Bible Study Giving Out Of Love

[WalterandDebbie]

Wednesday 6-1-22 4th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Sivan 1, 5782 74th. Spring Day

Day 45 – Iyar 30 - May 13 Tiferet of Malchut: Compassion in Nobility

Psalm 118:1-9; Isa. 2:1-4

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

5 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

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Isa. 2:1-4

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

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A good leader is a compassionate one. Is my compassion compromised because of my authority? Do I realize that an integral part of dignity is compassion?

Tiferet -- harmony -- is critical for successful leadership. Do I manage a smooth-running operation? Am I organized?

Do I give clear instructions to my subordinates? Do I have difficulty delegating power? Do we have frequent staff meetings to coordinate our goals and efforts?

Exercise for the day: Review an area where you wield authority and see if you can polish it up and increase its effectiveness by curtailing excesses and consolidating forces.

Giving Out of Love

Read: Matthew 6:1–4 | Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 15–16; John 12:27–50
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Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:4

Every day, Glen purchases his morning coffee at a nearby drive-through. And every day he also pays for the order of the person in the car behind him, asking the cashier to wish that person a good day. Glen has no connection to them. He’s not aware of their reactions; he simply believes this small gesture is “the least he can do.”

On one occasion, however, he learned of the impact of his actions when he read an anonymous letter to the editor of his local newspaper. He discovered that the kindness of his gift on July 18, 2017, caused the person in the car behind him to reconsider their plans to take their own life later that day.

Glen gives daily to the people in the car behind him without receiving credit for it. Only on this single occasion did he get a glimpse of the impact of his small gift. When Jesus says we should “not let [our] left hand know what [our] right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3), He’s urging us to give—as Glen does—without need for recognition.

When we give out of our love for God, without concern for receiving the praise of others, we can trust that our gifts—large or small—will be used by Him to help meet the needs of those receiving them.

How have you benefited from someone’s anonymous giving? How can you give more “in secret”?

Father, thank You for using me to meet the needs of others and for meeting my needs through them. Help me not to seek credit when I give but to do so in a way that gives You the glory.

INSIGHT
After Jesus performed a series of physical healings that showed His goodness and credibility (Matthew 4:23–25), He described a life worth living (5:1–16). In the process, He raised questions about religious leaders whose goodness only went skin deep (v. 20). But like many other Scriptures, the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5–7) was never meant to stand on its own.

Rooted deeply in the words of Moses and the prophets, this sermon was Jesus’ preamble to all that was about to happen. In life and death, He would personify the principles of His kingdom and bear the ultimate consequence of the deception and rebellion that began in Eden.

By His resurrection, He’d break the universally feared power of the grave. By the gift of His Spirit, He’d enable all who receive Him to live in the presence and likeness of our Father in heaven (5:43–6:9).

By Kirsten Holmberg|June 1st, 2022

Generosity Matthew Six:1-4

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

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Love, Walter and Debbie

 

[T. E. Smith]

I give $30 a week to charitable organizations for the poor. I've been doing that since I got my job, so I guess it's been something like between 1k and 1.5k so far. It certainly does bring me happiness to do so.

 

[T. E. Smith]

I give $30 a week to charitable organizations for the poor. I've been doing that since I got my job, so I guess it's been something like between 1k and 1.5k so far. It certainly does bring me happiness to do so.

I had a Christian tell me once that the only reason I give is because I'm hoping that God will reward me for my "works" when I die, even though I have no faith.

How wrong he was.

 

[WalterandDebbie]

I give $30 a week to charitable organizations for the poor. I've been doing that since I got my job, so I guess it's been something like between 1k and 1.5k so far. It certainly does bring me happiness to do so.

Amen!

Looking at The Story Giving Out Of Love: Wednesday 6-1-22 4th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Sivan 1, 5782 74th. Spring Day

Matthew 6:1-4

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Read full chapter

The Rules of Kingdom Life​

Luke 6:27–38​

» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)​

A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. “What are you most proud of?” he asked. “Well, “ said the man, “I don’t have an enemy in the world.” “What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!” said the reporter. “Y … More


Enemy
This portion of Scripture contains what is commonly called “The Golden Rule.” It is a mistake to think that our Lord was teaching a system of ethics that will do away with evil and raise us to a higher spiritual plane. The Jews despised the Romans because they oppressed God’s people, but Jesus told the people to love these enemies. Nothing can do that except the new birth. You can’t fall into this type of love; it takes a conscious effort. Jesus was simply teaching His disciples that their actions must go beyond what is considered good morality by the world (vv. 27-30). It was dealing with our attitude toward people. Three key principles stand out:

1. We must treat others as we want to be treated (v. 31). This assumes we want the very best spiritually for ourselves.
2. Give as though you are giving to God (vv. 32-35). Do not retaliate when others attack you, give freely to those who ask of you, and treat others the way you would want them to treat you. This type of love marks a disciple off as distinctive (vv. 32-34) and is the type of love that God shows and enables the disciple to demonstrate (v. 35).
3. We must imitate our Father in heaven and be merciful (v. 36). This means that we become more like God in our character.

We must love our enemies, do good to them and pray for them. Hatred only breeds more hatred. This cannot be done in our own strength, but it can be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We will reap what we sow (vv. 37-38). If we live to give, God will see to it that we receive; but if we only live to get, God will see to it that we lose. This principal applies not only to giving of money, but also to the giving of ourselves in ministry to others. No one ever loses by loving, nor becomes poor by giving. Every cheerful giver knows both the joy of giving and the joy of God’s wonderful provision.

 

[T. E. Smith]

No one ever loses by loving, nor becomes poor by giving.

Actually, I find the opposite to be a very important principle of giving. When I give, I lose something. Of course I am making ~$200 a week so it is not a major loss at all, but it is still a certain loss. And it adds up. But that is why we give. That is what it means to be "self-sacrificial." You give up part of yourself for another person, you impoverish yourself a little more to help others.

If giving does not come at any cost to the giver, then perhaps it is inauthentic. Done only for rewards in heaven or the favoritism of others.