63 Times the Bible Tells Us To Fear Not

199 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7) I have a pet peeve and it involves the phrase “fear not” as found in the Bible. Perhaps you have heard it said or seen it posted on social media as gospel truth that the phrase “fear not” appears in the Bible 365 times, once for every day of the year! I know I have quoted this in the past, but then one day the Berean in me decided to check it out. Funny thing, my concordance shows the phrase fear not appearing in the King James Bible just 63 times. Ummmm, that's a little short. The idea of 365 “fear nots'”, while comforting, just isn't true. However, having said that, the concept of trusting God and not fearing is found in many places in Scripture and worthy of noting. Fact is, if it were only found in this one place in Timothy, it would be and should be enough! The recent results of the presidential election in America has stirred up the very real emotion of fear for many of those who voted against Donald Trump. The news media is long on showing us the results of this fear, but short on offering solace and comfort. That's where we, the church ought to come in. Let's just try and put the shoe on the other foot. 81% of white evangelicals cast their vote for Trump, but I wonder how those voters would've reacted to a Clinton victory? It would be foolish to think that there would've been no fear. Fear, needs to be dealt with and perhaps that's why it is indeed mentioned often in Scripture. Followers of Christ ought to have a leg up on others in the matter of fear, and if fear is gripping a believer, then we ought to point to those “fear not” verses of consolation in Scripture. If fear rises up in the heart of an unbeliever and in the streets of a nation, then we ought to take note that the nation needs Jesus. So, as we see these fearful reactions to circumstances, the best thing we can do, is pray for and work for revival. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and denigrate the protesters, but let's get past that and see the real solution. People need Jesus. How can we best bring Him to them?

The Antithesis of Fear

198 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:6,7 “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:6,7) Whenever we see the word “therefore” in Scripture, we need to go back a couple of verses and see what the therefore is “there for!” This “therefore” is connected with the genuine faith of Timothy. Because Timothy had come to genuine repentance and faith he is being reminded by Paul to rekindle the gift of God that was in him through the laying on of Paul's hands. With the specific mention of Paul's laying on of hands, we should get the idea of a passing of the baton to Timothy. This could be likened to Elijah passing his prophetic mantle on to Elisha! 1Ki 19:19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. Elijah would soon be departing and the gifts and authority of Elijah needed to be passed on to the next generation. Likewise Paul would be departing soon and his gifts of preaching, teaching, admonishing, and his mantle of authority were to be passed along through Timothy. These gifts passed along to Timothy were just as real as the gift of repentance and faith given to him and they must not be allowed to sputter and die! Fan the flame! Give the Holy Spirit air! Do not let fear douse the fire. There certainly was cause to fear with the persecution of Christians that was taking place, but Paul reminds Timothy that the Holy Spirit is the antithesis of fear. He is power! He is love! He is a sound mind, (that is a mind that is under control, not panicking, due to exterior circumstances.) Perhaps fear is creeping into your life due to external circumstances today. Remember this verse! Claim this verse! The Holy Spirit who is in you from the birth of your faith is not of fear! There is no dread in Him. He is power and love! Fan this gift! Tap into this gift as needed! And may the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ!

Holy Tears

196 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:3-5, “ I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Tim 1:3-5) As I read this, I keep wondering, “What was Timothy crying about? Why was Paul “mindful of his tears?” Why did the tears of Timothy fill Paul with joy! There is a connection between tears and joy! It's like the psalmist said in Ps 126:5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.” These tears of Timothy are likely connected to the tears often accompanying repentance! Paul speaks of Timothy's genuine faith being brought to mind through these tears, and genuine faith is always connected to genuine repentance, which is godly (often tear producing) sorrow over sin. 2Co 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” By the way, there is a huge difference between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world. The tears of worldly sorrow pour forth only because the offender has been caught, he or she has been found out, and there will be a price to pay, hence the tears designed to stir up empathy, and temporary regret, but the tears of genuine repentance pour forth from the realization that the guilty party has offended a holy God. A God that loves them so much that He sent His only Son to die for their offense! The tears pour forth in part due to the realization that the price has been paid by God's Son Jesus! These are holy tears! And I believe these are the tears of Timothy that Paul witnessed and fondly remembered as he awaited his execution in a Roman prison. The remembrance of the tears of Timothy persuaded Paul that Timothy's faith was genuine and that Paul's work with the gospel was not in vain, but God had used him to lead someone to repentance and saving faith in Jesus. Think about your own time of genuine repentance, and perhaps God will stir up new tears of thanksgiving! Think also of your brothers and sisters who have experienced repentance and then thank God that the Holy Spirit is still in the business of leading people to genuine repentance and a flow of holy tears!

