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Part 4: Generosity No Matter What the Price of Oil Is

LEVEL UP: A GENEROUS LIFE

PART 4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A LIFE OF JOY EVEN WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG.  

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-1 9(NIV)

  • Give sacrificially. 

“Put some of the first produce from each crop you harvest into a basket and bring it to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for His name to be honored.” Deuteronomy 26:2 (NLT)

  • Give God the firstovers, not the leftovers.

2. BE GENEROUS JOYFULLY, NOT JUST OUT OF DUTY. 

“The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation. When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated us by making us their slaves.’” Deuteronomy 26:4-6 (NLT)

“We cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest You have given me from the ground. Then place the produce before the Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before Him.” Deuteronomy 26:7-10 (NLT)

  • Everything you have is a gift from God.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

  • Myth: When I have more, then I will be generous. 

“But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.” Isaiah 32:8 (NLT)

MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS: 

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This week’s Reading Plan and blog/podcast:

  • YouVersion® Bible App Reading Plan:
    “Generosity: Offering Hope in Dark Times” (7 days) 

  • Blog and Podcast: “Two Myths That Block Generosity”

Level UpDr. John Gerlach