“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25, NLT)
This is a win-win for all of us: Prosper through our own generosity, and assure our own refreshment by helping others!
Now, all that is left for us to do is to get out there and do it — and be it! Yea!!! – Luther
“Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.” (Proverbs 3: 9-10, The Message)
Do we honor God with everything we own: Our time, our talents, our treasure; the power at our disposal by virtue of our position in life and its prerogatives?
If not, we are operating at a level far below both our potential for blessing the lives of others; and we have restricted the “return” from God to our own lives.
You are what your are; and you have what you have. Begin to give God the first fresh hour of your day, rather than the left-over minutes at its end. Give God a tithe of thanksgiving from the dollars at the beginning, rather than the pennies that remain after everyone else has taken their due.
These small, but significant, steps lead to a life of usefulness, abundance, and joyful surprise. – Luther
“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.” (Proverbs 24:17-18, NIV)
The world maintains a “dance on the ashes of your enemy” approach to human relationships because it is too short-sighted to appreciate the long-term benefit of reconciliation.
As disciples of Jesus, we are His “ambassadors”; and as His ambassadors, we represent only His interests, not our own.
His interest, according to scripture, is not the condemnation of the world, but its salvation. (John 3:17) His purpose is not the perpetuation of the world’s estrangement from God, but its reconciliation to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
In all that you do, endeavor to illuminate the path to reconciliation. – Luther
Daily Encouragement 