BBD 10.05.21 The Benefits of Giving (Classic)

#1 · October 5, 2021, 12:00 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on October 5, 2021, 12:00 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

05 October 2021

The Benefits of Giving

Now you Philippians
know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia,
no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even
in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. - Philippians
4:15-16.

Some of
the top givers this past year were John D. Hollingsworth who when he died at 83
years of age left an estimated $400 million to several institutions and
charities. Lucille Stewart Beeson, who died at the age of 95, bequeathed $161
million to organizations in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Henry
Melville Fuller dying at age 87, left a large portion of his $89.68 million
estate to several New Hampshire organizations. Herbert Block, who was an
editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, died at the age of 91, and gave
$53 million to the establishment of a foundation in Washington D.C. Having a
giving heart apparently helps many to live a long life.

If we
would please God, we must give, because God’s nature is to give. "For God so loved the world that He gave…(John 3:16)." "For
you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for
your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2
Corinthians 8:9)." By giving, we please
God as we follow the example of our Lord.

The
unconscious thought is that if we give, we will have less, and how will we then
meet our own needs? As Jimmy Carter says, "When
it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing." I like what Martin
Luther said, "I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost
them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess." Only through eyes of faith can we see that by giving, we actually
bless ourselves, and when we fail to give, we are hurting ourselves (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10). As Augustine puts it, "Where
your pleasure is, there is your treasure; Where your treasure is, there is your
heart; Where your heart is, there is your happiness."

When we
think of giving, we automatically think of money, but the example of our Lord
is that of giving His very life for us that we might have life. Certainly, we
should give of our money, but we should not hold back ourselves in the process.
As Jesus says, "Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21)."

Where
is your treasure being stored up?

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for comfort and
peace for those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and healing for the
wounded. Please pray for the Americans and others left behind in Afghanistan. May
they all look to the Lord for help….

Please pray for the people
of Afghanistan and the people of Haiti. Pray that America would turn back to
God. Please pray for protection of our troops wherever they may be and help for
Americans and others who have been left behind and those who are fearing for
their lives there in that place. May God help them all!!

Please pray for those
affected by the hurricanes!

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman; Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Kinsey W; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Brandy
and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who has had a stroke;
Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana Bass; Matthew Collins;
Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Nannie R.; Larayne S. and Shonda Hutson.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. Having back surgery in a few weeks. 03.18.18
I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Elk City,
Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by sending
a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

05 October 2021

The Benefits of Giving

Now you Philippians
know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia,
no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even
in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. - Philippians
4:15-16.

Some of
the top givers this past year were John D. Hollingsworth who when he died at 83
years of age left an estimated $400 million to several institutions and
charities. Lucille Stewart Beeson, who died at the age of 95, bequeathed $161
million to organizations in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Henry
Melville Fuller dying at age 87, left a large portion of his $89.68 million
estate to several New Hampshire organizations. Herbert Block, who was an
editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, died at the age of 91, and gave
$53 million to the establishment of a foundation in Washington D.C. Having a
giving heart apparently helps many to live a long life.

If we
would please God, we must give, because God’s nature is to give. "For God so loved the world that He gave…(John 3:16)." "For
you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for
your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2
Corinthians 8:9)." By giving, we please
God as we follow the example of our Lord.

The
unconscious thought is that if we give, we will have less, and how will we then
meet our own needs? As Jimmy Carter says, "When
it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing." I like what Martin
Luther said, "I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost
them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess." Only through eyes of faith can we see that by giving, we actually
bless ourselves, and when we fail to give, we are hurting ourselves (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10). As Augustine puts it, "Where
your pleasure is, there is your treasure; Where your treasure is, there is your
heart; Where your heart is, there is your happiness."

When we
think of giving, we automatically think of money, but the example of our Lord
is that of giving His very life for us that we might have life. Certainly, we
should give of our money, but we should not hold back ourselves in the process.
As Jesus says, "Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21)."

Where
is your treasure being stored up?

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

http://www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for comfort and
peace for those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and healing for the
wounded. Please pray for the Americans and others left behind in Afghanistan. May
they all look to the Lord for help….

Please pray for the people
of Afghanistan and the people of Haiti. Pray that America would turn back to
God. Please pray for protection of our troops wherever they may be and help for
Americans and others who have been left behind and those who are fearing for
their lives there in that place. May God help them all!!

Please pray for those
affected by the hurricanes!

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman; Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Kinsey W; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Brandy
and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who has had a stroke;
Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana Bass; Matthew Collins;
Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Nannie R.; Larayne S. and Shonda Hutson.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. Having back surgery in a few weeks. 03.18.18
I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Elk City,
Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by sending
a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org