Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
01/28/2016, by John Kincaid
Lesson 860: How Should I Give? Pt.5
Prov.11:24-26 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
God provides gifts for His children to share. He includes us as He goes about doing good.
Remember when you were a little child and you went to a friend’s birthday party?
Someone, maybe your mother, wrapped a gift for you to take. You didn’t have to provide it.
It was handed to you, and you chose to give it away instead of keeping the toy for yourself.
When you gave the gift, you felt excited and joyful. Without a gift to give, you would be embarrassed.
That’s what we are: the apostle John calls us God’s dearly beloved little children (Greek teknia). In the short letters of 1-2-3 John, he used this word 18 times.
God can accomplish His purposes without us. Yet He graciously gives us a role in His work.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.