Generosity, Gratitude, and the Power of Words
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound themes of generosity, gratitude, and the power of words. The journey began with a personal story of lending money to someone in need, only to have it returned unexpectedly through an anonymous gift. This experience highlighted the principle that when we give with a generous heart, God often returns blessings to us in unexpected ways. Generosity is not about expecting a return but trusting in God's provision and timing.
We also reflected on the immense debt we owe to God, not just for our material blessings but for the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. This gratitude should lead us to a deeper commitment to serve God faithfully, recognizing that everything we have and are is because of His grace. As we partake in communion, we are reminded of the covenant God made with us through the sacrifice of Jesus, a covenant that calls us to live in remembrance of His love and sacrifice.
The message also emphasized the importance of family and the power of words. Joshua's declaration, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," serves as a powerful reminder of the influence we have over our households. Our words can shape the future of our families, and we are encouraged to speak blessings and life into our children's lives. Words have the power to build up or tear down, and as believers, we are called to use our words to bless and encourage those around us.
Finally, we were reminded of the importance of remembering where we came from and acknowledging God's goodness in our lives. By doing so, we can remain humble and grateful, recognizing that it is by God's grace that we have come this far. As we move forward, let us make a covenant to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, trusting in His promises and speaking life into our families and communities.
Key Takeaways:
1. Generosity and God's Provision: When we give with a generous heart, God often returns blessings to us in unexpected ways. Generosity is not about expecting a return but trusting in God's provision and timing. This principle is beautifully illustrated in the story of lending money and receiving it back through an anonymous gift. [35:01]
2. Gratitude for Salvation: We owe everything to God, not just for our material blessings but for the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. This gratitude should lead us to a deeper commitment to serve God faithfully, recognizing that everything we have and are is because of His grace. [49:44]
3. The Power of Words: Our words have the power to shape the future of our families. Joshua's declaration, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," reminds us of the influence we have over our households. We are encouraged to speak blessings and life into our children's lives, understanding that words can build up or tear down. [01:25:30]
4. Remembering and Acknowledging God's Goodness: It is important to remember where we came from and acknowledge God's goodness in our lives. By doing so, we remain humble and grateful, recognizing that it is by God's grace that we have come this far. This remembrance helps us stay grounded and focused on God's faithfulness. [01:17:59]
5. Making a Covenant to Serve God: As believers, we are called to make a covenant to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. This commitment involves trusting in His promises and speaking life into our families and communities. By doing so, we align ourselves with God's will and purpose for our lives. [01:39:01]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[35:01] - Generosity and God's Provision
[49:44] - Gratitude for Salvation
[55:30] - Family Month and Words Matter
[01:11:34] - Remembering God's Blessings
[01:17:59] - Acknowledging God's Goodness
[01:19:10] - The Story of Moses and Aaron
[01:21:48] - The Danger of Forgetting God
[01:25:30] - The Power of Words
[01:26:57] - Words of Life and Death
[01:30:21] - The Importance of Encouragement
[01:31:44] - Speaking Words of Blessing
[01:39:01] - Making a Covenant to Serve God
[01:42:11] - Keeping Your Covenant
[01:45:01] - Praying for the Prodigals
[01:58:22] - Closing and Announcements
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Joshua 24:14-15 - "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
2. Proverbs 18:21 - "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
3. Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
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Observation Questions:
1. What personal story did the pastor share to illustrate the principle of generosity and God's provision? How did this story demonstrate the unexpected ways God can bless us? [35:01]
2. According to the sermon, what is the significance of Joshua's declaration, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"? How does this relate to the influence we have over our households? [55:30]
3. How does the pastor describe the power of words in shaping the future of our families? What examples were given to illustrate this point? [01:25:30]
4. What does the pastor say about the importance of remembering where we came from and acknowledging God's goodness in our lives? How does this help us remain humble and grateful? [01:17:59]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does the pastor suggest that generosity is not about expecting a return but trusting in God's provision and timing? How does this perspective challenge common views on giving? [35:01]
2. How does the pastor connect gratitude for salvation with a deeper commitment to serve God faithfully? What role does communion play in this understanding? [49:44]
3. What does the pastor mean by saying that words have the power to build up or tear down? How can believers use their words to bless and encourage those around them? [01:25:30]
4. How does the pastor encourage the congregation to make a covenant to serve the Lord wholeheartedly? What are the implications of such a commitment for individuals and families? [01:39:01]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you gave generously without expecting anything in return. How did that experience impact your faith and trust in God's provision? [35:01]
2. Joshua declared, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." What steps can you take to ensure that your household is committed to serving God? How can you lead by example? [55:30]
3. Consider the words you speak to your family members. Are there specific ways you can be more intentional about speaking blessings and encouragement into their lives? [01:25:30]
4. How can you cultivate a habit of remembering and acknowledging God's goodness in your life? What practical steps can you take to remain humble and grateful? [01:17:59]
5. The pastor mentioned the importance of making a covenant to serve God. What personal covenant can you make today to deepen your relationship with God and align your life with His will? [01:39:01]
6. Proverbs 18:21 states that the tongue has the power of life and death. How can you be more mindful of the words you use in your daily interactions? What changes can you make to ensure your words bring life?