The Power of Remembrances

196 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:3-5, “ I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Tim 1:3-5) Thank God for remembrances! We should not forget that Paul is writing this letter from a Roman dungeon. His home now an underground prison with only a hole in the ceiling to let in light and air! Peter has already been crucified upside down, many other Christians have suffered similar martyrdom, and Paul is on a short list of who's next. His friends have abandoned him, only Luke remains at his side! But Paul thanks God for bringing Timothy and his genuine faith to mind often! (without ceasing!) Many long hours in the dungeon and I'm sure Paul was assailed by doubts. Was this really worth it? At moments like these God brings to mind Timothy, Paul's son in the faith. He recalls grandma Lois, and Timothy's mother Eunice and how they and Timothy came to the faith of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the preaching of the Gospel! Paul is not talking about the misplaced faith of the Pharisees, but the true faith of Abraham who simply “believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” This is the faith that produces a pure conscience! It is the gospel promise that Jesus, (who came from the seed of Abraham) would die on the cross for the sins of the world and as many as believed in Him would have the same right of Abraham to be called a child of God! This Jesus in whom Paul has faith, has cleared his conscience of any wrongdoing. It has convinced him that no matter his past, he will one day soon stand before God and declared “not guilty!” No wonder Paul is overflowing with thanks! It was worth it! It is worth it! We may struggle at times with that same question, “Is this worth it?” When we do, may God cause us to remember the depth of His forgiveness for us and also those times He used us to make a difference in the lives of others, and may we turn our doubts into concrete expressions of praise!

It Would Be Enough

194 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:2b, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I covered this common greeting in the New Testament letters in 1 Timothy, but I think it's important to cover it again, because it's a message we all need to hear! Grace, mercy, and peace to you! Perhaps you remember your pastor starting his sermons with that same greeting, well there's a reason for it! These words are not meant to be fill material. It is the primary message that God wishes to convey to the world through His church!. There is a beautiful picture of this portrayed in the Book of Revelation! Re 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” There is much symbolism involved here, but let me try to briefly picture what is being portrayed: The Son of God, seated on the throne, completely surrounded by a green rainbow. It's green because it symbolizes life, it's a rainbow because it is the sign of God's covenant of grace, mercy, and peace. The picture is this: grace, mercy, and peace, emanate from the throne which is surrounded by 24 elders who represent the church, and the Office of the Word. (The 12 patriarchs of the OT and the 12 Apostles of the NT. These 24 elders (the church) receive this message of grace, mercy, and peace, and are charged with passing that message along to the world in the power of the Holy Spirit until our Lord returns. It's not that we are commanded to start every sermon in that manner, but it certainly serves as a good reminder to all who serve in the Office of the Word, and quite frankly, if that would be all the pastor said....it would be enough. So I say it to you! “Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and Christ Jesus Our Lord!

The Three Words Your Child Longs To Hear From You

194 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Such a warm personal touch in this letter as Paul refers to his disciple, or mentoree if you will, as his beloved son. Can there be higher praise from a spiritual mentor to one whom he has taken under his wings? Mentorship has become a buzzword in Christian circles as it concerns the discipleship of new believers, and it is an important part of spiritual growth for the purpose of passing the faith along in all it's doctrinal purity. We will read about this in 2Ti 2:2, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” I wonder how many “spiritual sons” Timothy was able to speak these same words to? How many felt that warm glow of healthy acceptance that comes with this declaration of fondness? “My beloved son.” These three words are powerful words of affirmation and not only spiritual sons and daughters need to hear them, but our own children long to hear them and need to hear them from mom and dad. God the Father spoke these words to His beloved Son Jesus on two occasions, at His baptism, and at His transfiguration. My question to you is, “Have you ever spoken them to your child? See if you can identify with my own personal story. I grew into an adult thinking that I didn't need anything from my father. Who cares what that alcohol addicted, abusive, person thought of me anyway? But a funny thing happened on my way to shoving him out of my life. Long story short, God convinced me to work on restoring my relationship with my father, through forgiveness and teaching me to dwell on the good things my father had done through the years. It took time, but in the end we had a good relationship, and I'll never forget the day, that I was doing some yard work for him that he was no longer capable of doing. At one point he turned to me and said, “Duane, you are a good son.” I wasn't prepared for what happened next. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest. It was the words I had longed to hear from him all my life! Friends, don't let your sons and daughters wait their entire lives to hear those words from you! Tell them, “My beloved son, (or daughter,” I am well pleased with you! They're waiting! Don't delay!

