November 28, 2022 ~ Devotions: "The Grace of Giving"

  And So, I Continue . . . . . .

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works.  Psalms 26:7 KJV

2 Corinthians 9:11-12 ~ 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;  KJV

I have learned so much this month on "The Grace of Giving" and I pray it has been a blessing to you as well. The verses used today I felt needed a little more clarification for me - so I read the whole chapter again and felt like the previous three verses before our verses today helped me to understand Paul's point in 11-12 a little better. Not trying to change the original thought on giving for today - but to enhance it always.

Read verses 8-10: 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

It is clear in Paul's letter he wanted the church to know how important the Grace of Giving was. He praised them on their giving to Christ’s fulfillment of the law, which took the curse of death from us and laid the entire burden of man's sin on our Saviour, Jesus. He bore that burden to death, and through His righteous giving, we have access to eternal life. Through Christ’s death and sacrifice rent the veil of the Holy of Holies and we now have direct atonement for our sins and direct access to the throne of God. 

When you think about any trouble we may face as Christians, it will be nothing compared to those who are suffering without Christ. If they do not accept Jesus as their Saviour, their suffering will NEVER end.  Because Jesus reconciled us to God, we should no longer live to ourselves but for Him.  We owe Him everything and ought to be living a holy, blameless life.  Because God is holy, we should also strive to be holy. We are His emissaries and His whole ministry was to others, and that is what we need to do - give, help others in His name. Not for our glory - but give all glory to HIM!

So, what was Paul's goal when he wrote this letter? Always teaching and sharing the Gospel. He used a doctrinal teaching in 2 Corinthians on giving that we can learn much from.  He spoke of taking a collection from the Corinth Church for the church in Jerusalem. He spoke clearly on the fact that even if we give much and live in poverty, ultimately, we will be eternally rewarded and blessed, now and in the future. He talked about the giving of the Macedonians who were a good model of stewardship.  They selflessly gave while having the faith to know that God would meet their needs. He used himself of that fact. Through their giving to Paul, he was able to have a life that he used to share the Gospel, knowing he was cared for relieved his burden of where his next bite of food would come to him. Paul equated giving with grace in this analogy; my husband is always saying, "God’s free gift of grace was unmerited and undeserved, and it was costly to the point of His giving His Own Son Jesus Christ."  This is what Paul was saying. Are we willing to give until it hurts? If you do, the rewards are "out of this world".  And don't give grudgingly.

When we give in light of how much Jesus loved us, how can we do anything less in our giving back to God. It is truly a great expression of love and appreciation to the Lord for His sacrifice. I can say, "I'm not going to Hell", because Jesus gave HIS all for me.  Can you? Paul told the Corinthians that to excel in their giving was an expression of their love for God.  Love, like giving, should be in all sincerity and in proportion to what one has been blessed with.  The giver should never feel compelled to give but do so with a joy. 2 Corinthians 9:6b ". . .for God loveth a cheerful giver." The more a person gives, the more enriched they become, and the more God is praised. Give abundantly. Give with joy. Give in appreciation for your life in Christ. Give because there are so many that just need a little helping hand. Look for someone today and Just Give. 

If you don't know Him, come to Him today!

Linda Milam

Missionaries to America 

and around the world

May we be faithful to be your 

Philippians 2:16 Missionaries. 

Lord, help us to be worthy of your sacrifice, may we be the ultimate and abundant givers, giving from the heart with joy and pray that others might see Jesus in us.  Please, save the lost and help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You, giving YOU all of our best with an open loving heart for the ministry and people. Amen.

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

November 13, 2022 ~ Devotions: "The Grace of Giving"

  And So, I Continue . . . . . .

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7 KJV

Proverbs 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Solomon again shows his wisdom when it comes to good and evil, and the results of doing either. He is the wisest and richest man on earth, because of HIS faithfulness to God and his commandments. We can thank him for the wisdom he wrote of and put it to good use in our lives, or choose the opposite.  Either way it is clearly defined; Good or Evil. His concern for the poor and needy are evident in this writing. He cautions us of the results of our responses when we are made known of the need for the poor and needy and clearly advises us there are consequences on how we respond.

