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CURRENT RADIO SERIES God's Secrets   CURRENT TV SERIES Unchained

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. --1 Peter 3:9 The key to success in your life—with your family, your friends, and your future—is your ability to communicate. That’s because the words you use hold incredible power. Used as God intended, our words have the potential to bless, encourage, and to elevate others. Or, if used negatively, our words can divide, destroy, and dishearten. Moment by moment, we are faced with the crucial choice of how we will use our words. And this is precisely why Peter directed us to make the conscious choice to bless others. Because everyone has an innate need to receive a blessing. Think about it this way. When we bless people, we are expressing our approval and preparing a person’s heart to step out and fulfill God’s purpose for their life. So can you see how important it is to use your words to bless… especially your children? But you may say, “I didn’t grow up in a family like that. I didn’t get words of kindness and blessing.” Perhaps you didn’t. Many have never known this blessing. But while you can’t change the past, you can change the future. Start blessing your children and your family today. Bless the people in your life and you can begin a chain of blessing throughout the generations. And when you do, God promises that you, too, will obtain a blessing! WHAT IS ONE WAY YOU CAN BLESS YOUR CHILDREN AND FAMILY TODAY?

Given, Not Taken

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.”
Exodus 35:21–22

I read about a chaplain who was tasked with visiting soldiers who had been seriously wounded in a battle. As he made his way through the field hospital, he came to a cot where a young soldier was recovering from the amputation of his arm. Wanting to comfort the soldier, the chaplain said, “You have lost an arm in a great cause.” With a smile, the wounded man corrected him. “No,” he said, “I didn’t lose it—I gave it.”
The Christian life is not successfully lived by those who grasp and cling to everything they can, to keep it for themselves. Instead, it is rightly lived by those who, recognizing the grace that has been extended to them, are grateful for the opportunity to express their gratitude in return. This is the spirit that God wishes to see in our lives. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
The person who gives out of an overflowing, willing heart is demonstrating the mind of Christ. He laid aside all the glory of Heaven—the wealth and majesty that are rightfully His—and took on a human body for the sake of our salvation. The perfect life He laid down for us should inspire us to recognize that our willing sacrifices are still less than He deserves.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If we understand what God has given to us, we will not be hesitant to give what we have to Him.