God is amazingly generous. He’s given us His generous love, acceptance and forgiveness. He also gave more then we could ever imagine when He gave his only son to save us from hell. God clearly sees the love in our giving. It’s also clear that generosity is an irreplaceable quality of spirituality. We are most like God when we are generous.  

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Questions for further thought:
1. Have you ever connected generosity to being spiritual? 


2. Should being a Christian and being generous go hand in hand? 


Challenge: Every moment we are alive is a gift from our generous creator. Take time to thank him for all He has given you. 

Paul tells the church to give not out of obligation, but as a reflection of their love. Even though the church was facing extreme poverty and trials, the people had overflowing joy because they were generous in giving and sharing with others. That is the kind of love Christians are to show to one another. 


Questions for further thought:
1. What’s one way you can show love by being generous today? 

2. How are we teaching the next generation to be generous? 


Challenge: Pray for open hands and an open heart. 

​Matthew 6:1-4 

God is calling us in these verses to be secretly generous to those in need around us. Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking if we share the nice things we do, people will be “inspired” to do them too. So we post pictures online or even video our secret (not so secret) giving. But God says the more generous you are, the more you will be given so that you can continue to be generous. Erasing the need to worry about others generosity. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Is giving in secret hard for you? 

2. Is the praise from others why you give?  


Challenge: Find a person so much in need they can never repay you. Give generously and anonymously, so that you find absolutely no reward from any person. 

A little bit of guilt sets in when I see other people I know giving so generously and so easily. My parents, friends, and family members are people that automatically come to mind when I think of generous givers. I strive to be one of those people, even though I know I have a long ways to go. Our verse gives me some perspective. Giving is a gift from the Holy Spirit. Just like teaching, leading, serving and showing kindness, it is a spiritual gift. We should not however, hold one spiritual gift higher then another. The church is made up of all kinds of spiritual gifts that are equally important!


Questions for further thought:
1. What is your spiritual gift? 

2. Do you have the gift of giving?  


Challenge: Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the things you can do with your gift. 

Growing up, and even as an adult, my late summers were spent picking, snapping, and canning green beans from the four (very long) rows of plants my parents would grow in their garden. Each week we could gather at least 5 gallons of beans. They would produce so fast that my mom would be giving beans left and right, to whomever would need them. This is exactly what this verse is all about – sow generously, plant lots of seeds and give to all those around you! Give what you can and give generously; that generosity will appear in the lives of those you have blessed. 


Questions for further thought:
1. What seeds can you “plant” in the lives of others? 

2. Is giving an easy thing for you to do?   


Challenge: Think of something that you can give this week. 

Giving over your life to Jesus wouldn’t be hard if you weren’t worrying about your reputation. It wouldn’t be difficult if you had the time. And what about Satan whispering in your ear, worrying about your finances, painting pictures of broken relationships and promising the loss of normal. Jesus didn’t promise protection from the painful consequences of life, quite the opposite, in fact. But with every heartbreak comes a different promise. The mourning, persecuted, and weary are assured of a store of heavenly riches: unending peace, joy, and companionship. The enemy of fear is our hope: knowing that eternity with the Lord awaits. Take pride in the good work, the long and hard journey that brings you home. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Which of the Beatitudes resonates the most with you? 


2. How has God gotten you through the trials of the “journey” so far?


Challenge: Memorize Matthew 28:19-20. Let it be a reminder of your purpose and your hope as you go out into the world. 

Jesus’ kingdom is more than strange; it’s completely upside down! He says to turn the other cheek, love your enemies, and strive to be the least. On that fateful night of the last supper, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wrapped himself in a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. He even washed the feet of the man who would soon betray him. It’s human nature to balk at such humbleness, but Jesus’ command was clear. To follow Him is to follow His example and “wash” even your enemy’s “feet.” 


Questions for further thought:
1. In what other ways is Jesus’ kingdom “upside down?” Why is this reverse of expectations important?


2. How have you acted recently with those who’ve wronged you or treated you badly?


Challenge: Begin with prayer. Pray for those you would rather not pray for. Pray for a different mindset and strength to be a light to all those around you. Don’t stop there, though. Let prayer lead to action, and love those around you with a startling love. 

You start the week off with an amazing worship service, followed by an inspirational message. You’re feeling great. The week is busy, but you even found time for scripture reading. Time for another inspirational message! This might sound like a great week, but James has a bone to pick. Knowing is great and faith is your foundation, but neither of these is complete without action. A Christian armed with scripture who doesn’t use it is a soldier standing still in the middle of a battlefield. Don’t just read scripture and nod, read scripture and do! Action can be scary, but only with both sides of the coin will the Holy Spirit and you be able to achieve God’s good plan.  


Questions for further thought:
1. What has the Holy Spirit been calling you to do lately?


2. Does that calling scare you? If so, why?  


Challenge: Try small things first. What’s one way you can show God’s love or grace to someone this week? Ask God to show you where to go. 

As Jesus is teaching his disciples, he tells them two short parables that have to do with heaven. In both, the joyful discovery of something trumps everything else in the finder’s life. It’s a quaint story if you don’t look into it too carefully. Once one equates “everything” with friends, family, favorite hobbies, your reputation, your obsessions, and your identity, the meaning of the parables becomes heavier. Again and again, Jesus calls us to follow him fully, knowing that our lives on Earth are temporary. To focus your eyes on heaven is to release your life into the only hands that can hold it. Doesn’t everything else pale in comparison to eternity? 


Questions for further thought:
1. What in your life do you hold most precious?


2. What does the kingdom of heaven mean to you?  


Challenge: What’s been on your mind? Take some time – it doesn’t have to be long – and practice handing these to God. If you need to write it on a piece of paper and then get rid of it, do that. Do what you must to release your life, piece by piece, to the one who can hold it. 

When God first created humanity, he gave them a purpose. They were to be the caretakers and rulers of His creation. After the fall, though, humanity lost what it meant to be human. Enter Jesus on the scene: fully God and fully human, but not fallen into sin. Jesus embodies what it means to be human in the way God created us to be. When following Jesus, we are following his perfect example and striving for true humanity. We live in a post-fall world with forces constantly working to keep us from our true purpose. It will take the wildest of submissions and the strongest of dependencies to come into that full and wonderful purpose that was meant to be ours from the beginning.  


Questions for further thought:
1. What is your purpose in this life?


2. How does Jesus being fully human impact your view of humanity and purpose?  


Challenge: Write down the major occupiers of your time, energy, and thoughts. Reflect on how these align with your purpose.