Blessed Assurance

193 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, In Paul's introductory remarks in his first letter to Timothy, he emphasized his authority as an Apostle in order to underline the veracity of the letter that Timothy would have in his hand to show the churches that the instructions and exhortations that young Timothy would be delivering to these congregations carried the full Apostolic weight of Paul! In this second, more personal, letter to his beloved Timothy he emphasizes the promise of eternal life that awaits all Apostles and believers who remain faithful to the end. It is the promise of eternal life through faith in Christ that motivates the Apostles to follow their calling, and it is this hope that Paul wished Timothy to cling to as he follows his calling. Difficult days lie ahead and this promise will help carry him and us through! Remember Paul is facing certain execution as he writes this letter, and he uses these words to assure Timothy, that he will be just fine after his execution because of the promise of life in Christ Jesus. This is not some sort of false bravado on Paul's part. He wants Timothy to know for sure that he will be okay, and indeed that Timothy and all those who follow in the faith will also be okay no matter what they may face in this life! This little phrase in Paul's greeting, “according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,” is just another way of stating, Ro 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. How often the saints through the ages, and yes, even you and I need to be reminded of this truth. No matter what kind of persecution comes our way, no matter what calamity, what trial, we have Christ Jesus and a guarantee of arriving at heaven's shores “according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus!

A Brief Overview of 2 Timothy

192 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Today we begin to look at Paul's last letter before his martyrdom around 68A.D. In this very personal letter he encourages Timothy to “do his best” to come and visit Paul in Rome where he was imprisoned waiting for his impending execution. He uses this letter to encourage Timothy, but God the Holy Spirit uses it to encourage us, to “not be ashamed of the gospel.” We are to keep on keeping on with the gospel in the face of an avalanche of false teachers and the ever present threat of persecution! Chapters 3 and 4 are especially relevant for us today as they deal with the times before the the return of Jesus. It is then that a false spiritual life will lead all the world astray, with an outward show , under which every sort of wickedness and wrong will have its fling! Does that sound or look familiar to you? How about this? 2Ti 3:1-5, “ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! One of my favorite verses from Scripture is found in this Book, and God has used it to keep me grounded in His word, I hope it will become one of your favorites as well. It's found in 2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is a truth worth clinging to. It fights against doubt and for the soul who will receive it, it will strengthen your faith. All of this Bible is the Word of Almighty God!

One More Time With the Creed

191 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge-- 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. (1 Tim 6:20,21) And so we come to the end of Paul's first letter to Timothy. Timothy was taking the baton from Paul and was charged with passing the apostolic teachings on to the church for all time! We have heard teachings concerning how to pray, qualifications for positions of leadership in the church, instructions for taking care of widows, how to handle financial blessings, and warnings about false teachings! The last one being the most important of all and a theme that was consistently hit upon throughout the letter! It is fitting then that Paul would end the letter with a final warning. The noble confession must be guarded and passed on to the following generations as a guard against false teaching that left unchecked will shipwreck saving faith! This noble confession was summed up for us in the credal statement of 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. This is an early creed of the Christian church of Paul's day and has been refined without losing it's meaning to the present day Apostle's Creed of the church: It is what we must believe about Jesus. He was God in the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered and died under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. The third day He rose again from the dead, (justified in the Spirit by the resurrection!) Seen by the angels (Messengers or His Apostles) and they were given the commission to preach the gospel to the world, where many would believe, then He ascended into heaven, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Anything less than this Christian Creed for all ages is profane, idle contradictory babblings and false knowledge. May we all have the grace that Paul prayed for Timothy to cling to the confession of this Creed!

How's That Nest Egg Doing?

