many hairs are on their heads. Nevertheless, Jesus takes the time to notice these things. He’s near, not far, and He has all the time, energy, and power that

February 10, 2022 No Comments

The Gift of Generosity

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:25 We discussed the importance of secrecy and reward yesterday, and we concluded that it’s acceptable to be motivated by Heavenly blessing and reward when we choose to relate to Jesus privately, without the attention or confirmation of others. Today, I want to go a step further and suggest that public giving and ministry are not entirely without blessings. I get up and pray in front of the crowd several times in my church, and this isn’t a bad thing. Jesus’ ministry had a highly public face, and He was always teaching and praying for people. This was a major blessing, but He also made sure to set aside specific times to talk to His Father since that was the ultimate reward; He needed those energizing moments to keep moving forward in His mission. Individuals have given

January 30, 2022 No Comments

Provide for Your Neighbor

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6:38 We’ve talked a lot about how to become a person of Kingdom generosity, especially when it comes to tithing, or giving the first 10% of our income to God’s cause. Today, I’d want to offer some specifics on how this manifests itself in our lives, particularly during this holiday season, which is so focused on giving. When you tithe, I believe you make your church your default. This means that if you’re not sure what to give to, you give the entire 10% to your home fellowship. It’s fine to give to something else if the Lord puts something else on your heart or places someone in your path who has

December 14, 2021 No Comments

Discomfort Can be Good

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6 Do you know what a Chinese finger trap is? It’s the woven tube thing where you put two fingers, usually one from each hand, and they become trapped when you try to pull them out. It’s essentially a kinetic mystery, and it’s frequently one of the first things children encounter. The trap is interesting in that the harder you try to get your fingers out, the tighter it becomes; the only way out is to press in! The tube loosens and you are free when you push both fingers toward the middle. A seatbelt in a car works in the same way: the stronger you pull, the tighter it becomes. The lesson to be learned from these examples is that you must lean into certain types of suffering to

December 13, 2021 No Comments

There is Power in Generosity

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:11 I recently had the pleasure of spending time with David Green, the founder of the Hobby Lobby company and a devoted believer as well as a very nice man. I was speaking with him, and he told me an incredible anecdote. He was working at a small craft store in Oklahoma City in the 1970s when he decided he wanted to start his own business. He took out a $600 loan and opened a small craft shop in his garage. His network now has over 800 locations, and his net worth is close to $8 billion; he is a Forbes 500 member. I never want to miss an opportunity to learn the secret to someone’s success when I sit

December 12, 2021 No Comments

Generosity Equals Gratitude

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:10,11 Today, I’d like to share some thoughts on generosity and giving with you. My parents instilled in me the value of tithing or giving the first ten percent of my income to God’s work, as I grew up. I am a firm believer in it, and while I don’t believe the percentage is as important as the amount you sacrifice, I have seen Jesus respond to generosity on numerous occasions. We can and will see Him expand our territory and open the floodgates of blessing as we move from the

December 9, 2021 No Comments

A Tribute to God

“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering — fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” – Genesis 4:3-5 Many of us are familiar with the story of Cain and Abel, but even so, it can be a bit confusing. After all, if Cain was a farmer and brought fruit and crops to the Lord as an offering, why was his gift rejected? To shed light on this happening, I think it’s important to understand that the term translated offering here could more accurately be translated tribute. The Hebrew word is minchah, and it denotes a present

August 16, 2021 1 Comment

A Generous Spirit

“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.” – Philippians 2:25-27 At this special time of year, we hear a lot about generosity. However, more than just buying someone the perfect gift or making a charitable donation, true benevolence is a deeply-rooted state of heart — one that is always willing to go the extra mile. As a study in this manner of kindness, let’s look at a man named Epaphroditus, who was a companion of the Apostle Paul in the New

December 8, 2020 No Comments

About the Music: “Let There Be Peace on Earth”

We are so blessed by our Voices of Hope Children’s Choir! Here they are performing their rendition of “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” accompanied by the Hour of Power Choir and Orchestra. This beautiful anthem was developed in 1955, with the words written by Jill Jackson and the melody by her husband, Sy Miller. Jill, after having experienced a sharp dip in her depression which led to her attempted — and failed — suicide, her heart then opened wide and willing to God’s unconditional love. She discovered from that moment on that she has a purpose, and her life and talent for music were valuable. A decade later, Sy and Jill went to a California retreat in the mountains where they met an array of young people with various socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. This week-long retreat was dedicated to exploring friendship through education and conversation. Introducing their song

January 25, 2018 No Comments

The Heart of the Prodigal Father

Live Life With Open Hands

The Gift of Generosity

Provide for Your Neighbor

Discomfort Can be Good

There is Power in Generosity

Generosity Equals Gratitude

A Tribute to God

A Generous Spirit

About the Music: “Let There Be Peace on Earth”

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