Beyond the Weekend: GOD IS...
People have a lot of thoughts about God. Some say he is angry and vengeful. Some say he is a buddy or best friend. But what does Scripture tell us about God?
Understanding the character of God matters. It changes how we meet him in our everyday lives. It changes how we understand the world around us, and his work in it. And it changes our prayer life and how we talk and hear from him. Understanding the character of God leads us to living lives of obedience and worship.
Join Pastors Aaron Buer, Jeff Manion and Brad Holmes in our 10-week series GOD IS ..., a study on the identity and character of God, and learn how your faith can grow as you know God better.
Generosity in You
Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Listen: 2 Corinthians 9
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
The Corinthian church promises to send a gift to help believers during a famine in Jerusalem. When they fail to follow through, Paul writes a letter to encourage them to give as they promised. Rather than using his authority as an Apostle, Paul takes the occasion to teach generosity (2 Corinthians 8-9). Paul reminds them of Jesus's incredible generosity. God intends for his people to reflect his generosity. God loves cheerful givers because he is a cheerful giver.
When we give out of a cheerful spirit, God’s character and image are reflected in us. It’s not only that we have invited God into our lives through our faith in Jesus. The true wonder is that God is inviting us into his life. When we pursue a life of generosity, we are never making the first move. Rather, we join a conversation that has been going on since the creation of the world. We reflect God’s generosity when we give part of our income to a family in need, fund a mission hospital or support the local church. God’s generosity is clear in creation, the food on our tables and in Jesus’s sacrifice for us. It will also be evident in us when we live with generosity.
TODAY: Consider your attitude toward generosity. Do you give out of duty, obligation or habit? Or do you give out of a cheerful heart because of what God has done for you through Jesus? Confess any wrong attitudes. Ask God to grow in you a cheerful, giving heart that reflects his character to the world.
JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Read Isaiah 23-24. Highlight anything that points to Jesus.
