Life hacks

The Joy of anything…

KirkLeave a comment

Suppose our Lord had measured His life by whether or not He was a blessing to others. Why, He was a “stone of stumbling” to thousands, actually to His own neighbors, to His own nation, because through Him they blasphemed the Holy Ghost, and in His own country “He did not [do] many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). 

If Our Lord had measured His life by its actual results, He would have been full of misery. We are not here to win souls, to do good to others; that is the natural outcome, but it is not our aim, and this is where so many of us cease to be followers. We will follow God as long as He makes us a blessing to others, but when He does not we will not follow. The joy of anything, from a blade of grass upward, is to fulfill its created purpose—that we should be to the praise of His glory.

Reflection Questions: How do I measure my life? Do I use God’s measurements of faithfulness and godliness or the worldly values of popularity, productivity, and efficiency?

Oswald Chambers

My Pondering

Oswald hit the proverbial nail on the head squarely here, don’t you think?

Give… Luke 6:38

KirkLeave a comment

My Pondering

Givers gain and we can’t out give God.

He dares us to test Him on this, which is an exception to His norm regarding testing vs trusting Him.

Here are SIX keys to successfully giving:

1. Give to God 1st

then your… Savings 2nd, Necessities 3rd, Charity 4th, your Comfort 5th and last.

Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil
to the house of the LORD your God. 

Exodus 23:19

This is concert with loving God first and foremost as our #1 Command

2. Give boldly and test God

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.

Malachi 3:10

3. Give joyfully or don’t give at all

Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion.
For God loves a cheerful giver.

2nd Corinthians 9:7

4. Give in secret

So that your giving may be in secret;
and your Father, who sees in secret,
will give you your reward.

Matthew 6:4

Don’t give for men’s praise but rather secretly for God’s goodness and reward.

5. Don’t be greedy and hoard

13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”

15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. 17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. 19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’
20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Jesus, Luke 12

6. Be a good steward of what God has entrusted you

8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

10Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

13No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money.”

Jesus, Luke 16

Certainly there a other principles regarding giving but I think this is a good start. What would you add or takeaway?