A New Kind of Normal week 3
Philippians 4:11-13 NIV
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Psalm 103:1-5 NIV
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
“Radical gratitude is powerful, provocative, life-changing. It’s like a pair of glasses that get progressively sharper: the more we thank, the more we see to be thankful for. Gratitude is the lens that reveals God’s incredible grace at work. It’s the key to tangible, everyday joy.”
-Ellen Vaughn,
Author of Radical Gratitude
Philippians 4:11-12 NLT
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
Give Willingly
2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Give Joyfully
Greek: hilarios = cheerful
2 Corinthians 8:2-4 NIV
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
overflowing joy + extreme poverty = rich generosity
Give Humbly
Matthew 6:1-4 NLT
Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.2When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
2 Corinthians 8:12 NLT
Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
Give Consistently
Proverbs 3:9 NIV
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops;