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Tag: Giving

  • Verse to DATE the Word on November 25 (11/25) is Proverbs 11:25

    “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters 
    will also be watered himself.” – Proverbs 11;25
    Sometimes I like to present our verse to date from other versions:
    KJV: Proverbs 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
    ESV: Proverbs 11:25  Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
    HCSB: Proverbs 11:25  A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water.
    NLT:  Proverbs 11:25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

    The multiple BLESSINGS of being GENEROUS!

    I wanted to have you see a few translations of Proverbs 11:25 as the Hebrew word that we translate generous can be translated as LIBERAL or BLESSING.   When we think of someone being generous we think of one freely giving and freely giving really more than what is expected.  When someone is generous, freely giving more than is expected, they are a tremendous blessing.  I would think you have been the recipient at some point of someone’s generosity. I know I have been a multitude of times.  My hope is that you are also one who has been the one who extended generosity to others.   Our verse is APPEALING that we choose to be generous as it reveals the advantages, the benefits, of being generous.  

    There is an old saying that tells us you can’t outgive God.  Proverbs 11:25 conveys that saying.  As you are a blessing you will be blessed.  As you provide water you will be receiving back water.  You just can’t outgive God.  

    So how is your thinking when it comes to YOUR MONEY?  On a scale of 1-10 with 1 low and 10 high, are you a KEEPER?  On a scale of 1-10 with 1 low and 10 high, are you a GIVER?  

    For me, it is hard to look at Proverbs 11:25 without looking at Proverbs 11:24. It says, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.”   

    The stingy tight-fisted person thinks they are going to be better off because they are KEEPERS.  The picture of Proverbs 11:24 is from the world of agriculture and pictures the scattering of a seed like wheat.  Being stingy with the seed wheat leads to a small harvest, but a bountiful scattering of seeds leads to a bumper harvest!  The short interpretation of Proverbs 11:24 is YOU CAN’T AFFORD to be STINGY!  YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO NOT BE A GIVER!

    You do get to make your choice with your money.  Proverbs 11:25 lets you know that being a blessing brings multiple blessings!  BEING A BLESSING BRINGS MULTIPLE BLESSINGS.  Your blessing to another blesses them and it will bless you!  

    Verse to DATE the Word on November 25 (11/25) is Proverbs 11:25. It says, “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”

    BEING A BLESSING BRINGS MULTIPLE BLESSINGS.

    Continue Strong being generous, 
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

    PS – this coming Tuesday is GIVING TUESDAY –  I hope you will consider supporting ministries that are dear to you.   From FCA to Christian Universities, yes, your local church, and ministries like Word of Life, etc. pray about how you can give “WATER” to a ministry.  And yes – you can give to DATE the Word to help Date the Word be on the numerous radio stations of TruthNetwork as well as to help us to extend our reach through other means.  Visit our website giving page for more information. We thank you ahead of time for your support.

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 7 (8/7) is 2 Corinthians 8:7

    “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in
    complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that
    you also excel in this grace of giving.” – 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)
    EXCELLING in the GRACE of GIVING.

    Having read a verse about giving it seems logical to start by asking how is your GIVING. Are you a GIVER?  Do you give a portion of your income to a local church?  Do you give to various charities? Would you consider yourself as one who EXCELS at GIVING?  What are your feelings toward GIVING? Does the question about your giving rub you the wrong way? Are you a little sensitive to any talk or questions about your MONEY?  Does on the other hand the thought of giving excite you and you look for opportunities to “invest” in others and into God’s Work?  As you set goals and priorities for your life, have you established a goal to EXCEL AT GIVING?

    The setting for our verse to consider is the Apostle Paul is raising money for needy believers in Jerusalem and the appeal had gone out to Corinth and they made a commitment to give. Having heard through the “grapevine” that the Corinthians have not collected the money and the excitement about giving has waned the Apostle is now reminding them to be ready to give when he comes to pick up the gift!  In our verse to DATE, he commends them for things they are doing well. There are several things that they are excelling in, but generosity is not one of them. So, he challenges them to EXCEL in this ACT of the GRACE of GIVING, of being GENEROUS.
     
    What does EXCELLING in the act of GIVING look like to you?

    As I think of excelling in giving, I think of the Shunammite family for providing a room for the prophet Elisha to stay when he was in their area.  The story is in 2 Kings 4:8-11.  They wanted to make sure he had a nice comfortable room.   They excelled at giving.

    Another of many stories we could reference is when God’s people gave abundantly to repair the House of the Lord.  The story is found in 2 Chronicles.24:8-11 and it tells how God’s people brought financial gifts in the Chest of Joash.  As the appeal went out the people gave in ABUNDANCE. They excelled at giving. 

    The best example ever of giving is none other than Jesus Christ!!  2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”   Jesus lived giving and He excelled at it.   

    What do you need to do differently in order to EXCEL at GIVING?  What is something you need to do right now to EXCEL at GIVING?

    Our verse to DATE the Word on August 7 (8/7) is 2 Corinthians 8:7.  It says, “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”  (NIV)

    Continue Strong excelling at generosity,
    And remember to DATE the Word