Friday, June 6, 2008

Day 6 - Even the poor are to give to God from what they have

Deut 16:16 No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed.
1 Kings 17:10-15 When (Elijah) came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread-only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it-and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain.'" She went away and did as Elijah had told her. There was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

Gen 28:20-22 (While a single young man with no job or income) Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me… then the LORD will be my God…and of all that you (O God) give me I will give you a tenth."


2 Cor 8:2-4 Though (the Macedonian Christians) have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others. They gave not only what they could afford but far more; and I can testify that they did it because they wanted to…They begged us to take the money so they could share in the joy of helping the Christians in Jerusalem.

When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing.If a pauper gives to God, he’ll feel like a prince. If a prince doesn’t give to God, he’ll feel like a pauper.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Day 5 Swing on in with us.

Day 5 - You should not become prideful about anything God has entrusted to you.

Deut 8:17-18 You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Ps 62:10 If your riches increase, don`t be proud.







Deut 8:11-14 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God… Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 The Lord says, 'Let not the…rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me.”

Ps 39:5-6 Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend.


Mark 8:36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Prov 16:19 Better to be poor and humble than proud and rich.

Obadiah 1:3-7 You are proud because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. `Who can ever reach us way up here?` you ask boastfully. Don`t fool yourselves! Though you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down. I, the LORD, have spoken!'If thieves came at night and robbed you, they would not take everything. Those who harvest grapes always leave a few for the poor. But your enemies will wipe you out completely! Every nook and cranny of Edomwill be searched and looted. Every treasure will be found and taken. 7 'All your allies will turn against you. They will help to chase you from your land. They will promise you peace, while plotting your destruction. Your trusted friends will set traps for you, and you won`t even know about it.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Day 4 – The LORD watches your giving

Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on."



Luke 21:1 Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.



2 Cor 8:12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.



Exod 35:22,27,29 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD…The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems…All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.



2 Chr 24:10-11 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.



Personal comments from Pastor Peter for your consideration: It takes 14-20 days to create new habits. List a few new habits you would commit to creating in your life this week and for the next 20 days and include in those habits giving. Pray about and think about a way to give to others, ministries or anything or someone for 14 -20 days and see how it changes your attitude on life. Prehaps writing a thank you note to 20 people in your life for 20 days in a row ( or email). Think about it and pray about it. God will watch over your giving to others in wonderful ways and you will be blessed above all things. Prehaps just give 20 1 dollar bills away to someone different each day for 20 days and see what happens. You might put a dollar in a card or hand someone a dollar at the grocery store or give your kids a dollar a day for 20 days. Work on your giving see what the Lord will do in your heart and life and the life of others.

A video just for a little fun today!!





With the price of everything else going up these days

aren’t you glad the Lord hasn’t increased the tithe to 15%?




Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Day 3 part 2 Extra :PRACTICAL ADVICE ABOUT GIVING

In the writing on day 3 there were several suggestions about how to give if you are a Christian.

Here is a summary of what the book suggests for PRACTICAL ADVICE ABOUT GIVING.

1. IF YOU ARE NOT a Christian: Don't worry about giving to God. Instead , realize and accept what God wants to give you- complete forgiveness.

2. FOR ALL CHRISTIANS.

Test the Lord for 90 days and start giving 10% to the Lord's work at the church that you attend and ministers to you. See mAlachi 3:10 in the old Testement of the Bible. Watch what God will do when you give and trust Him.

If you want to begin to actively give to God First : Here are 4 ideas to choose from:

1. Set aside 10% or more for the Lord's work when ever you get money.
2. When you made a despisit in your bank account write out the first check for the Lord's work for 10%
3. If you track your giving electronically set up a new categrory called church and set aside 10%
4. If you handle all your bills and banking online condiser giving to your church through http://www.networkforgood.org/ You can find that link on our page at http://myflock2.com/cgi-bin/give.pl?churchid=church137




IF YOU ARE MARRIED TO A CHRISTIAN AND THE TWO OF YOU DO NOT AGREE ON HOW TO GIVE consider listening to a few messages at http://www.maximumgenerosity.org/ and pray and seek God together.

IF YOU ARE MARRIED AND YOUR SPOUSE IS NOT A CHRISTIAN: Identify any money you have freedom to spend ( read Luke 8:3) amd set aside 10% or more of this money to give to the Lords work. And Pray and see How the Lord works with your spouse.

IF YOU ARE DECIDING TO GIVE OFF THE GROSS OR THE NET OF YOUR INCOME:

Pray and ask God wnat he wants you to do. If you start off with net giving and see the hand of God moving then progress to gross and see God continue to move. Always give God the glory when He does move to encourage other followers of the goodness of God in giving.

IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN AT HOME:

Help your children set aside a place to keep money and teach them these same principles of giving and watch what God does in their lives with their allowances and special income.

IF YOU HAVE FALLEN BEHIND IN YOUR GIVING TO GOD'S WORK:

Ask God to forgive you for not trusting him and then consider paying catch up. One dear sain once said, "I want to be prayed up, paid up and ready to go." God can forgive the sin and the debt and you can just move ahead. But ask God to give you faith and joy in all your giving.

http://www.encpsirit.org/

http://www.pastorpeterlive.com/

Day 3 - Your role is to be the trustee, manager and steward of 100% of what God entrusts to you during your lifetime

Day 3 - Your role is to be the trustee, manager and steward of 100% of what God entrusts to you during your lifetime.
Col 3:17, 23-24 Whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus….Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Rom 14:7-8 None of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.




Matt 25:19-21, 24-26 'After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,` he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.` 'His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master`s happiness!`” . . . Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,` he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.` 'His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant!…”

1 Cor 4:2 It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.




Your bank and credit card statements are theological documents. They tell who and what you worship.

Martin Luther said, “People go through 3 conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.”
Have you gone through all 3 conversions yet?


For the order form and more details visit this link on our
church website to learn more and download the
order form and return before June 11th this month.



Monday, June 2, 2008

Day 2 - God is the Provider of every good thing in your life

Day 2 - God is the Provider of every good thing in your life.


James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.

Eph 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

1 Chron 29:11-14 (David prayed) “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all…Everything comes from you…”

Prov 8:18-22 (God says) “Unending riches, honor, justice, and righteousness are mine to distribute. My gifts are better than the purest gold or sterling silver!…Those who love and follow me are indeed wealthy. I fill their treasuries.”


As thunder follows lightning, giving follows grace.
When God`s grace touches you, you can`t help but respond with generous giving. Randy Alcorn

Give to God what`s right--not what`s left.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Day 1 : God is the Owner of everything

Welcome to Day 1 on June 1st 2008. Please read each session slowly and thoughtfully as you let God speak to your heart about your life and what He is telling about your life.

You Are Invited…

Dear Friend:
When we at Emmanuel Nazarene Church consider God’s great generosity towards us, we can’t help but be grateful for you! In the 14 years since the church was founded, we’ve repeatedly been blessed by the personal contributions, sacrificial giving and unselfishness of members and friends. We are going to be celebrating our 100th birthday as a denomination this fall and we truly believe the key to many more years is for each believer to learn how to live a more generous life each and every day in multiple applications to the glory of God. Generosity is not a novel concept of Nazarenes. Both our God and our people have a history of demonstrating it regularly.
Because we’ve witnessed so many past expressions of generosity, we’re acutely aware of the blessings that are associated with responsible stewardship and faithful giving. That’s why we are inviting you on a 40 day spiritual journey that can unlock the secrets of God’s Word and lead you to an even more joyful and generous life.
We invite you to prayerfully go through these daily Scripture readings as individuals, couples, or as a family. As part of the study, there’s a special weekly project that provides you with a financial, lifestyle and generosity “snapshot” of where you are during this time in your life. During the next few weeks there will be a special 30 minute Sunday School class at 10 a.m. by the pastor where we will also be considering some of the group questions in order to stimulate thought and discussion about these seldom discussed subjects. We truly believe that if you faithfully give yourself to this journey, that there are untold blessings ahead as you seek to honor and obey the Lord.
Thank you for your participation in this life-changing journey. If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours for God’s glory,
Pastor Peter
To give to the ministry of Emmanuel online Click here
http://www.emmanuelnaz.org/





Day 1
God is the Owner of everything.
(including all that you currently have or ever will have)
Think about, discuss or pray about the verse that relates most to your life

Psalm 50:10-12 (God says) “Every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills…and the creatures of the field are
mine…the world is mine, and all that is in it.”

Haggai 2:8 “ The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the
LORD Almighty.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 “Everything in heaven and earth is yours
(O Lord)…Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all
things.”

Leviticus 25:23 (God says) “The land is mine and you are but aliens
and my tenants.”

1 Chronicles 29:14-16 (David’s prayer after people gave generously
to a building project) “But who am I, and who are my people, that we
should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from
you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are
aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days
on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O LORD our God, as for all
this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for
your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.”

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world,
and all who live in it.

If we belong to Christ, it’s logical
that everything we have truly belongs to Him.
When we give to God, we are just taking our hands
off what already belongs to Him.

it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly
obey. Make me walk
along the right paths, for I know
how delightful they really are.
Psalm 119:33-35

also posted at http://www.pastorpeterlive.com/