GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

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When Paul says God loves a cheerful giver, I think that means God loves us to cheerfully give in all we do, not just when giving money. But we seem to have fallen into the rut-tine of limiting our giving to money or service associated exclusively with the church.

Since we belong to Jesus 24/7 and our generosity is unlimited when guided by the Holy Spirit and energized by the life of Christ within us, we need to apply more creativity to our generosity.

To help you think outside the box, start by asking these questions:

• What talents and abilities do I have that can be shared with others in the name of Jesus?
• What do I like to do that I can help others do?
• What am I shaped to offer others?
• What do I have in excess that, perhaps, God means for me to give or share with someone else?

Then, brainstorm:

Can you cook? Consider preparing meals for people in your neighborhood. Tell a single mom or a family where both parents work that you’ll take care of dinner one night. Or, teach other people to cook.

Do you have some perfectly good items lying around that you hardly ever use? Give them to someone in need, or offer to share them.

Do you like to read? Start a book club, but in your discussions, consider how the ideas relate to God.

Good at decorating? Help someone with a house makeover.

Good at staying physically fit? Offer to help someone get into shape. Or, offer to train people who are planning a mission so they’ll be physically fit when they’re on the mission field.

My sister, at one time, had a huge backyard with a swimming pool, so she invited anyone at her church (a smaller congregation) to bring their kids over anytime on Tuesdays. She’d been blessed by God and she considered it a way to share the blessings with others.

The ideas of generosity are unlimited if you ask God for inspiration; he’s ready, willing, and able to provide you with all the bright ideas you need (James 1:5).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. . . . Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory. 1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT)

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When God gives, he holds nothing back. He gives you every spiritual blessing available in the storehouses of heaven (Ephesians 1:3).

He’s not obligated to give us so much; he does it because he loves us.

But what he gives is meant to be shared; he wants us to bless others on his behalf, and so he designed each of us with a unique combination of talents, skills, gifts, and abilities.

We receive from God, then give to others: “Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it” (1 Peter 4:10 MSG).

Be creative with generosity. Years ago, a lawyer in my church prepared wills for all the young families, doing it in a group setting so it didn’t overwhelm his practice. He made a living by charging others for his services, but he gave his skills as a ministry to these young families.

If you’re a mechanic, help single women in your church keep their cars in good condition. If you’re handy with tools, do simple repairs for some of the families in your congregation or, as a witness, for families in your neighborhood. If you are known for hospitality, teach a younger generation how to open their homes to others.

Once, a true, great friend of mine flew halfway across the United States to help me drive a moving truck all the way back.

The point is – don’t think your generosity is limited to money or service at the church. Give some serious, intentional thought to how you can be generous with the many blessings you’ve been given by God.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)

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No matter what you’ve ever done, there is no condemnation in Christ. He sits at the Father’s right hand, not as an accuser, but as an advocate willing to give his life for you.

God began the work to bring you back into his presence long before you were born. God knows you can’t make the journey home on your own, so while you “were still helpless” Christ died for you (Romans 5:6 HCSB).

Jesus offers mercy, not condemnation. He says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13 NIV). His objective is to bring you back into intimacy with the Father, so he’s not interested in making you jump through hoops to prove yourself worthy or to earn back God’s love.

Imagine him saying, “These things you offer to do and the promises you want to make in exchange for your forgiveness; they’re just offerings to help you get over your guilt. I’d rather give you forgiveness and grace as a gift; I desire mercy, not these sacrifices that make you grovel in hopes of winning back my love. You never lost my love!”

“My purpose is not to condemn you but to let my life run free within you as the Holy Spirit connects you directly to the Father” (Romans 8:1-2 NIV, author paraphrase).

“Besides, you can’t wash all the stains away. So, let me do it for you. My blood will be the bleach to wash you white as snow, and my Spirit will begin to live directly in your heart.”

We, now wrapped in Christ, find no condemnation and we’re able to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).

Jesus-one, when you feel condemnation coming at you like a furious flood, stand on the Rock, who said, “I no longer condemn you. Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NLT, with author paraphrase).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.” Luke 6:32 (NIV)

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Our objective-in-Jesus is to love the unlovable, and this makes the Christian community unique.

God insists that love set the agenda. We insist the agenda be set sometimes by love, but often by fear.

Fear pushes us into an agenda of self-interest, counsels my spiritual mentor, Steve Pettit. In fear, we look out for ourselves and behave very similar to those who are unloving and those who are un-God-like. Fear terrorizes us into remain emotionally immature and spiritually isolated. Fear holds us hostage; keeping us from developing authentic, transparent relationships.

God created us so that if we live a self-absorbed life then we’ll fail every time with our methods of self-service, self-preservation, and self-determination. Yet, God says, in essence, “Love one another in the same way that I have loved you.”

Is this a he-can’t-be-serious command?

Our objective-in-Jesus, then, is to get in step with God’s perfect love. His love is already at work in us, dismantling the barricades we’ve built for self-protection. His plan is that fear will no longer shape our lives and then we’ll be able to be love others in the same way that God loves us.

It is fear that keeps us out-of-step with God’s perfect love, and God will stop at nothing, including a bloody cross, to eliminate that fear from our lives.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.