Expect to See God's Glory! By Francis Frangipane

Light Shines in the Darkness
It is not enough to know God exists. If we will live in the awareness of the heavenly, we must be freed from the boundaries of the earthly. To awaken faith, the Holy Spirit will take us through times when the presence of God cannot be clearly discerned. The Lord's goal during these times is to bring to maturity our spiritual senses.

Therefore, do not accept that God has permanently hidden Himself from you, though during trials it may seem so. He is teaching us to see in the dark and to hear in the silence. He is making Himself known to our inner man so that, regardless of outer circumstances, we can continually be led by His Spirit.

To see God, beloved, it is imperative that our vision become spiritual and not just sensory. To hear God, we must learn to tune out the clamor of our fears and earthly desires. The outcome of this inner spiritual working is an increasing perception that nothing is impossible for God. The time of darkness, though it comes as an enemy, actually compels us to seek God more earnestly; we learn to even more revere God's light. Never mistake temporary darkness for permanent blindness, for today's training is the very process that opens us to see God's glory. Ultimately, we will discover the truth of what Isaiah wrote, that "the whole earth is full of [God's] glory" (Isa. 6:3).
Lord, Open Our Eyes!
Did not Moses endure "as seeing him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27 KJV)? Indeed, the Bible was written by individuals who actually beheld the glory of God. To see the glory of God is our call as well. Our spiritual vision is not an imaginary device of the mind, but that which comes from the living union of the Holy Spirit with our hearts. Did not our Lord promise that the "pure in heart . . . shall see God" (Matt. 5:8)? And is it not reasonable to expect that, if Christ truly dwells within us, we ought to perceive life with unveiled minds? Just as it is written,

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18).

Yes, if we remove the veils of sin, shame and self-absorption, if we persist in seeking God, staying focused upon His Spirit and Word, we should expect to see the glory of the Lord. Such open perception is biblical and should be pursued! Yet there are those who say access to greater spiritual realities is a false hope and a heresy. I say, beware of the leaven of the unbelieving Christian. For such people would have you accept religion without vision as though to see God's glory was sin.

Consider how many in the Bible actually saw the glory of the Lord: Abraham saw the Christ's glory while he was in Mesopotamia. Isaiah beheld Him in the year King Uzziah died. Ezekiel fell before the Living One by the river Chebar. David, Habakkuk, Solomon, and Zechariah all saw the glory of the Lord (Acts 7:2; Isa. 6:1; Ezek. 3:23; 2 Sam. 6:2; Hab. 3:3; 2 Chron. 7:1; Zech. 1:8). Moses beheld Him, then Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy Hebrew elders as well. Exodus tells us these men actually "saw the God of Israel." The Bible describes this incredible scene, saying that "under [God's] feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself " (Exod. 24:10). The concluding thought is staggering; it reads, "And they saw God, and they ate and drank" (Exod. 24:11).

Think of it: They beheld God! Could anything be more wonderful? Is there not a jealousy within you for that experience --- to actually gaze upon the God of Israel?

Be assured, to behold the Lord's glory is not only scriptural but typical, especially during the pivotal decades between ages (which is where we are today). The fact is, over six million Israelites saw God's glory on Mount Sinai. Young men, old women, and little children --- people of every age and physical condition --- all saw "the glory of the Lord [as it] rested on Mount Sinai." These same people actually "heard the voice of God" speaking to them (Deut. 4:33)!

Yet, that unveiling of glory did not stop at Sinai. The entire Hebrew nation followed a cloud of glory by day and was illuminated by a blazing pillar of fire-like glory at night. This happened not just once or twice but every day for forty years! How much more shall the Lord of glory manifest Himself to us at the end of the age?

If you are a God-seeker, except for times of darkness when the Spirit refines your spiritual senses, you should expect to see the glory of God! There should be an anticipation that, any day now --- as you enter your prayer room or go for a walk, or in a dream --- the Spirit of God is going to appear to you in some marvelous and life-changing way.

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The preceding message is adapted from a chapter in Francis' book, And I Will Be Found By You. For ordering information, please visit the Arrow Bookstore at www.arrowbookstore.com.

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Kingdoms and Unlikely Heroes by David VanCronkhite

"David, I will not be mocked; you're going to the sea." I braced myself. If God was doing it, and He said He was, I knew I needed it. But I approached the inevitable change the only way I knew - as punishment from God. I had certainly done something that was displeasing to Him and now I was going to pay the price. I must have broken one of the laws, and even thought I knew which one.