7. Matthew 6:33 encourages us to seek first God's kingdom. What distractions in your life might be preventing you from prioritizing God's kingdom? How can you address these distractions this week?
Devotional
Day 1: Trusting in God's Unexpected Provision
Generosity is a profound act of faith, where one gives without expecting anything in return, trusting in God's provision and timing. The story of lending money and receiving it back through an anonymous gift illustrates this principle beautifully. When we give with a generous heart, we open ourselves to the possibility of receiving blessings in unexpected ways. This is not a transactional relationship but a demonstration of trust in God's ability to provide for our needs. Generosity is a reflection of God's own nature, and as we practice it, we align ourselves with His will and purpose. [35:01]
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." (Proverbs 11:24-25 ESV)
Reflection: Think of a recent opportunity you had to give generously. How did you respond, and what might God be teaching you about trust and provision through that experience?
Day 2: Gratitude for the Gift of Salvation
Gratitude is a powerful response to the recognition of God's grace in our lives. We owe everything to God, not just for our material blessings but for the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. This gratitude should lead us to a deeper commitment to serve God faithfully, acknowledging that everything we have and are is because of His grace. As we partake in communion, we are reminded of the covenant God made with us through the sacrifice of Jesus, a covenant that calls us to live in remembrance of His love and sacrifice. [49:44]
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on the ways you express gratitude for your salvation. How can you deepen your commitment to serve God in response to His grace today?
Day 3: The Transformative Power of Words
Words hold immense power, capable of shaping the future of our families and communities. Joshua's declaration, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," serves as a powerful reminder of the influence we have over our households. Our words can build up or tear down, and as believers, we are called to use our words to bless and encourage those around us. Speaking blessings and life into our children's lives is a vital part of nurturing their spiritual growth and development. [01:25:30]
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)
Reflection: Consider the words you have spoken to your family recently. Are they building up or tearing down? How can you intentionally speak life and blessings into their lives today?
Day 4: Remembering God's Faithfulness
Remembering where we came from and acknowledging God's goodness in our lives is essential for maintaining humility and gratitude. By doing so, we remain grounded and focused on God's faithfulness, recognizing that it is by His grace that we have come this far. This remembrance helps us stay humble and grateful, preventing us from taking God's blessings for granted. It is a call to continually acknowledge His hand in our lives and to give Him the glory for all that we have achieved. [01:17:59]
"Take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Deuteronomy 6:12 ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a specific instance where you have seen God's faithfulness in your life. How can you make a habit of remembering and acknowledging His goodness daily?
Day 5: Committing to Serve God Wholeheartedly
As believers, we are called to make a covenant to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. This commitment involves trusting in His promises and speaking life into our families and communities. By doing so, we align ourselves with God's will and purpose for our lives. Making a covenant to serve God is not a one-time decision but a daily commitment to live according to His ways and to be a light in the world. It is a call to action, to live out our faith in tangible ways that reflect God's love and grace. [01:39:01]
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15 ESV)
Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to renew your commitment to serve God wholeheartedly? How can you involve your family in this covenant to serve the Lord together?
