Deuteronomy 15
Today's Passage: Deuteronomy 15
In the laws we read today, God is teaching Israel how to practice generosity.
God establishes the Sabbatical Year as a corporate way of demonstrating generosity through the routine releasing of debtors from debts. God also speaks to the individual heart posture of generosity that He calls each Israelite to live out.
What does true generosity look like?
1 - True generosity comes from a clear picture of who God is!
Throughout Deuteronomy 15 God reminds the Israelites that their blessing
comes from the Lord. God is the creator and sustainer of all things. Our possessions, our time, and even our lives are not our own. We give gratefully when we thank God for who He is!
2 - True generosity comes from a clear picture of who we once were
When the Israelites freed their slaves on the Sabbatical Year they were called
to recount their own experience as slaves in Egypt. Everything that they had was a result of God freeing them from slavery, and likewise, the ultimate blessing we receive from God is freedom from sin when we choose to turn from our sin and follow God. When we recognize that every good thing that we have is not the result of our own merit, we can hold on loosely to our resources and be willing to use them for the glory of God.
3 - True generosity comes from a clear picture of how God wants to use us
God created us in His image not because He needed us, but as an act of love.
As image-bearers we were made to live our lives as pictures of who God is. We
do this through living out the attributes of God that He has given us. These attributes are called the communicable attributes of God and on this side of the Fall it is only possible for us to live these out through the power of the Holy Spirit in a relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son. As the church, God has called us to be a family that gives freely to one another out of a shared sense of belonging to God. We are also called to show the unbelieving world around us who God is through giving our lives for the advancement of the gospel.
How do you regularly remind yourself of who God is and the grace He has shown you? How do you leverage your resources (money, time, possessions, relationships, etc.) for the glory of God? What is your heart posture when you give?
Written By: Paulette Black
In the laws we read today, God is teaching Israel how to practice generosity.
God establishes the Sabbatical Year as a corporate way of demonstrating generosity through the routine releasing of debtors from debts. God also speaks to the individual heart posture of generosity that He calls each Israelite to live out.
What does true generosity look like?
1 - True generosity comes from a clear picture of who God is!
Throughout Deuteronomy 15 God reminds the Israelites that their blessing
comes from the Lord. God is the creator and sustainer of all things. Our possessions, our time, and even our lives are not our own. We give gratefully when we thank God for who He is!
2 - True generosity comes from a clear picture of who we once were
When the Israelites freed their slaves on the Sabbatical Year they were called
to recount their own experience as slaves in Egypt. Everything that they had was a result of God freeing them from slavery, and likewise, the ultimate blessing we receive from God is freedom from sin when we choose to turn from our sin and follow God. When we recognize that every good thing that we have is not the result of our own merit, we can hold on loosely to our resources and be willing to use them for the glory of God.
3 - True generosity comes from a clear picture of how God wants to use us
God created us in His image not because He needed us, but as an act of love.
As image-bearers we were made to live our lives as pictures of who God is. We
do this through living out the attributes of God that He has given us. These attributes are called the communicable attributes of God and on this side of the Fall it is only possible for us to live these out through the power of the Holy Spirit in a relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son. As the church, God has called us to be a family that gives freely to one another out of a shared sense of belonging to God. We are also called to show the unbelieving world around us who God is through giving our lives for the advancement of the gospel.
How do you regularly remind yourself of who God is and the grace He has shown you? How do you leverage your resources (money, time, possessions, relationships, etc.) for the glory of God? What is your heart posture when you give?
Written By: Paulette Black
2 Comments
Thank you for Jumpstart today!
I recently talked to the Holy Spirit on this and got my answer. It is not up to me how I give of myself. It is only that I am obedient when called upon to do what He calls me to do.