My heart was compliant, but in an arrogant way. Give me your best shot, God, I murmured deep down. And He did. I had no idea of the depth of breaking that was about to take place or the events He would use to drive me into a place of future destiny.

As the first months turned into years, this sea put more and more distance between me and relationships, the activities of life, and, most definitely, ministry as I knew it. I could no longer understand what or why this was happening. I had assumed I knew God the Father because I had prayed the prayer, proclaimed the Kingdom of God at hand, saw the reality of signs and wonders, engaged in a form of remembering the poor, and fought sin. So I had to ask God, "How bad was I?"

The answer was slow in coming. He was going deep. It would take more years than I had anticipated to understand that "going to the sea" was not about broken commandments. I learned it was about a God and a Father who loved me enough to secure me in a safe environment to change me and my presuppositions about Him and His Kingdom because He loves so intensely.

Nebuchadnezzar--an unlikely hero

It's strange how you find an unlikely hero to help you through when the doctor says, "You're clinically depressed," the Spirit says "You're full of the fear of man," and God declares, "Now, I am going to teach you love and faith." In these darkest moments of my journey I came to know a man I had known little about. He was one of the greatest kings of all time, ruling over what was one of the greatest kingdoms of the world of all time. His name was Nebuchadnezzar, and his realm was called Babylon.

Wait. Nebuchadnezzar? A hero? Once upon a time I knew Nebuchadnezzar only as a brutal man who got the punishment he deserved for giving his all to serve the "Babylonian Dream" and making the world worship him and his kingdom above all. This man was bad. The type of man we would not want to see God show mercy or grace to. He deserved punishment, not change, and certainly not restoration.

God saw it differently. He always sees man in a different light than man sees man, and judges differently than our systems would judge. The hall of faith in Hebrews 11 would attest to that.  Instead of harshly judging, God chose to begin to reveal Himself to the king through a Jewish captive named Daniel and his friends.

Nebuchadnezzar was impressed with the signs and wonders.  He even called Daniel's God the God of gods and Lord of kings. No doubt the king had an experience with God. His words changed. His profession of a God above other gods changed, but his heart never budged. He knew this God through others but had never met Him, never known Him as a relational, loving God like no other god he had ever served. When it came down to it, He could not even acknowledge a greater Kingdom, a supernatural Kingdom over the one he created with his own hands.

I think we all know that acknowledging God, even being doctrinally correct and morally strong, does not represent a heart change on the inside. We can perform in that manner and still be as mean as ever toward others while never knowing God.

But God knows how to get our attention at the deepest heart level. After all, that's all He desires--a man's heart after His heart. He loves us so extravagantly that He will help us come to a place of loving him back, not through laws, but through compassion, graciousness, mercy, being slow to anger and showing forgiveness, the totally supernatural 70 times 7 kind of forgiveness that astounds the world.

God was about to take Nebuchadnezzar on a journey he'd rather not take, into places he'd rather not go. It would take seven years of God-patience, God-breaking, and God-loving to accomplish the change in the safest place for him to be totally transformed: wandering aimlessly over the fields and eating grass as a wild beast; alone with the Creator, where he grasped not only the ultimate cosmic authority of God but His infinite love. God knew that was the only way for him to be totally transformed.

At the end of those seven years Nebuchadnezzar got it, and his sanity was restored. He understood whose dominion was eternal and whose kingdom would endure from generation to generation. God was faithful to His promise to re-center the king, to acquaint him with the magnificent, supernatural, relational reality of the only Kingdom that is unshakeable.

It was impossible for Nebuchadnezzar to change without a very unique, yet loving, intervention. God knew what we couldn't see or know about the man, not as leader of the greatest system of his day, but as a son. He couldn't be reached any other way. It took so long and the measures were so drastic because he was so entangled in the ways of man. God was faithful, loving enough to change a system-driven king's heart. The Creator loves, not punishes. He is a Father of all mankind and loves all of His creation.

             

Doing whatever it takes for change

It could have been worse, my journey to the sea. I only mowed a lot of grass. Though my presuppositions were strong, I was in a different league. But God in His love would have done whatever it took to change me inside out because my God, I discovered, is jealous for me; He desires that I love him with all. I thought it was punishment for not living up to the high standards I had imposed on myself and others when He was simply showing me the depth of His love.

I have been learning that my life is not about rules, or the "laws and the prophets," or even right or wrong. God will do for us what he did for my newfound hero, Nebuchadnezzar, and we will be forever changed. He'll do whatever it takes to change us into His image, with His DNA expressing itself in our spirits more and more each day; and we will know Him as the One who loves.

