Muscles

Training Day 15 The Generosity Muscles

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 John 3:16-18
2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Matthew 6:1-4
2 Corinthians 9:7-11
Malachi 3:10-12

Training, Day 15

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Over the last few weeks we have been diving into the Word and focusing on spiritual disciplines. How have you been impacted through this journey? What specific discipline(s) has the Lord highlighted for you to focus on moving forward?

Has silence taken on a new meaning in your life? Or has your perspective of fasting morphed? Maybe you have not sensed any dramatic shifts, but you now have more nuanced understandings of several of the spiritual disciplines.

Before we transition to the next study theme, we have one more training topic to discuss: generosity.

To start, pull out paper and pen or the notes app on your phone. For the next minute, please list ways you can show generosity in your current sphere of influence. Your goal is to think of as many as possible in these 60 seconds. Don’t second guess. Don’t analyze. Simply picture generosity in your world and go.

60 seconds. Set an alarm if it helps.
List away.
Finished?
What was your experience like? What categories and actions made it to your list?

How I wish this conversation were taking place in person.
Since it is not, I will share a few elements I discovered about my list, some of which surprised me.

The first category on my list was money. Scripture does not shy away from addressing money and its impact on our hearts, minds, and walks with the Lord. Tithing, the practice of returning the first 10% of our income to the Lord, is a key component for keeping our hearts focused on the Lord and what He is doing. The Lord knew how significantly money could ensnare our hearts and even encourages us to test Him to show His faithfulness when we tithe. (Malachi 3:10-12)

Financial generosity, however, is not formulaic and moves beyond tithing. Rather than being defined by a certain number, recipient, or cause, financial generosity is characterized by our willingness to give joyfully as the Lord leads. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

In fact, a key component to any and all generosity is obedience to the Lord.

“Because of the proof provided by this ministry, [fellow believers] will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone.” (2 Corinithians 9:13)

Our goal is to become more Christlike. (2 Corinthians 3:18) True generosity, the kind that makes us more like Him and demonstrates our spiritual growth, is an outpouring of hearing and obeying. It’s a heart-level response.

Is the Lord asking you to give to a missionary? Is He asking you to help support a single parent? Is He the author of the totally random and unexpected “passing thought” to bring your co-worker a coffee one morning?

The Lord knows each one of us so very intimately and, simultaneously, sees the big picture in all things. Therefore, He knows what each of us needs and how our paths cross. Maybe that random cup of coffee is the warm hug from the Lord your co-worker needs; we may never know how we might be an answer to prayer.

Generosity, then, is about giving open-handedly, no strings attached, zero expectation for accolades; instead, we expect God’s promises outlined in His Word to be fulfilled; His grace will overflow to us, equipping us to do the good work to which He’s called us. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
He will give us what we need that we might live with righteous generosity, bringing glory and thanksgiving to the Lord. (2 Corinthians 9:10-13)
He will build “deep affection” among believers, as those blessed by generosity lift up the givers in prayer. (2 Corinthians 9:14)

And finally, as I made my list, I found that while a few situations were financial, many were not, reminding me generosity includes, but also extends beyond, our finances.

One person is in a challenging season and needs solid, consistent prayer covering. While money may help at some point, the Lord highlighted her name when brainstorming how I could be generous with my time and intercession.

Another idea is to send a handwritten note to a friend who unexpectedly lost her husband this summer. This idea prompts me to be generous with my talents and my time. How could your talents be used generously for the glory of the Lord?

Regardless of what made your list, as we grow and practice our generosity, may we keep our eyes focused on the Lord. He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith and it is through Him we become more like Him in every spiritual discipline.

My sister, thank you for growing in the Lord by leaning into training more intensely in these spiritual disciplines. May the Lord define and strengthen your “spiritual muscles” and bless your training!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Anchored Day 11 The Lord’s Gym

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 3:12-4:1
Proverbs 27:17-19
Titus 2

Anchored, Day 11

“You are doing it so incredibly wrong.”
I whispered this to myself as I watched.
The beginning of the year had arrived and with it, the social media broadcasts of New Year’s resolutions.

