Thursday's Thought

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Good morning, one and all!

Thursday has dawned, bright and clear... another day to make a difference. Another day to give back something for all God has given to us.

Lately, my mind has dwelt on having a purpose in life. This morning, the above verses came to me as I pondered the writing of today's post. In verse 7, Paul wrote about giving, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart...." Perhaps Paul was referring to money in these verses but, in every day life, we have to purpose in our hearts what we're going to give, and how. Beyond money, what do we give? Our time. Our talents. Our love. We shine our lights for Jesus..... 

Looking back to verse 6, there is the principle of sowing and reaping. If we sow sparingly, we can expect nothing more than a "spare" crop. But, if we purpose in our hearts to sow bountifully, only God knows how big bountiful can become!! 

God loves a cheerful giver, and I truly believe He loves to see bountiful sowing. Verse 8 is a promise to the cheerful, bountiful givers:

1)  God is able to make ALL grace ABOUND toward you.

2)  We will have sufficiency in ALL things.

3)  We will abound in EVERY good work.

I want to purpose (verb - definition - to have as one's intention or objective) in my heart that my purpose (noun - definition - the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists) for living is to please God. Today, I recommit my life to giving bountifully and cheerfully all that I can give to the Lord. He has blessed me far more than I deserve. How can I withhold anything from Him?

In closing, here is a dear chorus of commitment (and purpose):

I will give You all

I will give You all

If all is what You ask of me

I will not withhold

And if my sacrifice is less

Than giving You my very best

Help me remember Calvary's cross

And be willing to say YES

God bless you with a truly purposeful Thursday. Hopefully, and if He is willing, I'll be back tomorrow.....