Kingdoms will clash around us, but we are secure in His Kingdom. Change is inevitable when we seek after God, and even more when He seeks after us as he did Nebuchadnezzar. The mighty ruler of Babylon ended his reign on earth believing, as his dream prophesied, "that everyone living will know that the High God rules human kingdoms. He arranges kingdom affairs however he wishes, and makes leaders out of losers" (Daniel 4 Message).

Been to the sea lately? Hopefully so. All He wants is all of our love freely given, first to Him and then to our neighbors. 

David VanCronkhite  david.vancronkhite@gmail.com

"Visionary Advancement Strategies" Weekly Articles April 18, 2010

Joyce and I want  to thank you for being with us as we go through a major transition. It will set in place a major way in which we can serve you, and allow for all of you to intersect with each other in the ways of relationship, ministry, and marketplace exchange.  Our time in McKinney Texas this weekend will be a soft launch of our Converging Zone Network(see info below and live webstream option). What we are endeavoring to do we have not seen done before and so we are excited, yet trust God for everything.  

InJesus, the company that sends our newsletter out, just had a major change this week. We apologize for this format this week, but we will have a new and enhanced format soon.. We love and pray for all of you, and thanks for supporting us the past 10 years and into our future together.


ROBERT'S ARTICLES & QUOTES Vision2advance.blogspot.com
Pondering Quote of the week - Listening can be difficult as it takes an inner strength that no longer needs to prove ourselves by speaking our mind. True listeners no longer need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, welcome, and accept. Listening is much more than allowing another to talk. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. True Listening can bring freedom to the talker.

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ARTICLES FOR THE WEEK

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• The Great Identity Crisis by David VanCronkhite
• Cultivating the Seed in Others by Bob Mumford
• Eight Keys for Personal Mastery by Joseph Mattera
• The Great Bounty of a Generous Man by James Ryle
• Joy In This World by Dudley Hall

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Please Join Joyce and I and several friends, as we gather together with leaders of several Tribes (Networks), and introduce a Kingdomized way to work together, and provide ways for others to join us in becoming educated and empowered together "As One", far greater than what we think we may accomplish without each other. This will also be the further launching of the Converging Zone Network.

If God has given you a ministry, come and join us as we relate and strategize together for the Kingdom of God. Please click the banner below for more information. If You cannot make your way to McKinney, Texas next week to see us, we will be webstreaming live at www.itribus.com starting at 9AM CST on Thursday April 22-24
 
 

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The Great Identity Crisis by David VanCronkhite

Kingdoms Clashing: the Inevitability of Change

The Great Identity Crisis
"Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of
            what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have
            seen with my own eyes." (John 3:11 The Message)

The youth mission leader's introduction was kind and very honoring. His high school age team, weary after a long day of "doing ministry" in Atlanta's inner city, listened intently as he told them my qualifications for standing in front of them that evening.

Somewhere during the introduction I realized he wasn't talking about me, but about someone who had once founded a ministry with the poor, had been a pastor of a large inner city church, and had an evangelistic and prophetic gifting proven by many souls won and lives changed. Sounded good, but what happened to the "real" me?

I listened to all that a 501(c)3 ministry did and its identity with the poor, homeless, and the addicted. I heard about the impact of this great cause. My heart sank. I had never intended to get caught up in a cause, a crusade, a systematic program. But this evening I was finding out I had become what I never wanted to become. I was being introduced to and valued by a new generation for my position, my ministry, my performing.

I realized once again the warning of the old saying, "You can die for a cause, but a cause will not die for you." We can invest all our identify into the company store, yet when its all said and done--if that is our only identity--we are a lost cause. Oh, souls may be won and our gift will be displayed, but we run the great risk of hearing Jesus say "I never knew you" and "You never knew Me."

Moving into the neighborhood

For too long we have been traveling on a narrow path of gifts and ministry instead of journeying down an ever-widening road of relationship with God and real people hungry for Him. He wants us "to move into the neighborhood" to display His love and promises to all. Surely God has more in store for His created than to put us on earth just to keep us out of hell.

Change never comes easy. When we're going through change and can no longer put a patch on the old worn out clothes or pour new wine into old wineskins, our world can become a fearful, lonely place. When the new is coming into focus and the old still seems so much better, we can slide into disillusionment, anger, and loneliness, were it not for His faithfulness and grace.

