God's blessings are not solely for our personal gain but are meant to enable us to be more generous. This principle challenges us to consider how we can increase our giving as we receive more, aligning our financial growth with a growth in generosity. It shifts the focus from accumulating wealth to sharing it, fostering a spirit of abundance and gratitude. By viewing our blessings as opportunities to bless others, we can cultivate a heart that is open to giving and a life that reflects God's generosity.
Proverbs 11:24–25 (NLT) “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Reflection: Reflect on a recent blessing you received. How can you use it as an opportunity to bless someone else this week?
Exercise
Our exercise for this coming week is to begin listening to God about money and generosity. This discernment exercise takes you through a series of questions designed to get you to reflect on your stewardship, and listen to God for direction. This practise will force us to identify and confront the barriers that keep us from generosity. What you may find is - as you attempt to listen to God in prayer, things will come up in your heart. You may feel resistance or angst in your body. That resistance may be psychological or spiritual or practical. This exercise will invite you to lovingly face the barriers that keep you from obedience to Jesus’s commands.
Our reach exercise this week is twofold. It's to enjoy something good in your life and share it with another. You could spend that extra money you have on taking someone out to dinner who’s going through a rough time or open that bottle of wine you’ve been saving with a good friend or take a kid from your community who doesn’t have a healthy family situation out for ice cream. We’re trying to learn to both deeply enjoy our life as a gift from God and to share our blessings with others.
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