Fw: August 18, 2013 - Generosity Triggers God's Blessing - Daily Hope

[stella egidio]

 

 Za masiku wadau? hebu tujikumbushe hili suala Zima la la ukarimu.

Karibuni.

 

Sunday, August 18, 2013     Generosity Triggers God's Blessing by Rick Warren “Use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.” (Ephesians 4:28 NLT) God wants you to use your skills to have money to share — with people who can’t work or who are poor for whatever reason. Ephesians 4:28 says, “Use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need” (NLT). At some point, you have to decide that enough is enough. How do you know when enough is enough? Somebody asked Howard Hughes, “How much do you need?” and he said, “Just a little bit more.” That’s called materialism. Materialism is when you haven’t learned to live within your income. You always have to have a little bit more. Isn’t it interesting how some people are barely surviving on an income they once dreamed of having? God says at some point you have to say, “I’ve got enough.” Is that when you should stop working? No. You keep working, but you’re now making it to give away and share with other people. I had to come to this decision when “The Purpose Driven Life” became the best selling book in the world for three years. That brought in tens of millions of dollars. Kay and I could have retired and bought an island in the Pacific and had people serving us drinks with little umbrellas in them. I could have spent the rest of my life working on my tan. But is that the purpose of life? No, it’s not. So what did I do? I kept working. Why? I’m not working to make money for myself. In fact, I said, “Lord, what do you want me to do with all this money? It’s your money, not mine. God said, “Go read your book.” So I did, and I only had to go to the first line of the book to get what he meant: “It’s not about you.” When you write a book and the first line is, “It’s not about you,” and it makes tens of millions of dollars, you’ve got to figure, it’s not for you! So we spent the next four years having a lot of fun giving all that money away all around the world. Why did we do it? Because God gave us the skills to have money so we could share it with others. Give freely and spontaneously; don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle the money that comes in because of your abilities triggers a response from God. How many of you would like God’s blessing in everything you do? Of course we all would. The trigger that causes God’s blessing is generosity. Why? Because God is generous, and he wants you to learn to be like him. You’re never going to be like Jesus Christ unless you learn generosity and stop being stingy. God’s given you the ability to honor him, to serve others, to make a living, to be an example, to have money to pass on to others. And I’ve learned from personal experience that the more generous you are, the more God blesses your life. Talk It Over No matter how much or how little money you have, what is it in your life that God wants you to use to bless others?   What do you need to change about the way you give to others so that you are more like Jesus? *** *** *** This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at http://messaging.saddleback.org/ct/31791114:9542717100:m:1:774509300:9154A5EE2D65124B959CE1C4F9C645A3:r. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including “The Purpose Driven Church” and “The Purpose Driven Life,” read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional ©2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. This Month’s Daily Hope Radio Offer We would like to send you the SHAPE Small Group Study Kit for a gift of any amount to Daily Hope Ministries! In six lessons, Erik Rees teaches Pastor Rick Warren’s five elements of God’s blueprint for your life. Each session includes tools that help bring clarity to your future goals and show you how to have the most fulfilling life possible – a life lived for God’s Purposes, by God’s design. MORE   SHAPED to Make a Difference Complete Series How important is your SHAPE to you? In this series, Rick Warren talks about how your uniqueness as a person IS your SHAPE - a combination of your Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. This empowering teaching to help you understand your SHAPE will give you the tools you need to unlock your God-given potential. MORE Enjoy today’s devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this Daily Devotional to you? Get your own free subscription to The Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. Follow Us: Follow Pastor Rick on facebook and Twitter.

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