Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.
— Luke 6:38
When God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them, told them to be fruitful and multiply, and to use all the vast resources of the earth that He gave them in the service of God and man. Are you being fruitful? Is your life causing increase? When you get involved with people and things, do they increase and multiply? Some people only take in life, and they never add anything. I refuse to be that kind of person. I want to make people’s lives better.
We are to be sensitive to the needs of others—and I believe God gives us an ability to be touched by the infirmities of others for the express purpose of helping. We can be experts in bringing comfort. Courageous people are givers. Don’t selfishly and fearfully pass through this life, but do everything you can, every way you can, for everyone that you can, as often as you can. If that is your goal, you will be one of those rare individuals who actually makes the world a better place.
Lord, help me to use the gifts You’ve given me in the service of others. Make me to be fruitful in others’ lives. Amen.
The Price of Redemption
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Luke 22:17–20
In France, in the early 1960s, a new form of crime emerged. Daring thieves began stealing valuable paintings and holding them for ransom. The so called “art-napping” trend followed the rise in the value of paintings during the 1950s. The owners of museums and collections were faced with a difficult choice. They could either pay for what was rightfully theirs in the first place, or perhaps lose it forever. Many of them paid to have their paintings returned, thinking that it was more important to have the masterpieces back than to have the money it would cost to recover the items.
We belonged to God by right of creation, but sin separated us from Him. Lost people have no hope of saving themselves. The only hope is for the price for our sins to be paid for us—but that price is far more than any amount of money. Peter wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
The enormity of our debt to God because of sin demanded a payment beyond human comprehension. But Jesus willingly paid it for us. Every day of our lives should be lived in gratitude to the Lord for His sacrifice.
Luke 22:17–20
In France, in the early 1960s, a new form of crime emerged. Daring thieves began stealing valuable paintings and holding them for ransom. The so called “art-napping” trend followed the rise in the value of paintings during the 1950s. The owners of museums and collections were faced with a difficult choice. They could either pay for what was rightfully theirs in the first place, or perhaps lose it forever. Many of them paid to have their paintings returned, thinking that it was more important to have the masterpieces back than to have the money it would cost to recover the items.
We belonged to God by right of creation, but sin separated us from Him. Lost people have no hope of saving themselves. The only hope is for the price for our sins to be paid for us—but that price is far more than any amount of money. Peter wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
The enormity of our debt to God because of sin demanded a payment beyond human comprehension. But Jesus willingly paid it for us. Every day of our lives should be lived in gratitude to the Lord for His sacrifice.
Today’s Growth Principle:
We must never forget the price that Jesus paid to purchase the salvation that changed our eternal destiny.
Running Over
by Joyce Meyer - posted October 09, 2016Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you.
— Luke 6:38
When God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them, told them to be fruitful and multiply, and to use all the vast resources of the earth that He gave them in the service of God and man. Are you being fruitful? Is your life causing increase? When you get involved with people and things, do they increase and multiply? Some people only take in life, and they never add anything. I refuse to be that kind of person. I want to make people’s lives better.
We are to be sensitive to the needs of others—and I believe God gives us an ability to be touched by the infirmities of others for the express purpose of helping. We can be experts in bringing comfort. Courageous people are givers. Don’t selfishly and fearfully pass through this life, but do everything you can, every way you can, for everyone that you can, as often as you can. If that is your goal, you will be one of those rare individuals who actually makes the world a better place.
Lord, help me to use the gifts You’ve given me in the service of others. Make me to be fruitful in others’ lives. Amen.
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