Tag: Bible verses about giving

Bible Verse of The Day – 8-11-18

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

We all ask things of God. We have needs and desires. So we ask God to supply those needs and those desires. And we wait on God to answer on His end.

But, did you know that we can actually tie God’s hands and prevent Him from answering us or supplying us with what it is that we’re asking for? Yes. It’s a Biblical truth that we can tie God’s hands.

How? By not sowing any seeds to reap from. Let’s take a look at how this can happen.

If we plow the ground for a garden, but we never sow any seeds into that garden, we will not reap a harvest. It’s common sense that nothing will grow there that’s worth anything unless we first plant seeds.

God works the very same way. We have to sow if we expect to reap. The only thing God gives us freely, without us deserving it, is His love for us. His love is unconditional. Pretty much everything else is give and get. We give, God gives back a harvest according to what we have given.

No, this is not the prosperity gospel. This is simple Biblical truth. The measure by which we sow will also be the measure by which we reap. Jesus Himself said this.

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

God has even told us to give when we’re in desperate need, seemingly too poor to be able to afford to give.

Mark 12:42-43 (NLT) 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. 43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions“.

Just as the wealthy give out of their abundance, so we must also give out of our poverty or our lack. And when we do this, we have given much more than a wealthy person can ever think of giving.

Giving in this way shows God that we trust Him completely with everything, including our finances and our sustenance.

So, if we’re waiting on a breakthrough for a very long time, and we’re not seeing anything happen, we need to ask ourselves if maybe we missed something. Are we sowing? Are we planting seeds in our garden from which we can reap a harvest?

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 5-21-18

Mark 12:41-43 (NKJV) 41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury

The woman in the verses above gave out of her poverty. She gave out of her need, her lack. She could have used those coins to pay for something to sustain her in the natural.

Are we feeling poor and broke today? How many of us think that when things get tough we have to pull back, reduce or stop our giving?

Maybe we owe back taxes or we have debt up to our eyeballs. Maybe we are on the verge of losing everything. Our business may be in the red. Maybe our home is in need of repairs or our car is falling apart. It doesn’t matter what state we are in.

Mark 12:44 (NKJV) 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

If we have something to give, we need to sow that seed today!

It doesn’t matter how big or small it is. Get rid of it and put it in a place where it will grow, where it will come back to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!

God has a place for your seed to be sown today. Ask Him where to put that seed and He will guide you. When you obey, just like this woman did, He will see your heart condition and your faith in Him and He will help you through your time of trial. He is our Provider.

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-19-17

Proverbs 3:9 (NKJV) 9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

This is the key to our financial stability.

If we want God to bless and protect our finances, we need to allow Him to do so. We need to unlock the door, so to speak.

If we are not honoring Him, there is no way He can honor us.

This one simple principal will save us from financial ruin if we just follow it wholeheartedly. It can’t be a part-time thing. It can’t be done with a motive. It must be done with the right heart.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NKJV) 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Those who “get” this will nod knowingly, with a smile on their face as they read it. Sadly, though, this simple truth is often overlooked or ignored, usually because it’s not convenient.

Why is money something that many of us struggle so badly with letting go of? Because we “earned it”. So, we should be able to hang onto it and do what we want with it. Right?

Well, not really. Here’s where we get it mixed up a bit.

You see, everything we have been blessed with has come by way of God’s hand of provision. It’s His. He has just let us hold it for a while. How we handle it is up to us.

In light of this, wouldn’t it be best to do with it what pleases God? Shouldn’t we honor Him with it by using it in the way He’d want us to?

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 10-24-17

2 Samuel 9:7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

David wanted to show kindness to Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. Mephibosheth was lame in both his feet.

David wanted to make sure he was taken care of for the rest of his life. What a wonderful and kind thing to do for someone.

Giving, which is a pure act of kindness, touches the heart of people, and God is glorified through it.

This man, Mephibosheth, didn’t think much of himself because of his condition. Being lame in both his feet, he thought of himself as equal to a dead dog.

2 Samuel 9:8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”

In other words, “why should you help someone in my condition?”.

Because God has the final say, and He doesn’t look at us as dead dogs just because we may have some issues.

God used David to help this man. It didn’t fall from the sky. Someone had to obey, step out and do a kind deed and give. And it changed this man’s situation for life.

When God prompts us to give, whether it’s to a person, ministry or community, let us do our part. There is nothing that can compete with the feeling we get when we obey, give and help make a difference. Such a beautiful way to live!

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NKJV) 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Don’t take it lightly when we feel the prompting of God. That kind deed may change the destiny of someone or something in a great way, and we will reap from our giving as well. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy 

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 7-1-17

Mark 12:44 (NKJV) 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

The Lord takes our giving seriously. He pays attention to what we give and how we give it.

It may be hard at times to give. Maybe we are going through a trial or a very lean time in our life. Because of this we are afraid to take from what we feel needs to be used to pay for other things that are much needed.

