What is your gift to the world?
Listening to more McManus podcasts and ran across this gem ..
2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
(Again, conversational English, so not grammatically correct.)
“What Paul is telling us is that we are to be conduits of God’s generous spirit and this goes so FAR BEYOND our material possessions – there is stuff inside of you that if you don’t nurture and take stewardship of and unleash -- there are things in this world that will never get done because they were YOURS TO DO.
Years ago, when my son Aaron was maybe 10 or 12 or so, I had a conversation with him, I said, “I need some counsel”. Ever since Aaron could talk, I brought him into my counseling situations and always asked him for advice. You know parents give so much advice but take so little, so I wanted my kids to feel like it was a flow of communication and insights and input. So he was used to giving me counsel all the time. (Now they give it to me unsolicited, but ..)
I said, ‘Buddy, I have this situation. There’s this family; they have several kids, they are very poor, they are very hungry and the children are starving and their home is cold and they have no heat. And they have a relative who is extremely affluent, has millions of dollars, but he won’t bother to go to the bank and make a withdrawal and help them. What should I do?’
I mean, he was incensed. He said, ‘Dad, that person is wicked!’ I love that 10 year old righteous indignation! ‘That person is wicked! You need to go and rebuke them!’
I said, ‘Buddy, you are that man.’
It got very quiet. I borrowed the teaching technique from the prophet who talked to David.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You are that man. You have all those resources left untouched.’
See, I had a dilemma. I had a kid who was testing at the age of 10 at the college level in everything and I couldn’t get him to perform academically in school. And I realized that he had a treasure inside of him placed by God that only he had the lock and key – only he had the capacity to reach inside of himself and pull that out.
And, by the way, that’s you. And me. Because all of us are created in the image and likeness of God. There is talent and gifting and intelligence and passion and creativity inside of you, and it’s not there just for you to have a toy box to play with. It is the resource of God to all humanity, and when you begin to live at your optimal level – when you allow God through His presence in your life to unleash your creative spirit, you become a gift to the world.”
What gift will the world receive from God through you?
Great insight from my boy Erwin ..
Dale
2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
(Again, conversational English, so not grammatically correct.)
“What Paul is telling us is that we are to be conduits of God’s generous spirit and this goes so FAR BEYOND our material possessions – there is stuff inside of you that if you don’t nurture and take stewardship of and unleash -- there are things in this world that will never get done because they were YOURS TO DO.
Years ago, when my son Aaron was maybe 10 or 12 or so, I had a conversation with him, I said, “I need some counsel”. Ever since Aaron could talk, I brought him into my counseling situations and always asked him for advice. You know parents give so much advice but take so little, so I wanted my kids to feel like it was a flow of communication and insights and input. So he was used to giving me counsel all the time. (Now they give it to me unsolicited, but ..)
I said, ‘Buddy, I have this situation. There’s this family; they have several kids, they are very poor, they are very hungry and the children are starving and their home is cold and they have no heat. And they have a relative who is extremely affluent, has millions of dollars, but he won’t bother to go to the bank and make a withdrawal and help them. What should I do?’
I mean, he was incensed. He said, ‘Dad, that person is wicked!’ I love that 10 year old righteous indignation! ‘That person is wicked! You need to go and rebuke them!’
I said, ‘Buddy, you are that man.’
It got very quiet. I borrowed the teaching technique from the prophet who talked to David.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You are that man. You have all those resources left untouched.’
See, I had a dilemma. I had a kid who was testing at the age of 10 at the college level in everything and I couldn’t get him to perform academically in school. And I realized that he had a treasure inside of him placed by God that only he had the lock and key – only he had the capacity to reach inside of himself and pull that out.
And, by the way, that’s you. And me. Because all of us are created in the image and likeness of God. There is talent and gifting and intelligence and passion and creativity inside of you, and it’s not there just for you to have a toy box to play with. It is the resource of God to all humanity, and when you begin to live at your optimal level – when you allow God through His presence in your life to unleash your creative spirit, you become a gift to the world.”
What gift will the world receive from God through you?
Great insight from my boy Erwin ..
Dale
posted by Wealthedge at 7:43 PM
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