I don't know about you, but I don't like the dark things of life. Greediness, Ungratefulness, Evil, wickedness, stingy, and mean. They are all dark feelings. The man that is saved and is loving and giving will under the guidance of the Holy Spirit give with a grateful heart of all that God has already blessed them with.  He will have joy, peace, love, and much more because of his giving from the goodness of God's blessings. Why were the poor and needy so important to God?  Psalms 9:18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.  I think one of the reasons is to reveal the true heart of men towards God. If we give as the Lord would give, we will not give grudgingly but with a heart of love and hope. 

The Bible says in the above verse that ". . .the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." The expectation of the poor is not only a supply of grace but eternal happiness hereafter. Sometimes we may be faced with an impoverished state, according to man's eyes, but don’t get discouraged when you look at your poor and needy condition, there is always someone that is worse off than you. Trust in the Lord, who is mindful of you. He cares for you, will fulfill all your needs and bless you abundantly, “Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,". 

Lord, help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You. Amen.

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

May we be faithful to be your Philippians 2:16 Missionaries. 

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Tom and Linda Milam

Missionaries to America

and around the world

November 3, 2022 ~ Devotions: "The Grace of Giving"

And So, I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7 KJV  

Deuteronomy 15:12-14 ~ 12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. 13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: 14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

Many folks today, believe slavery to be a great evil. But it is Biblical. The word "servant" is mentioned in our King James Bible 493 times in 454 verses. Not every reference was talking about men who served men. Some were of men serving God. But, when I found that men served men, it wasn't a bad thing. Many servants were treated as family, and all could have their freedom after six years of service and in the seventh year, as shown in verse 12 above, they were to be set free from their bondage. 

A little introduction for you. In Deuteronomy chapter 15 verses 1-18, the Bible explains "The Year of Release".   At the end of every seven years all Israelites were to forgive any debts that other Israelites owed them. They were to consider themselves one big family where no one should be driven into poverty or refused a loan in time of hardship, even if the year of release was approaching. God would reward those Israelites who were generous to their fellow Israelites. These debts were not only of the financial kind, but of the service provided to the Hebrew home as a servant. So, it was not just being set free; they were to go with the bounties that God had blessed his "owner" with in the way of flocks, wine, food. . .whatever God blessed him with he was to give to his servant in like manner. 

So, was he a "servant/slave" or just working for a living and the reward of being faithful to his master? It was common Jewish practice and Jacob and Rachael are another example of the same philosophy, that if you want something bad enough you will work for it. Jacob fell in love with Rachael, but he could not take her in marriage until he had served 7 years. Genesis 29:20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.  He was working for a "harvest" but not the harvest we might think of. He labored for his future bride, and when Laban tricked him into marrying his older sister, Leah ~ he labored another 7 years for Rachael.  You should read that whole story. It is so full of love, mystery, trickery, and devotion to the one he loved. The Bible is the greatest love story ever written!

So, what can we gain from these verses of which we can apply in our lives today? The title of our devotions "grace giving" is so on point.  Grace can hardly be more practical in the Christian life than when it touches our finances, especially our giving. Under Old Testament law believers gave in order to be blessed; under New Testament grace believers give because they are blessed. Jesus Christ freed us from the requirements of the law so that we can respond to His wonderful gift of eternal life. While legalistic (giving only what the law required i.e. 10%) giving focuses on the outward act and amount, grace giving focuses on the inner motive. I think we can say the lesson taught is to give and give abundantly from our blessings.

We do not have legal slaves today in America, unless you are a slave to the devil or a slave to Jesus Christ. My service belongs to the Saviour Who gave Himself for me. He freed me from all bondage of the devil and made me a joint hear to the Kingdom of God. If that makes me a "slave", then I will be a slave forever.  Just knowing that I will one day serve at His feet makes me want to obey His every command.  Do I? Not always, I still live in an evil world, and I am still in my flesh.  That means that no matter how hard I try, I fail Him sometimes. And I probably will till He calls me home to heaven or returns to catch up His bride in the air! Either way, I will try to serve Him and Him only. . .sharing His wonderful Gospel and Story to all who will "read" or listen. 

