DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- EQUALITY

 EQUALITY
II Corinthians 8:13-15
 
"For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance may also supply your lack – that there may be equality. As it is written, 'He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.' "
 
Economic prosperity ebbs and flows in our lives. Sometimes we have abundance, and sometimes we need help. This is the body of Christ at work, meeting one another's needs. I do not believe that this is a socialist mandate to "redistribute the wealth." Rather it is opportunity to show the love of Christ by supplying what someone else needs. As John said, "Whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (I John 3:17). This requires two things on my part: an open heart to share and sensitivity to see another person's need. I need to freely share with others because there may come a time when I need someone to share with me.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God blesses us with economic abundance, not just for heaping blessing on ourselves, but for blessing others who are in need.
 
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Have an "equality" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A WILLING HEART

 A WILLING HEART
II Corinthians 8:12
 
"For if there is a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have."
 
Giving to God's kingdom should never be out of a sense of "I have to," but from a heart that says, "I want to." When the Tabernacle was being built during the journey from Egypt to Canaan, God said, "Speak to the children of Israel that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering" (Exodus 25:2). God is more interested in a love-gift from a willing heart than a duty-gift from obligation. Late in this letter, Paul makes it clear: "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity [margin: by compulsion]; for God loves a cheerful giver" (II Corinthians 9:7). The attitude of the heart is what God cares about – not the amount. If my heart is right, I will give joyfully and liberally.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God accepts the gifts that are given from a willing, joyful heart.
 
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Have a "willing heart" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- PROCRASTINATION

 PROCRASTINATION
II Corinthians 8:10-11
 
"And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago, but now you must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there must be a completion out of what you have."
 
Manana! One of my favorite words. Why do today what you can do tomorrow? The problem is that the days slip by, then the weeks, and months, and years, and I still haven't done it. How many times have I said, "I want to .....", but never get around to doing it. Paul is referring to giving offerings, but it could apply to most anything – prayer, Bible study, dieting, visiting a friend, or any other good thing. I start the project but don't complete it. I've decided it is better to do it expeditiously than to have it niggling on my brain. It is better to get it done than to say a year  -- or a life -- later, "shoulda, woulda, coulda."
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: When it comes to doing something good, just do it without procrastinating.
 
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Have a "today" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- OH, WHAT LOVE!

OH, WHAT LOVE
II Corinthians 8:9
 
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
 
Oh, what love! This is one of the most precious descriptions of the incarnation. He left the glories and majesty of heaven and gave up His position as ruler of heaven in order to come to this earth to save me. He not only sacrificed His body in death, but He sacrificed all of heaven so that He could give me His righteousness and allow me to go to His heaven. This makes any sacrifice I might make for Him to seem paltry and insignificant.   Again I say, Oh what love.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: The Lord Jesus sacrificed all of the glories of heaven in order to share His riches with me.
 
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Have a thankful day. Love you.

]COMPETE CHRISTIAN

THE COMPLETE CHRISTIAN
II Corinthians 8:6-8

"So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, that he would also complete this grace [of giving] in you as well. But as you abound in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us – see that you abound in this grace also."
 
The Corinthians had it all. God had blessed them abundantly. But they still had one area of growth to make them complete. Often the last thing to get saved is the wallet. Paul is making a pun here because the word in Greek for grace  [charis]  is related to the Greek word  for gift [charismata] ." It is the grace of giving. It makes no difference how gifted I am in faith, speech, knowledge, diligence, and love. I am not complete until I have not learned the joy of giving.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Without the grace of giving, the Christian life is incomplete.
 
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Have a "complete" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- GIVING 101

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – GIVING 101: THE FIRST STEP TOWARD FINANCIAL FREEDOM
II Corinthians 8:5
 
"And not only as we had hoped, but they [the Macedonians] first gave themselves ot the Lord, and then to us by the will of God."
 
GIVING 101. This is lesson number one in the School of Financial Freedom. The first step to having a liberal spirit is to give myself to the Lord. If I understand that I belong to Him and that everything I have comes from Him and belongs to Him, then I will be free to give back to Him. I am not my own. Whatever He has blessed me with materially is so that I can bless Him and others. I am only a steward – not an owner – of His resources.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Giving oneself to Jesus is the first step to financial freedom.
 
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Have a "giving" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE MACEDONIAN PRINCIPLE OF GIVING

THE MACEDONIAN PRINCIPLE
II Corinthians 8:1-4
 
"Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints."
 
When our assembly, which is small and poor, began a program to support a missionary, there were some who said, "Why should we sent money to a missionary when we have so many needs in our own church?" But others understood the Macedonian Principle: that God will bless people who give to support Kingdom work, even though they themselves are poor. Jesus said, "Give and it will be given unto you." God's word is true. Giving is not based on how much I have, but on a liberal spirit. The grace of God will be bestowed on those who give to His work with joy and liberality, even out of their poverty and great trials of affliction.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE:  God will bestow His blessing on those who -- even in great poverty and affliction --  give to support kingdom work.
 
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Have a giving day. Love you.
 
P.S. Yesterday's scripture should have read II Corinthians 7:13-14, not 8:13-14.