A friend had posted a video of an individual working out at the gym in a bit of an…um…unorthodox fashion. His limbs flailed about, and it looked like he was trying to unsuccessfully unhook his feet from the elastic band rather than using it to actually work out.

I recognize I’m not known for faithful gym attendance, so my insight on exercise machines is limited. That being said, I knew this individual danced on the edge of seriously hurting himself and, more than likely, wasn’t actually working out successfully.

However, the images in the video and my immediate reaction replayed in my mind long after I’d scrolled past it. He was clearly failing miserably at his desire to improve and succeed at working out. The more I considered this, the more I wondered at what could have helped him effectively reach his goal.

This list began to formulate in my mind:
Observe: I knew the gentleman used the machine incorrectly because I had seen others use that machine correctly in the past. Even though I had never used it before myself, I knew his muscles were not being challenged by his floundering performance.

Ask: Since I do not have large degrees of experiential wisdom on various weight machines in a gym, before using one, I would ask a more seasoned professional to show me how to use the machine and what using it effectively would feel like.

Trust: The man’s movements were grandiose and eye-catching, while inconsistent and uncontrolled. Effectively using the equipment requires dependable, controlled, and, often times, humble moves repeatedly done over time. It is through this process dramatic change is eventually seen.
Interestingly, the gym isn’t the only place this list can be implemented. As I read through the last half of Colossians 3, I pictured myself working spiritual muscles. These fourteen verses (3:12-4:1) are an intense spiritual workout when regularly implemented in life. Their impact can literally change the world on the grand scale, while, on an individual scale, they will shape the sphere of influence a person has. These verses are not for the faint of heart nor are they to be used like the gentleman in the video: inappropriately, without wisdom, and lacking discipline.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts,
kindness,
humility,
meekness,
patience,
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
(Colossians 3:12-14)

Observe: Who around you demonstrates the love of the Lord well? How do they show His love? Who knows the Word of the Lord and how have you seen them growing in their wisdom and knowledge? Which marriages around you encourage and challenge you to live out Colossians 3? What do you observe about their interactions?
Take the observations you see and present them to the Lord. Ask Him to speak to you regarding those and how He may want those to be reflected in your life, through your personality, and within your sphere of influence.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior,
not slanderers or slaves to much wine.
They are to teach what is good,
and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind,
and submissive to their own husbands,
that the word of God may not be reviled.
(Titus 2:3-5)

Ask: Titus calls generations to learn from one another. Maybe the Lord is calling you to step out and ask for wisdom from someone who has already walked the path ahead of you. Who around you is the Lord highlighting from whom you may learn and grow in your walk with Him? Take a step beyond simply observing and learn from those around you by asking to intentionally engage with them. We are called to live in unity and these interactions are a key component of unity.

Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth.
For you have died, and your life is
hidden with Christ in God.
(Colossians 3:2-3)

Trust: Being obedient to the call to “put on Christ” in Colossians and all of Scripture, requires consistent humility, self-control, and repetitive strength-training for our spiritual muscles. It requires a dying to oneself and a living for Christ; a willingness to serve where He directs and stretching that results in growth.
Time will be required and changes may seem minute until hindsight reveals the treasures produced by the process.

As I ponder and pray and ask myself these questions,
I find my heart’s cry to be deep.

I recognize I cannot live a Colossians 3 lifestyle
without the help of the Holy Spirit living within me.
Therefore, I leave you with this prayer as I spend time with Jesus on this topic regarding my own time in the gym with the Lord.
May you be blessed in your conversations with Him!

“Oh Lord, please pour out Your wisdom and mercy.
Help me know I am loved by You and teach me to love as You have loved.
Convict my heart of its shortcomings, so when people see me the words “you are doing it so incredibly wrong” never cross their minds.
Not by my strength, but by Yours!
For Your glory, Lord Jesus.”

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Anchored Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Anchored!