190 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. All of God's commands are beneficial, and He promises blessing to those who keep (treasure) them. Some of the benefits are spelled out loud and clear such as honoring your father and mother: Eph 6:2,3 reminds us: "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." These commands that have been given to the rich (and that's us folks) also carry a promise. With every positive response to these commands on our part, we are first of all, “storing up for ourselves a good foundation for the time to come,” I think the best example of this is found in Heb 11:24-26, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Moses was adopted into tremendous wealth as a baby. The veritable silver spoon was in his mouth at an early age. But he chose not to be haughty about it. He didn't trust in his riches, but rather trusted in the living God, and he was willing to fellowship (join in with) the sufferings of his kinsmen. He was able to do so because he kept his eyes on that which is eternal, and not the temporary wealth of this world. There are rewards in heaven and we do not yet know what they might be, but one thing we know, and that is, these rewards are everlasting, whereas material goods, money, are not. And so we who are rich are commanded to do good with what we have been temporarily blessed with. Quick to release our God-given material blessings to benefit others and willing to throw in with the congregation of God's people, not lording it over them, because you know what? Faith without works is dead. What we do with what God has given us is the test of true faith and it starts with what we do with His Son Jesus, who was given to the world, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (Jn 3:16) Do not bury the gifts of God, invest them in others and begin building your future foundation!

Thou Shalt Mingle Meaningfully

189 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17,18, “ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,” (1 Tim 6:17,18) The final command listed here for the rich is “Thou shalt be willing to share.” It's not what you think it is! The word in the Greek is koinonikos and it means “willing to communicate.” Perhaps you have heard the word koinonia before. This word is often used to describe the early church and it speaks of meaningful fellowship. Don't think that being generous with your money is enough. You don't use it as a stiff arm in order to keep yourself a safe distance away from mingling with the herd. Koinonikos involves rolling up your shirt sleeves and getting involved in the life of the congregation. I fear this is a very real threat in the church today, where it is easy to get lost in the sheer numbers. We need to fight this tendency with all we have because it is hurting our evangelism efforts. We need koinonia! It was a vital part of church growth as we read in Ac 2:42-47, “ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, (koinionia) in the breaking of bread, (they ate together) and in prayers. (They prayed together) 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. (God moved in their midst in their togetherness!) 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. (They sought to meet the needs of those in their midst!) 46 So continuing daily (church was not a once a week thing!) with one accord in the temple, (the doctrine of Christ and the Gospel being the basis of their unity!) and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. (Unbelievers noticed their simple, joy filled, friend filled lives, and look what happened! “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” There you have it, our final command for the rich. (and that's us) “Thou shalt mingle meaningfully.” The size of the church doesn't matter, it's the size of your “want to” and it starts with each one of us!

More Painless Ways To Give To the Poor

186 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, Planned benevolence, (being ready to give) is a wonderful way to bless others, and today I want to give you some more ideas about how you might develop a simple plan to help the less fortunate. Sometimes we forget that one of the Christian disciplines is giving to the poor. Jesus said “WHEN you give,” not “if”! One of the ways that our family seeks to bless the less fortunate is to take them out to dinner with us. We don't “literally” bring them along (although one could certainly seek ways to do that) but we set aside a portion of our total bill and at the end of that month give that money to a local pantry, or trusted international relief agency, knowing that it will provide money for food for the poor. A quick example is, let's say my wife and I dine out and our total bill for two is 30 dollars. That's 15 dollars apiece, and so we set aside another 15 dollars for the purpose of providing meals for others through our church, local pantry, or other such ministry. Even as you pray over your meal in the restaurant, you might even ask God to bless the person who is going to benefit from your gift. This is planned painless benevolence that helps us respond to Jesus' statement “when you give to the poor!” Still another method that I have heard people use to bless the poor is to carry “care” packages in their cars. These packages include items like food coupons, or gift cards, or basic toiletry items and snack bars. The idea being that if you come across someone in need, you are not just throwing money at them, but giving them some very practical items to help them in their current situation. Painless, planned benevolence, is a great way to “be ready to give.” I encourage you for look for ways to try it and see how it might add a little cheer to your acts of giving!

The Temple Tax

186 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, Some pastors don't like to talk about money, I relish it, except when I find myself in a position of begging for it. I don't like finding myself in a position of asking the congregation to give because the church finds itself up against the wall and is having difficulty meeting financial obligations. God loves cheerful givers, not squeezed turnips! The time to talk about money is when it comes up in the text, and it does so quite frequently, as it has shown up here in Timothy. I want to continue talking about readiness for giving, the idea of planned benevolence. I have already talked about the blessings of the second tithe. (Which, by the way, is the tithe mentioned in that part of Malachi where God says, “try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.” (Mal 3:10) Today, I want to talk about the Temple Tax. Let me remind you that none of this is to be taken in a legalistic sense, it's just a biblical based suggestion to help you along in the arena of planned benevolence. The Temple Tax was an annual tax levied on every male 20 years of age and older in Israel and was used for the physical upkeep of the Temple. When Peter was confronted with the demand to pay the Temple Tax, Jesus told him, it wasn't necessary, but lest any be offended He paid it. The temple tax was the equivalent of two days wages. Let's try to apply this guideline for the church today. As an example, let's say that you earn 36,500 dollars a year. One days wage would be 36,500 divided by the number of days in a year (365) or 100 dollars. Therefore 2 days wages would be 200 dollars. That's a big chunk up front, but what if you broke it down to a monthly offering? 200/12 = 16.67! With every adult member of the household contributing, this would go a long way in keeping the lights on at your place of worship. It's called planned benevolence and it worked to keep the lights on in the most magnificent temple ever built. Where do you worship? Do they need help keeping the lights on? This guideline for giving over and above the offering might be a useful tool for meeting those day to day expenses of your place of worship!