When everything--and I mean everything--is being shaken, and we are waiting, waiting, waiting and not even sure for what, we discover how uncomfortable we are with the answer "I don't know!" Shifting our identity from what we do and living up to another's expectations into the freedom of life with a God of immeasurable love is under attack. But if our identity is in anything other than the Father and His unfathomable love, we are at great risk of missing His whole point of creation and our lives.

I was never really introduced to those youth. If I had been, they would have realized I was "saved" but not necessarily born from above; that I was birthed instead into a system of man in the late 60's and early 70's called the Moral Majority that stood against drugs, sex, rock n roll, liberals, hippies, long hair and Hollywood. I joined a very good church, learned how to walk out the spiritual disciplines, and began to prosper in corporate America and the church. Nothing wrong there, except it would be years before I could find a Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven; years before I knew it was all right to hunger for a supernatural reality of the Spirit of God in every man; and nearly four decades of preaching about the greatest of all commands--to love God and love man--before I knew anything about "agape."

Now my time had come to speak. And I could only speak from the heart of the man I was now and becoming after thirty-nine years of somewhat misguided Christianity. I wasn't sure how to start or where to end but I began to tell them how my life had been painfully, yet wonderfully, interrupted and re-centered on God and His supernatural, relational love. I told them that if it is God, it has to be relational and it has to be supernatural. I asked them if they were God would they create a Kingdom that was based on anything other than love? And could there be anything more important than learning to love your neighbor, even your enemy? And if they were God and were bringing their Kingdom to earth would they bring anything that was merely natural? Or would it be paranormal, supernatural?

"So, what do you do now?"

When I finished, a girl came over with great interest and amazement. "You really believe in the supernatural. You really believe in the relationship stuff with God," she said. I liked that she got it, but then she asked the dreaded question: "So, what do you do now?

I wanted to answer with something that sounded good but I decided to tell her the painful, simple truth. "I'm waiting." I'm waiting because God said He would not be mocked. He said He would change me. He would start by teaching me love and faith. He would re-center me on His Kingdom, the unshakeable Kingdom of God. He is recreating my identity in Him, and not in what I do, even for Him.

I'm waiting, as many of you are, because He's causing me to become one who loves and uses the gifts He has given me to do good for others and not use them to build something for myself called "my vision" or "my ministry." He is teaching me how to show love to the losers of life who have been disgraced, despised, shamed, and shunned, yet still hope and believe there is something more to this God, His Son, His Kingdom on earth than what is being expressed today.

I do know that He is continuing to re-center me on and within this relational, supernatural Kingdom of His. I know my presuppositions are deep and are a stronghold. But I am a fast learner if I can see and if I can embrace a deep, deep change within my very spiritual DNA. And I am going to continue to learn what He promised to teach me: love and faith. And then...then, we will see. I just know He has proven Himself to be unfathomably faithful with impeccable timing.

I am often reminded of a quote from G. Campbell Morgan, the great pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England. He said,  "It's possible to be biblically correct, doctrinally pure, theologically sound, morally impeccable...and spiritually useless." Change is inevitable if we want to be spiritually useful in our world. Kingdoms are clashing, and there is only one Kingdom that is unshakeable. And it is founded on Love.

David VanCronkhite  david.vancronkhite@gmail.com

Cultivating the Seed in Others by Bob Mumford

Cultivating the Seed in Others

Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!^[1]

The Seed is eternal and incorruptible when it is inseminated into our person at our new birth in Christ. When the Seed permeates our deepest person and personality, something begins to happen because the Eternal Seed contains the Mystery of the Kingdom.  We do not know how God does it—that is mystery—but something begins to grow. Our confidence is in the fact that He is the One Who causes the Seed to sprout in each one of us.  Remember, the nature of the Seed is that it produces after its kind.  The Seed is eternal and it produces eternal life.

We have a responsibility as Kingdom Gardeners to bring forth God’s inheritance. One evening after several days of intense ministry, I got on a plane to come home and did not want to talk to anybody, not even God. As I sat there, I felt mean, tired, and exhausted. It was a three-hour flight and the plane was half-empty so I prayed, “Please don’t let anybody sit next to me.”  Down the aisle comes a young woman who chooses to sit right next to me. After we took off, I turned to her and said somewhat prophetically, “You used to know the Lord, but you’re not walking with Him now.” She burst into tears!  We talked a long time and I was able to minister to the Seed that had been inseminated into her person. When we see the incorruptible, imperishable, and Eternal Seed, confidence begins to rise because we are called to be cultivators or farmers. We have been given the responsibility and capacity to water, nourish, guard, and speak edification and comfort to the person in whom the Seed has been inseminated.

