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.
2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
If you give God your time, He multiplies it. If you give Him your money or energy, He multiplies those too. It’s like planting seeds. Farmers know that seeds must be given away – sacrificed by being buried in the ground – to do any good. If you keep a seed in a sack, it does no good, but if you plant it, it multiplies. For example, when you plant just one watermelon seed, you get a bunch of watermelons with hundreds of seeds in them. In the same way, God multiplies whatever you give Him.
What’s the key ingredient in this seed planting? Faith. But we have to understand the difference between faith and bargaining. Bargaining is when you say, “God, help me close this deal and I’ll give you part of it.” But God doesn’t work that way. God asks for faith – he wants us to sacrifice in advance, not knowing that we’ll get anything in return –then he wants us to let him figure out how to repay us.
One of the great lessons that Kay and I have learned is that you cannot out-give God. Whatever you give Him, He multiplies. Three different times in our marriage, God told us to give away our entire savings. Each time we obeyed, and each time God restored our finances in greater ways than ever before.
I’ll never forget one of our church building campaigns. Kay and I prayed about how much to give, and God told us to give an amount equal to one year’s salary. I didn’t know how we would live for an entire year without a salary, but we obeyed God.
About a month later, we saw God’s plan when a publisher asked me to write a book and offered an advance of $100,000. That book became The Purpose Driven Church.
Jesus makes us this promise in Luke 18:29-30: “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life” (NIV).
And 1 Corinthians 15:58 says: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (NIV).
Remember, when you give a seed in faith to God, He will multiply it.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Risks is Faith: When God Delays by Rick Warren
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
If you ever find yourself in God’s waiting room – waiting for an answer, a change, or a miracle – you just need to stop and trust God. He’s never late or in a hurry, because his timing is perfect.
When I started Saddleback Church, I had no idea that it would take 15 years and 10,000 weekly attenders for us to have our own land and our own building. At Saddleback’s very first church service I said, “Someday we’re going to buy at least 50 acres. But we’re not going to do it for the first five years because we’re going to put all our money into people and programs.”
Seven years after that first worship service it looked like we were well on our way to having our own building. Our people had sacrificed to raise money for land – canceling vacations, working second jobs, selling diamond rings, and giving from their pensions.
We finally found the right piece of land but we needed another $1.2 million to close the deal. In the last 60 days of 1987, the people in this church gave the needed funds and the land was ours.
Two years later, though, we still were working out zoning details with the county supervisors and they decided to delay us indefinitely.
My wife, Kay, was upset with me – and with God. She prayed: “God, you have been unfair to us. We have tried to do this exactly the way you told us with faith, honesty, and integrity. God, I don’t know what game you’re playing, but let me in on it because I don’t get it!”
God responded: “Kay, what is it to you if I allow every church on the face of the earth to have a building and land and Saddleback never does? Will you still follow me?”
She answered, “Yes, Lord, I will.”
That experience helped me really know the truth of John 13:7, when Jesus said: “You do not realize now what I'm doing but later you will understand” (NIV).
That same truth is communicated in 2 Corinthians 1:9: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (NIV).
So often it looks like God is delaying or denying us, but his timing is perfect. Next time you feel like you’re in God’s waiting room, trust that God is working in his own perfect time on his own perfect plan – which is so much better than anything we can plan or dream.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
*** *** *** ***
If you ever find yourself in God’s waiting room – waiting for an answer, a change, or a miracle – you just need to stop and trust God. He’s never late or in a hurry, because his timing is perfect.
When I started Saddleback Church, I had no idea that it would take 15 years and 10,000 weekly attenders for us to have our own land and our own building. At Saddleback’s very first church service I said, “Someday we’re going to buy at least 50 acres. But we’re not going to do it for the first five years because we’re going to put all our money into people and programs.”
Seven years after that first worship service it looked like we were well on our way to having our own building. Our people had sacrificed to raise money for land – canceling vacations, working second jobs, selling diamond rings, and giving from their pensions.
We finally found the right piece of land but we needed another $1.2 million to close the deal. In the last 60 days of 1987, the people in this church gave the needed funds and the land was ours.
Two years later, though, we still were working out zoning details with the county supervisors and they decided to delay us indefinitely.
My wife, Kay, was upset with me – and with God. She prayed: “God, you have been unfair to us. We have tried to do this exactly the way you told us with faith, honesty, and integrity. God, I don’t know what game you’re playing, but let me in on it because I don’t get it!”
God responded: “Kay, what is it to you if I allow every church on the face of the earth to have a building and land and Saddleback never does? Will you still follow me?”
She answered, “Yes, Lord, I will.”
That experience helped me really know the truth of John 13:7, when Jesus said: “You do not realize now what I'm doing but later you will understand” (NIV).
That same truth is communicated in 2 Corinthians 1:9: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (NIV).
So often it looks like God is delaying or denying us, but his timing is perfect. Next time you feel like you’re in God’s waiting room, trust that God is working in his own perfect time on his own perfect plan – which is so much better than anything we can plan or dream.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Off the Clock Christians by Jon Walker
“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you ….” (1 Peter 2:9 MSG)
Here’s the snapshot: As I write this, I’m sitting in a restaurant, pre-dawn, sipping on Southern sweet tea. (Who needs coffee when you can have the nectar of God? Ha!)
The restaurant is a chain you would recognize if I gave the name, and in a booth a few feet away from me is a group of employees, mostly college age. Some of them are on-duty and in uniform; some are just getting off the night shift and, although still in uniform, shirt-tails are coming out and ties are coming off, and – a third category appears present – employees who evidently don’t work this morning, but have just come in to hang-out.