Leader Gifts

186 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Last time we were talking about being prepared to give. This “preparedness can be setting a little aside based on how the Lord has blessed you, or it can be done on a larger scale. (Think of what David did as he dreamed of one day building a magnificent temple in Jerusalem!) We read about it in 1Ch 29:2-9, "Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. 3 "Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: 4 "three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; 5 "the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?" 6 Then the leaders of the fathers' houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's work, offered willingly. 7 They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly.” Wow! David who was very wealthy gave generously with planned benevolence in what may be called a leader gift and this caused others to cheerfully follow. The result was an awful lot of rejoicing and a magnificent temple built to and for the glory of God! The lesson? Rightly placed planned benevolence results in rejoicing and glory given to God!

Planned Giving

185 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. The sixth commandment for the rich given to us in this portion of Scripture is: “Thou shalt be ready to give.” The idea is the rich should strive to be good at imparting. Strive to give with liberality. I'm going to use a little license here and double play on the word “ready.” The word in the Greek speaks strictly of a willingness to give, but the word “ready” in English means to be prepared. All I'm going to say here is simply this, one of the ways we are enabled to impart our wealth and give with liberality is to prepare for it and that speaks of saving! Putting a little money aside for the opportunities that will present themselves for you and I to give. The classic case in Scripture is found in 1Co 16:1-3, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. “ The saints in Jerusalem had fallen on hard times and needed some help financially. One of the things Paul was doing on this particular missions trip was collecting money for this need. This was planned benevolence on the part of the believers, and it was strictly based on their ability to give (note, as God had prospered each individual) They set money aside in this manner, on the Lord's Day, (probably in the form of a special offering in the worship gathering) for the purpose of meeting this need. I've already spoken of the second tithe as a method of exercising benevolence, but there are other methods we can employ and I'll speak to those in the next couple of days.

Thou Shalt Be Rich In Good Works

184 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Let's continue looking at the commands for the rich, and again I remind you that in today's world, that is us! And if you don't believe that, I advise you to take a trip to a third world country!. The 4th command here for the rich is: Thou shalt do good. (with your wealth) The fifth Commandment is: Thou shalt be rich in good works. Whereas the preceding command was strictly dealing with financial wealth, this command speaks of an even higher mode of being rich, which is open even to the financially strapped. You don't need money to be kind! You don't need money to be compassionate. You don't need money to provide a listening ear. You don't need money to do good and right things! Jesus didn't carry a whole lot of cash, and remember Peter when he came upon the beggar in the temple? Ac 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.” You don't have to be well off to be rich in good works, you just need to be willing to share what ever gift God has given you!

Be Prepared To Be A Good Samaritan

183 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Let's continue looking at the commands for the rich, and again I remind you that in today's world, that is us! And if you don't believe that, I advise you to take a trip to a third world country!. The 4th command here for the rich is to do good. We are to use our money to work good in our world. We are to use it to act for someones advantage. It is to be used for benevolence. Now I know that the parable of the talents is not strictly about money, but this portion of Timothy IS about money and what we do with it. In the parable of the talents one man was blessed with 5, another 2, and another 1 talent. The one with five invested, and made five more, and the one with two invested, and made 2, and the one with one buried it. The investors were rewarded, and the one who didn't invest was punished. Here in Timothy we are told that using our wealth for the benefit of those in need is a way to invest, actually storing up treasure for “the time to come,” We are wealthy in this present age in order to bless people now, and we reap the benefits in “the time to come.” What do those benefits look like? I really don't know. I really don't care. What I care about and what you should care about is not missing opportunities to bless others with our abundance! The Good Samaritan, came upon a need and was able to meet it, even providing money for lodging and recuperation! Let us work to put ourselves in a financial position to do the same.....and then as we cross our needy neighbors path, let's do it!