Jesus, in His priestly prayer,^[2] knew the importance of praying for the Seed as part of personal care. He was earnestly praying for the disciples because everything was resting on them.  Judith and I have four children. Although we were far from perfect parents, all of our children, their mates, and our grandchildren are serving God. The sole reason is that we learned early how to pray for the Seed in them. We would pray over our children while they were sleeping, “There is a Seed in this daughter of ours. In Jesus’ name, let it live!”  And we would water it with our tears knowing that it was eternal and incorruptible. 

It is important to understand that all ministry is Seed cultivation. It roots back into the opportunity for God to reveal Himself as He is through you. We are cultivatable and can be cultivated to fruitfulness. Learn to cultivate the Seed in your rebellious son, your wayward daughter, a business deal, or the elder in your church who is such a pain. Tears are good fertilizer!  Before long, the concrete sidewalk over the Seed begins to crack and you will see the signs of it in your son or daughter. Suddenly the plant sprouts up and your daughter says, “Mom, I feel like I’ve really been unkind lately.  Forgive me?” and we can say, “You’re forgiven!” Take your eyes off the person and start interceding for and cultivating the Seed. When it starts to break through, they may not know what’s happening, but we do because the power is in the Seed, not in the person!  

Thoughts & Questions

v  Why does something begin to happen in us when the Eternal Seed is implanted?

v  Explain the importance of praying for the Seed as part personal care and edification.

v  What are some ways we can cultivate the Seed in our children?

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[1] 1 Peter 1:23 MSG

[2] John 17

Eight Keys for Personal Mastery by Joseph Mattera

To download this article click here.
God has given us inherent natural laws and spiritual laws that we can put into practice to gain mastery over the flesh and to excel and maximize our potential as human beings. Non-believers can also tap into some of these laws and excel in some areas of their lives because of the common grace that God extends to all.
The following are some of these principles that all leaders need to learn to walk in.

I. Have a positive attitude (Philippians 4:8)
• The Bible commands us to only think of things that are good, pure, noble and of a good report.

• It is not just a matter of feeling good after you pray; it’s a matter of always keeping a positive attitude.

• It’s never what a person does to you that matters; it’s what you do to yourself with your thoughts that matters. Many of us allow hurtful words to continue to influence us and determine our future.

II. Visualize your successful future (Hebrews 12:1-2)
• Jesus endured the cross because He saw the joy set before Him.

• Don’t let your present circumstances determine your future (Romans 4:17-19).

• Don’t keep dwelling on your hurts, failures, or people who have let you down. Don’t let these people continue to destroy you! Focus on all the potential, gifts, abilities, and power of God available to you as you believe Him for victory.

III. Be consistent with short-term goals that are easily reachable
• When I started playing the guitar again (after laying it down for almost 10 years) I didn’t even know how to strum a cord anymore! I got back mastery of the instrument by practicing scales 5-10 minutes per day several days per week. I didn’t attempt to play seven hours per day seven days a week like I did as a teenager. Then I would have been discouraged and never started again. Start with small steps and be consistent. It is amazing how effective consistency is! Even a commitment to a small amount of reading, praying, and practice if done consistently throughout the day in small amounts will transform your life!

• It has been said that if you read on one subject just one hour per day for three years you will become an expert in that genre of knowledge!

IV. Invest your time with your short and long-term goals
• You would be shocked how much time the average person wastes every day.

• Every highly skilled person has the same 24 hours each day that the rest of the population has. If we would wisely plan how we are going to spend our time and invest it in something significant instead of watching television, videos, playing online poker, etc. then we would be able to accomplish great things! Every time you say yes to one thing you are saying no to something else. If you want to live a life of leisure you will never reach your full potential.

• Even when I was working secular jobs in a camera store, restaurant, and as a security guard I kept a small Bible in my pocket and read one book of the New Testament each day. During every five minute break I would study. During my lunch break I would carve out time to study and every day I was able to squeeze out 30-60 minutes of study per day which made a huge difference!

V. Harness your passion towards things that will feed your primary purpose, not your hobbies
• Just because you have a passion for something doesn’t mean you are called to focus on that. For example, I love to ski, play ping pong and chess, and do physical exercise but that doesn’t mean I should engage in these activities several hours every day.

• I also have a passion to study, mentor, and create communities that create a movement. Since these are all part of my primary purpose I have devoted most of my time every day thinking about how to excel in each of these areas.

