Acts 10:1-2 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion…a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. Want to please the Lord? Fear God. Pray continually. And give generously. “I wish I hadn’t been so generous,” Continue Reading…
Mark 12:44 “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” You’re probably familiar with Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Have you experienced divine setups by God? You’re in the middle of telling someone to forgive, and out of nowhere Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before all men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” [ESV] We all have one. But each differs in size and scope. They can be broad or narrow. As Continue Reading…
Matthew 10:8 “…Freely you have received; freely give.” No Strings Attached. That’s the name of the ministry the ladies in our church embarked upon a few years ago. We made trays of goodies for the local librarians and police department. We gave out water bottles at a Fourth of July Continue Reading…
Mark 14:8 “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.” I’ve recently been re-reading Charles Sheldon’s classic, In His Steps. He describes one incident where two sisters are getting into their carriage when the younger one notices a shabbily dressed little Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 8:2 “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” An unpleasant part of life involves the experience of being squeezed. Pressure forces something on the inside to end up on the outside. Anything from trying to Continue Reading…
Galatians 2:10 “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” “They’re here!” It had all come together at lightning speed. The time between our first meeting with Bethany Christian Services to the night the Congolese family Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 8:5 “And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.” “Your bill has been taken care of” the waitress said. Chip and I were having breakfast with another couple when we heard those Continue Reading…
John 6:13 “So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” Five fish and two loaves of bread feed 5000 people with food left over (John 6). An impoverished widow saves her sons from being sold Continue Reading…