How about you? Have you thought about your "grace giving"? This is giving over and above your "required" giving of 10% of all God has blessed you with. Grace giving is giving sometimes till it hurts.  Do you support missions? We have a great mission effort at Faith Baptist via the Printing Ministry and our radio ministry ( www.wbofradio.com ) God has truly blessed in so many ways there. And you can give to support those ministries. You can give to your local church in support of the homeless, hungry, and needy.  The way to put your grace giving in action is limitless.  How can I get started on my grace giving? I'm glad you asked. I put three ways you can grace give! Let me know how it goes!

• giving someone a gift “just because”
• donating your time or money to a missionary or church ministry
• cooking a meal for a neighbor

I hope this has helped you some. My husband and I, as missionaries, support several other missionaries through grace giving and our time. We have never been sorry about our giving. As we exercise Faithfulness in giving, God has truly blessed.  We cannot thank Him enough!

Lord, help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You. Amen.

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

May we be faithful to be your Philippians 2:16 Missionaries. 

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Tom and Linda Milam

November 2, 2022 ~ Devotions: "The Grace of Giving"

 And So I Continue . . . . . .  

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.   Psalms 26:7 KJV  

Deuteronomy 15:9-11 ~ 9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

Do you struggle with reading, studying the Word of God? From the Front Cover to the Back Cover, it is FULL of Great Words of wisdom, given to men of God for all people. The Old Testament is sometimes a little harder for me to get through, but I have never regretted one moment of time reading and studying in it. This book, Deuteronomy, is the last book of the Pentateuch. Its name means second law. As it is actually repetition of the law already given in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. It is a sermon Moses gave to the Israelites before they entered into the promised land after fleeing Egypt. Moses recalls the events of their history and the law, and mostly delivered this sermon on the plains of Moab just prior to their entrance into the Promised Land. Other than Moses there were only two men left from the original Israelites generation that escaped Egypt therefore, the repetition of the law was highly important to the well-being of the new generation. 

So, there is a little history you may not have known.  Moses was basically, reminding God's chosen people how they were to live for God once they entered the Promise Land. There was hope for them if they would just obey God's commandments. AND there is hope for us.

Moses is now in Chapter 15, of his sermon, and in verse 9 he warns the people not to get lazy in their right living as time draws near to the 7th year and the releasing of slaves and debt. (By the way, that is a wonderful study!)  Just because the end is near, he encouraged them to not do evil to the slaves and their soon release from bondage of body and debt putting them in the danger of great sin. Many think slavery started and ended in the United States, not so. Slavery has been from the beginning, and it is still practiced in many countries around the world. These slave holders are in great danger if they go against God's teaching on release of these slaves/poor people and the mistreatment of them. ". . .poor brother. . ." God called them poor, and He wanted them treated fairly and compassionately. 

We can certainly apply this message to our lives today. There are poor and needy everywhere, even in our own homeland. Sadly, many are not only hungry in body, but they are also hungry in Spirit. It was a sad day when I learned that Missionaries from other countries are coming to America to bring the Gospel to the lost, poor, and needy, because we were not reaching them all. Truth. But we still have much work to do as Christians. We need to open our hearts, our pocketbooks, and our hands to the poor. God gave us a way to do that wisely through and by our New Testament Churches. If you can buy a poor man a meal at McDonalds and the Holy Spirit convicts you of giving more, consider a gift to missions at your church for the poor.  Alot of churches have food pantry's, benevolence funds, clothing drives; all for the purpose of helping the poor and needy.  God clearly said, "11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land:" You will forever have an opportunity to give.  Jesus served so many poor, hungry, and needy. If we are to be like Him, we must do the same.

Thanksgiving is coming in just 3 weeks or so. . .what a wonderful time to share the bounty of God's blessings. But don't confine it to just "Thanksgiving", make your giving, sharing an everyday thought in your life. The Lord will bless over and over what you give. Remember to give in HIS name, for we could not give unless we have already been blessed ourselves! Thank You, Lord, for every blessing from You!

Lord, help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You. Amen.

With love and prayers,

LKMilam

May we be faithful to be your Philippians 2:16 Missionaries. 

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Tom and Linda Milam