It is a slow time; I am the only customer in the place.
As the group talks, one young man in particular punctuates his conversation with four-letter words, salted with a generous dose of seven-letter phrases. Following his conversational leadership, others in the group contribute their own forms of profanity to the mix.
Far from being a prude, I could have been one of these kids, in my youth, about 227 years ago, but I still thought, “If this moment were captured for the next commercial for such a family-oriented restaurant, would the corporate office be pleased?”
Some of these employees were “off the clock,” some of them were out of uniform, but within this context, all of them were representing the restaurant.
Snapshot point: There are no “off the clock” moments as a Christian, where you can “dis-identify” yourself from Christ. As a believer, you are a representative of Christ – but more so – you are a minister sent and authorized by God.
The Bible teaches that every Christian is:
Created for ministry (Ephesians 2:10)Saved for ministry (2 Timothy 1:9)Called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10)Gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10)Authorized for ministry (Matthew 28:18-20)Commanded to minister (Matthew 20:26-28)Prepared for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12)Needed for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:27)Accountable for and rewarded according to his or her ministry (Colossians 3:23-24).
This means ordinary people with children and jobs and mortgages and really, really full calendars — in other words, people just like you — are called to be ministers from God.
A fifth grade teacher writes, “I come from a very traditional Christian home. We believed missionaries had to be trained in seminaries and receive ‘the calling.’
“When the opportunity came to go with a mission team to Nigeria, I was concerned that I wasn’t ‘properly’ trained, nor did I have enough theological knowledge,” she says. “But my experience in Nigeria totally challenged my beliefs about missions. I became more aware of God’s sovereignty and his ability to use anyone, even those who are ‘unworthy.’ We just have to make ourselves available.”
God doesn’t want you to waste your talents; he wants you to make a difference with your life. He created you to make a contribution to the world now – in your lifetime. What does this mean?
You are shaped for this – The God of the universe shaped you uniquely to make a contribution, to make a difference – as you take steps of faith toward going on mission and completing your mission on earth.
God will support you – There is no way you can fail in your mission –unless you fail to accept the calling of ministry that comes with being a believer in Jesus Christ or fail to follow in faith God’s direction.
Just ask God – Ask him how he wants you to contribute. Ask him how he wants to use your SHAPE to make a difference in the world. Ask God, “Where can I make the greatest contribution for your glory? What kind of God-legacy do you want me to leave?”
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 2008 by Jon Walker.
Here’s the snapshot: As I write this, I’m sitting in a restaurant, pre-dawn, sipping on Southern sweet tea. (Who needs coffee when you can have the nectar of God? Ha!)
The restaurant is a chain you would recognize if I gave the name, and in a booth a few feet away from me is a group of employees, mostly college age. Some of them are on-duty and in uniform; some are just getting off the night shift and, although still in uniform, shirt-tails are coming out and ties are coming off, and – a third category appears present – employees who evidently don’t work this morning, but have just come in to hang-out.
It is a slow time; I am the only customer in the place.
As the group talks, one young man in particular punctuates his conversation with four-letter words, salted with a generous dose of seven-letter phrases. Following his conversational leadership, others in the group contribute their own forms of profanity to the mix.
Far from being a prude, I could have been one of these kids, in my youth, about 227 years ago, but I still thought, “If this moment were captured for the next commercial for such a family-oriented restaurant, would the corporate office be pleased?”
Some of these employees were “off the clock,” some of them were out of uniform, but within this context, all of them were representing the restaurant.
Snapshot point: There are no “off the clock” moments as a Christian, where you can “dis-identify” yourself from Christ. As a believer, you are a representative of Christ – but more so – you are a minister sent and authorized by God.
The Bible teaches that every Christian is:
Created for ministry (Ephesians 2:10)Saved for ministry (2 Timothy 1:9)Called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10)Gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10)Authorized for ministry (Matthew 28:18-20)Commanded to minister (Matthew 20:26-28)Prepared for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12)Needed for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:27)Accountable for and rewarded according to his or her ministry (Colossians 3:23-24).
This means ordinary people with children and jobs and mortgages and really, really full calendars — in other words, people just like you — are called to be ministers from God.
A fifth grade teacher writes, “I come from a very traditional Christian home. We believed missionaries had to be trained in seminaries and receive ‘the calling.’
“When the opportunity came to go with a mission team to Nigeria, I was concerned that I wasn’t ‘properly’ trained, nor did I have enough theological knowledge,” she says. “But my experience in Nigeria totally challenged my beliefs about missions. I became more aware of God’s sovereignty and his ability to use anyone, even those who are ‘unworthy.’ We just have to make ourselves available.”
God doesn’t want you to waste your talents; he wants you to make a difference with your life. He created you to make a contribution to the world now – in your lifetime. What does this mean?
You are shaped for this – The God of the universe shaped you uniquely to make a contribution, to make a difference – as you take steps of faith toward going on mission and completing your mission on earth.
God will support you – There is no way you can fail in your mission –unless you fail to accept the calling of ministry that comes with being a believer in Jesus Christ or fail to follow in faith God’s direction.
Just ask God – Ask him how he wants you to contribute. Ask him how he wants to use your SHAPE to make a difference in the world. Ask God, “Where can I make the greatest contribution for your glory? What kind of God-legacy do you want me to leave?”
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 2008 by Jon Walker.
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