GIVE
OF YOURSELF
BREAD
38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (NIV)
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)
25 Jesus
called them together and said, “You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and
whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just
as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life
as a ransom for many.” Matthew
20:25-28 (NIV)
63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” John 6:63 (NIV)
1 “Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before
men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in
heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with
trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be
honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, 4 so
that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.” Matthew
6:1-4 (NIV)
23 Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving. 25 Anyone
who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)
14 Do
everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become
blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved
generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of
life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or
labor for nothing. 17 But
even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and
service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and
rejoice with me. Philippians 2:14-18
(NIV)
1 Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good,
pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
(NIV)
This
is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6 (NIV)
BUTTER
“As God's
beloved children we have to believe that our little lives, when lived as God's chosen and blessed children, are broken to be
given to others. We too have to become bread for the world. When we live our
brokenness under the blessing, our lives will continue to bear fruit from
generation to generation. That is the story of the saints - they died, but they
continue to be alive in the hearts of those who live after them - and it can be
our story too.” Henri Nouwen
“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, You have brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see You in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Your glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Your stars shine; Let me find Your light in my darkness, Your life in my death, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin, Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley.” From: The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
“Even when we feel like we’ve lost everything — we always still have something to give — and this always gives us back joy.” Ann Voskamp
“The heart that
gives, gathers.” Marianne Moore
“A
cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him
to whom the gift is given.”
Julian of Norwich
“God is the Great Giver and He desires for
His people to be great givers as well.
In God’s perfect economy, when we walk in faithful obedience to His
commands, we will discover that we NEVER out give Him. What meager sacrifice on behalf of His children
we perhaps make reaps a sure harvest even though it be extraordinarily hard. We live our lives for an audience of One to please
Him not men. Never let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing.” BHY
“If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything. They
who do not like Christ on these terms, may leave him at their peril.
Whatever we part with for this pearl of price, we may comfort ourselves with
this belief, that it is well worth what we give for it. The terms are,
that we prefer Christ.” Matthew Henry
“We need
not fear of losing anything by encouraging others. Indeed, it is a blessed paradox wherein as we
pour out we become full. It’s God’s
way.” BHY “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received -- only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.” St. Francis of Assisi
“Be the bread so broken and given — that a hungry world yearns for more of the taste of such glory.” Ann Voskamp
“Take note of what
God gives you. Then you will also know
the task He gives you.” Heinrich Emil Brunner
“When we
have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day
is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full
giving is only begun. His love has no
limit; His grace has no measure. His
pow’r has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!”
Annie Johnson
“Cheered
by the presence of God, I will do at each moment, without anxiety, according to
the strength which He shall give me, the work that His Providence assigns
me. I will leave the rest without
concern; it is not my affair. I ought to
consider the duty to which I am called each day, as the work that God has given
me to do, and to apply myself to it in a manner worthy of His glory, that is to
say, in exactness and peace.” Fenelon
HEART SAVOR
- · I am to be a faithful giver. “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matt 10:8 (NIV)
- · I am to live my life for an audience of One. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:10-14 (NIV)
- · Blessed is the giver they will enjoy much peace and soul satisfaction.