VI. Remain focused on one thing at a time
• When you are with your family, be present with them and not your work. When you are at work, be present there and not a hobby. For example, when you are at work don’t surf the web or go on Facebook and allow distractions. This will stop you from excelling at your job and compromise your productivity. Give all your focus to what you are responsible for, when you are responsible to accomplish it!

• James 1:8 says that “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
 
VII. Never compromise your core purpose, vision, and mission
• Purpose answers the question “why”.

• Vision answers the question “how”.

• Mission answers the question “what”.

• The enemy of what’s best is what’s good.

• I have a lot of opportunities on how to spend my time. I have to answer the question of whether or not an opportunity fits my mission (what I am supposed to focus on) and, if it does fit my mission, do I have the time to give to do it with excellence?
 
VIII. Keep a healthy balance in life
• If you are not balanced then your mastery in a particular area will suffer.

• For example, God made the human body so that its health is dependent upon every area being healthy and functioning correctly. For example, a masseuse ministers to the muscles in the body; a therapist the joints in the body; and a chiropractor to the nervous system in the body. When any of these are out of whack your body, soul, and spirit can be negatively affected. A dentist understands that the hygiene of the mouth actually determines the health of the heart. Thus a specialist in any medical or health field can claim that their field is the most important because each area of the body can be shown to impact the rest of the body.

• I am called to be faithful, consistent, and excellent in every responsibility that is in front of me, whether it is my primary passion or not. (I have to pitch in to help the church and my family and others in ways that may not necessarily fit my gift mix and passion. This is a test of faithfulness that develops character. If I can’t be faithful in these kinds of responsibilities then I am not balanced and God cannot trust me with things having to do with my passion. The greatest in the kingdom is the person who doesn’t think of themselves but functions as a servant.)

• I am called to live a life that puts first the Kingdom of God in regards to my family, vocation, and personal renewal. Life is a constant battle to keep a good balance in the shifting sands of life and circumstances. For example, I may give my whole life and focus to creating wealth and become very successful at it. But while I gain mastery in the area of business if I lose my health, family, or connection with God it is not true success! Balance means I am working hard, playing hard, getting enough sleep, eating correctly, seeking God privately and corporately, and hearing what the Spirit is saying to the church so my contribution to our corporate destiny can be realized.

The Great Bounty of a Generous Man by James Ryle

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed”  (Proverbs 11:25).

 For the past several days we have focused on the subject of blessing, with specific attention to Lord’s desire to prosper us and thereby empower us to be a blessing to others. We have discussed and discovered many things, and in it all I trust that you have been enriched in every way.

This post will serve as the closing word on this topic – for now.

Rather than go on and on and on, let me leave you pondering the words of Jesus, for He said it in the simplest and most direct way possible — “Give, and it shall be given to you” (Luke 6:38).
It is one of the many remarkable features of following Jesus, that you cannot give without receiving back even more than you gave. The other side is also true — you cannot receive without giving. It’s a two-way street that we walk with the One Way Jesus.

Jesus is only going one way — but it is in every direction. He is building a kingdom, and has invited each of us to become a part of what He is doing. We become a part by giving whatever He has entrusted to us.

You cannot teach without being taught, and you cannot be taught without teaching others. You cannot lead without being a follower; and you cannot follow without being led. If you will look for opportunities to bless someone else, you yourself will be blessed.
Love, and you will be loved. Serve, and you will be served. Smile, and the world will smile with you. Sing, and folks will…..OK, they will probably ask you to keep that to yourself! At least for most of us, anyway.
So, instead of going through life as a taker, grabbing desperately at everything you can get your hands on, and then storing it up in secured bins of plenty — open the flood gates of generosity and start being a giver. The truth be told, you cannot live until you give.

Give your heart to Christ and He will fill it with love. Give your mind to Christ, and He will fill it with truth. Give your dreams to Christ, and He will fill them with heavenly vision and power. Give your hands to Christ, and He will fill them with service; labor that is filled with laughter and significance. Give your time to Christ, and will be redeem it; making you timely in every word and deed.
If you will walk with One Way Jesus on this Two Way Street, everything in and about your life will abound with multiplied blessing.

Solomon said, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). I really like the way The Message puts it – ”The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” (Pro 11:24-25). It is the generous man who fully understands and deeply cherishes the words of the great old hymn –

Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be!
Great is Thy Faithfulness; GREAT is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see!
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulnes, Lord, unto me.

Take the Lord at His word and you will see that He is true and faithful– “Give, and it shall be given unto you.”