Quotes
"I didn't expect to be called. I thought I was going to share this. But, you know, a couple months ago, there was somebody that came to me with a need. And they needed some money to borrow. So I said, I didn't want to go to the church funds to take money to lend to anyone. So I said, let me take my money from my own pocket. So I loaned the person 500 bucks to take care of some stuff." [00:33:40] (26 seconds)
"So as I was preparing my sermon for First Fruits, during the week, I said, Lord, in order to generosity of my heart, I took my money and I loaned it. It was supposed to be a loan. I was supposed to be returned. And it just disappeared. I said, so you have to return that to me. I just left it like that. So we came and the offering was lifted on Sunday. And when it was being tabulated and so on, there was an envelope in there for Pastor Dave. Just for Pastor Dave. Nobody signed how much it did. They didn't sign your name or anything on that. And so it was handed to me. And I opened it. How much money? How much money do you think there was in that envelope? And once again, it was 500 bucks. So God answers prayer." [00:34:13] (49 seconds)
"But I'm a little bit greedy. So I'm saying to myself, maybe if I had said, God, you should double that. I'm just kidding. No, I'm just kidding. But the truth is, you know, when we ask God for what we want, he blesses us. And it's as simple as that. And we talked about generosity last week. And generosity is the key. It's not about hoping. Hoping that you're going to get back what you put in. The Bible says, cast your bread upon the waters. After many days, it will return unto you. So, amen." [00:35:01] (31 seconds)
"today hallelujah lord we owe so much to him this morning how many of you recognize that you owe it all to him everything that we have everything that we can do all our skills all our talents everything that we know and we know to be true we owe it all to him today but more than that we owe eternity to him because he died for us he has given us redemption and forgiveness of sins amen and that's such a great gift it's such a wonderful gift that god has given to us it speaks about the future and about our future life with god today so we give him praise come on let's just honor him this morning father we give you thanks and praise today god in your house we honor you god father we recognize how much we owe to you you father there was a debt that we owed that we could not pay but on the cross jesus died for us he gave himself for us so that we too can be free so that we can have redemption forgiveness of sins so this morning as we come to your table oh god as we come to the lord's table i pray oh god that you will minister to us minister to us father as we are reminded of this great covenant that you've made with us oh god and for us through the blood of jesus and the blood of jesus oh god i pray today oh god that we will appropriate it unto ourselves oh god so that we will know and recognize oh god so that we will say like everyone else i owe it all to you oh god so father i pray that you'll bless the cup and bless the bread as we get ready to partake this morning oh god in jesus name we pray if you have your communion with you if you don't have it maybe you can um just" [00:43:21] (104 seconds)
"many of us here today We were not born with the proverbial gold spoons in our mouth We are common folk, right? We are common folk We came up to the ranks We had to struggle for everything we had We had to fight for it Nobody gave us anything I don't know how many of you here today You were handed it on a silver platter No, we were not We had to struggle for it We had to go through the difficulties of life In order to get where we are But it is important when we get to where we are That we don't forget where we have come from Amen That we don't forget where we come from You know, our church, again I mentioned the fact that we are an immigrant community We are an immigrant church And many of us who are here today, we were not born here We came seeking a better life We came seeking to do better We wanted to do better And in the process of time, while we were trying to do better We had to go through some hardships If you are going through some hardships now Because in the early days Thank God for it You see, because the hardship That will put you into a better place How many of you know adversity? Makes you better down the road Amen The people who have everything handed to them Very often they squander it But sometimes when we go through some difficulties We learn to appreciate what God has done for us So let us not forget the hardship that we have had To get us to where we are Let us remember that The Israelites, they were prone to forget They would always forget what God had done for them You see, when the going gets tough Right? When the going got rough Which it ultimately will Before you get into that better place The children of Israel would complain And they would remember The few times when they had it good in Egypt They would remember the garlic and the leeks But they forgot the whips and the chains In other words, they remembered the few times When things were going well But they didn't remember the bondage that they were in And some of us who are Christians Sometimes we forget the time when we were alcoholics Or drug addicts Or we were outside And things were not going well But we remember the time when we were having a great time You know, but because we are going through a hardship in the church It's important for us to look back And remember what God has brought us from Amen Sometimes God wants to take you on the mountain top But you must go through the valley How many of you have gone through a valley before? Every now and again you have to go through a valley Because if God wants to put you on high He's going to take you to the low places And when He takes you to the low places Understand this one thing God says, No matter where you go, I will be with you Yet though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death The psalmist says, He is with me His rod and His staff, they will comfort me So God will take us through the rough places Before He gets us into those high places We must remember the blessings of God as well As we go through, there are going to be moments When God blesses us, amen When we see miracles happening in our lives When something happens in our lives We must remember those blessings as well When God blesses us, amen When Joshua called the tribes together God had brought them to this place of quiet And a place of rest All their enemies had been conquered by this time So now we are quiet And we are having a good time in this land It's a land flowing with milk and honey Indeed it is, amen How many of you understand that here today? And God wants us to bring us into that place But Joshua reminded them how they got there" [01:11:34] (0 seconds)
"If you read through Joshua's speech, right, in Joshua 24, we see a lot of I's. I's, I's, I's, I's. I did this. I that did that. I did all of these things. But it's not Joshua saying that. It's God saying that. It's God saying that. Now, if I were to write something like that, and I were to start telling you about all that I have done in this church or in this community and everything else, you might say, well, that's a pastor that's full of ego and full of himself, right? But, you know, when God says it, you better believe that he did it. Amen? There was no one greater than him. So God deserves to say, I did this. I did this. When God looks at you and he says, I brought you here. I healed your sick body. I helped you to get that job. I blessed you with the property that you have. God deserves to say that. How many of you understand that here today? We need to give him all the glory and all the praises that he is. Amen? In the Old Testament, God says, I am that I am. There's no one else like me. In the New Testament, we hear Jesus say, before Abraham was, I am. The ego, I am me. Before everything else is that I existed. And I existed so I can be a blessing to you as well here today. God wants us to remember. Somebody say, remember here today. Remember the times when were difficult. Remember when you were sick and God brought you to. How many of you went through COVID? Maybe you got a little taste of COVID. But you know what? You're still alive today. Amen? You give God thanks and you say, God, I'm just thankful and grateful that you brought me through. Maybe you've gone through hospitalization. Like I have. Maybe you've gone through some kind of sickness, but you're here today. And rather than complain about it, we say, God, I just want to thank you for what I have. Maybe there were times when you were broke and you didn't have money to buy food. But God fed you. You didn't die. You didn't starve to death. You're here today. Why? Because God has blessed you." [01:17:59] (109 seconds)
"The tongue sets on fire nature. It has a power over nations. Amen. We can see it and we can see it happening as well. It says the tongue is set on the fires of hell. That's what the Bible tells us about this little thing that you have in your mouth out here. That's powerful words he's talking about. So we have to be careful and understand that words really matter. Amen. The tongue can be used for good and can also be used for bad. It can be used to bless and it can be used to curse. The word of the same tongue you praise God and you bless God, but the same tongue you use to curse your neighbor and to offend people. We have to be mindful of that. Proverbs chapter 18 says, death and life is in the power of the tongue. So you can speak death to something and you can speak life to something else." [01:27:36] (50 seconds)
"I overheard a story, I don't know if it's a social experiment that somebody did some time ago where they put some plants into a place and one plant, the guy just kept cursing and speaking and the other one speaking kind, gentle words to the plant and the one that flourished is the one that words, the words of blessing was spoken to. And that happened. You don't have to do a social experiment to know that that could happen. Amen. If you start speaking negative words to your children, you keep, you know, beating them down. Every time they do something and laughing at them, you realize that they will not prosper in life. But if you start speaking words of blessing into their eyes, every time you whisper it into their ears, you know, I remember my mother saying the Lord's prayer and the 23rd Psalm over me while I was asleep. I remember that." [01:31:07] (54 seconds)
"Because of words of blessings that were spoken into my life. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem that I think is appropriate for today. It's called Arrow. And he says, I shot an arrow into the air. It fell to earth. I knew not where. For so swiftly it flew, the sight could not follow it in its flight. And then he says, I breathed a song into the air. It fell to earth. I knew not where. For who has sight so keen and strong that it can follow the flight of a song? And then he says, long, long afterward, in an oak, I found the arrow still unbroke. And the song from beginning to end, I found it again. In the heart of a friend. See, that's the power of words. Amen." [01:33:47] (44 seconds)
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