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“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” —Matthew 6:25 Chronic worry, fear and anxiety can consume our lives if we allow it, and rob us of our joy and our peace and make us absolutely miserable. Worry is such a waste! It’s as though you’re in your car, putting it in neutral and revving the engine. You know what happens when you do that? You just waste fuel, stress the motor, and you’re going nowhere. That’s what worry does! God knows that we are going to be tempted to worry, that there will be some scary things that we have to confront in life. But the psalmist said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in God” (Psalm 56:2), so we don’t allow our fears, our anxieties, our worries to become chronic, or to control us. We can trust God because God only knows that He provides for us abundantly, and everything that we face in life is filtered through the Father’s hands. He cares deeply about what we face and therefore His providence protects us. His love never lets us go. THE ANTIDOTE TO ANXIETY IS FAITH IN GOD!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Real Generosity

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?”

1 Chronicles 29:3–5

When God sent Nathan the prophet to tell David that He wanted Solomon to build the Temple rather than allowing David to do so, David set out to prepare for his son to complete the task that was in his own heart. He began gathering materials and resources for Solomon to use. In his position as king over Israel, David had access and ultimate control over all the nation’s wealth. And he used that power to begin the preparations. But David was not just generous with other people’s money. Instead, he made a massive contribution from his own wealth so that there would be plenty of gold and silver for the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. David loved God, and as a result, his affection determined how he spent his resources.

There is nothing that is more revealing regarding what we really value than the uses to which we put our money. When we invest in the eternal, it speaks volumes concerning the state of our hearts. Jesus said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20–21). Generosity toward God’s work shows where our affections are set.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Real generosity requires real sacrifice of our own personal assets.