In 1 Samuel 25, David and his men needed food. David’s men had been protecting the sheep of a wealthy Jew named Nabal. Therefore, David sent them to ask Nabal for food. In verse 11, Nabal said, “Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men ...
In Stephanie Winslow’s recent blog post called “Worse Before Better,” she wrote about the difficulties of walking out faith in hard times. The difficulties are always great teachers. As we walk through a pandemic unlike anything we have before, how do we walk out generosity while keeping in mind our own needs? Deuteronomy 15:7 says, “But if there are any ...
In this series we’re examining four attributes of an amazing man who impressed Jesus. In Luke 7, we read of a Roman Centurion asking Jesus to miraculously heal his dying servant. The third attribute I noticed about this amazing leader was his generosity. This Roman solider was likely despised by most Jews. He had little reason to show them any ...
One day when I was visiting a pastor in the urban core of Kansas City, a person entered the church. He requested that the pastor give him money for food. The pastor handed this man a broom and simply said, “We need some work done. If you clean up our lobby, I’ll buy you lunch.” Leviticus 23:22 says, “When you ...
In this series, we’re talking about lessons we can learn from the character of Bezalel in the book of Exodus. Bezalel was responsible for building the furnishings inside the tabernacle. God gave Moses the design for what and how He wanted His tabernacle created. Bezalel co-labored with God to produce excellent results. The outcome was a tabernacle that met God’s ...
Bill Gates once stated at a TED conference that his most fulfilling act has been to establish The Giving Pledge. Mr. Gates has encouraged at least 120 of the wealthiest people in the world to give away at least half of their wealth. These wealthy philanthropists are discovering causes to which they are pledging large sums of money. True generosity ...
One of the unconventional concepts in the Bible is generosity. Imagine when the Israelites first learned of God’s requirement to give the first ten percent of their harvest to God. I can imagine one of these farmers saying, “Let me get this right. I planted seeds, cultivated the ground and worked hard to harvest my crops and, now, that I’ve ...
My friend, Pete, shared recently at an event that when he turned 40, he realized he had become financially successful, but wasn’t internally fulfilled. He craved significance. So, he pledged to give away $10 million in his lifetime. Years later, someone challenged him to add another "0" on the end of his financial pledge. Pete soon realized that this higher ...
As a teenager, I worked summers on my uncle’s farm. Some land my uncle farmed was owned by others. They shared the profits 50/50 after direct expenses like fertilizer and seed. With that context, I found Joseph’s profit-sharing arrangement in Genesis 47:24 as peculiar. Joseph said to the sharecropping tenants, “But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it ...
Recently, I met with a retired businessman. While discussing his future this man shared, “I’ve made enough money to care for my wife and I, my kids, and my grandkids for their lifetime.” He continued, “God’s made it clear that He wants me to give away my excess to advance God’s kingdom.” Jesus told a parable about a rich man ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
