Beyond Belief: When Intention Becomes Action By Tim Badal

A farmer doesn't go into his vast field of acres and take one kernel of corn and drop it in the middle of the field and say, hey, I'll see you in six months, colonel, and I expect this field to be chock full of corn. It's not how it works. He's a fool to think that's how it works. What he knows is the law of the harvest. The law of the harvest is based on what I sow, I will reap. [00:29:23] (31 seconds)  #SowAndReap

we don't have to give, We get to give because we get to say thank you to a god who has given so much to us. So that leads then to us then not only remembering our commitments, but then releasing our money. We get to release our money. The Corinthians had not released their money and it had become a humiliating experience because they said they were going to do it. [00:27:56] (28 seconds)  #GratefulGiver

You've got kitchens. Would you make a meal? You got living rooms. Would you invite people into your living room? You've got cars. Would you help people with rides? You've got time. You've got talent. Would you use those things? It begins by being open handed to the Lord and saying, God, you gave it all to me. I was naked when I entered this world and naked I shall return, so I might as well pay it forward. [00:39:49] (25 seconds)  #ServeWithWhatYouHave

And I want to do it with joy in my heart. I want to use everything that he's given me to not be under pressure, but with great delight to use what he's given to bless him and to bless others. That is the gift. Have you opened the gift of generosity? That is the indescribable gift that Paul's talking about here. Have you opened it and have you said, God, thanks for the opportunity I get to receive your goodness and grace and to then give it generously so that God, your glory may be increased and the good of others may be seen. [00:42:54] (42 seconds)  #GiftOfGenerosity

And this is where it gets so special. This is where it gets so beautiful because Paul says this. He says later in the text of this God, he says, I want you to give and I want you to give as each one has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. And so God's saying, how do I help you to become cheerful in being generous? [00:23:03] (28 seconds)  #CheerfulGiver

He in an all inclusive way covered our sins, your sin and mine, the easy little stuff and the heinous ugly stuff. It was all covered on the cross of Jesus Christ. He covered it. He didn't ask for anything in return so that he would do it for us. He did it out of his grace and his mercy for us and it makes our salvation so utterly beautiful. It's glorious. [00:25:44] (30 seconds)  #CoveredByGrace

And so right now, Paul is saying the reason why you're feeling pressure isn't because of the messenger, it is because of your delay. That's why you're feeling it. You're feeling it because the holy spirit is saying to you, he's right. If I've made a commitment to the lord, then my commitment isn't just in my verbal ascent, my verbal intentions. [00:21:40] (28 seconds)  #DelayCreatesPressure

And so no farmer here in the next couple weeks is gonna be like, do I have to put seed that much seed in the ground? Do I have to? That seems like a pretty big investment that if I gotta put one seed in the ground, it's gonna produce for me 10,000. No. I get to put one seed in the ground and it's gonna produce for me tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold what I put in. [00:30:40] (25 seconds)  #SeedToHarvest