The woman in the verse above was in poverty and yet she gave her livelihood. Jesus noticed it. He knows where we are at in our situation. And He knows that, just like this woman, if we step out and do what is right and give, He will take care of those things that we are concerned about as we follow His steps and His leading.

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here:

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 6-9-17

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV) 9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Honoring God with our finances is critical to our financial stability and wellbeing.

Many of us go through financial trials. It happens to just about everyone at some point. Sometimes this happens due to poor choices on our part. Other times it happens due to things that are beyond our control.

But no matter how or why it happens, one thing is for sure. And that is this; if we honor God with our finances, He will protect us and provide for us no matter what comes along.

There is protection that comes when we honor God with our money. It’s a spiritual principle that was set in motion by God Himself.

How we honor God with our finances (or not) also says a lot about our faith and trust in Him. Why? Because, most times, our money comes by way of hard work on our part. And to most of us our money is a prized possession that we are not willing to part with easily.

But if we truly trust God with everything else, we will also trust Him with our finances too. Jesus said this about it:

Matthew 6:19 (NKJV) 19 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In the verses leading up to 19, Jesus had been speaking specifically about storing up treasures here on earth. He encouraged us to store up treasures in heaven, instead, and not to place so much value on money and earthly possessions.

And lastly, it is mentioned in several places that God wants us to give of our firstfruits. This means that we need to honor Him first, before anything/anyone else. Not give Him the leftovers after we have paid everyone else and spent more of it on earthly goods and possessions.

This is a hard teaching for many of us because it hits us in the wallet and causes us to really ask ourselves why we’re not giving God priority in our finances.

So we urge you to ask God about this and seek Him on this. And then put Him first, even with your money. And over time, you will see God move on your behalf, again and again, even when it looks like the rug has been pulled from under your feet.

Trust Him.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here:

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-27-17

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV) 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

What is the key in giving? That we give cheerfully.

We give of our time, we give of our money, we give love and we give encouragement, etc.

We share God’s truth through our words and mostly through our actions. This is all part of giving.

Giving is the right thing to do.

Christ gave His life for me and for you. He gave to us the most precious gift anyone could ever give to us. He gave us eternal life. That means we live forever.

Oh what a JOY!

Make giving a priority in our lives. Ask God to show us where, when and what to give. He is faithful to take care of us as we sow these seeds of cheerful giving!

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

God bless you!!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here:

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-2-16

Luke 6:38 (NKJV) 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Is there someone that God has laid upon our hearts today to reach out to and give to? Maybe it’s just praying for them. Maybe it’s calling them up and checking on them. Maybe it’s buying them groceries, or sending them a card. There are all kinds of ways of giving.

One day our doorbell rang. We went to answer it and there was someone we knew standing there with a freshly baked, hot pizza. They said to us “we thought you might like this today”.

Oh boy, did we ever! We thanked them and brought it into the house. We sat down and gave God thanks. What a blessing it was. It was delicious!

When God gives us manna, TAKE it! When God gives us an opportunity to bless someone TAKE ii!

That person listened to God and blessed us. They will truly receive in the same measure that they blessed us with.

Are we being givers today? This is one of the questions we don’t like to ask ourselves sometimes because we may not like the answer. But we need to check ourselves.

We can get so caught up in busyness or taking care of ourselves that we miss out on an opportunity to be a blessing to someone.

Today, as we begin our day, we need to tell ourselves that we are going to be a giver. We are going to keep our eyes, ears and heart open to God and let Him lead us in this. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 11-10-16

Matthew 19:21 (NKJV) 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Why did Jesus bring this up to the man that had great possessions? Because the man asked Jesus, “what do I lack?” (Matthew 19:20) You ask Jesus a question, He will give you the answer. After Jesus gave him His answer, the man walked away sorrowful.

Why? Because he lacked in his faith in the area of giving. Even though he had so many possessions, he wasn’t willing to give or obey in this area.

This man could sit there and say with confidence, he didn’t murder, he didn’t commit adultery, he didn’t steal, he didn’t bear false witness, he honored his parents, and he loved his neighbor (Matthew 19:18-19).

But when Jesus brought to his attention the very thing that he lacked, that very thing that would help him as well, what did the man do?  It says he turned away sorrowful (Matthew 19:22).

Some people just simply struggle with giving. They are willing to do everything else, but when it comes down to giving their MONEY or possessions, they simply will not let go.

Jesus does not want anything to have a hold on us. If we struggle with this today we need to make a statement and do the opposite; we need to give!

You see faith and works go together. If we say we have faith but will not step out in it and take action, where is faith in that?

James 2:20 (NKJV) 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

Today we believe God is speaking to some who struggle in this. You truly have a hard time in letting go and giving of your money or your possessions.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to walk away sorrowful like this man did. That is just an example of what not to do.

We can do the right thing and obey, just as Jesus asked this man to do. Don’t make excuses. They won’t help us.

Follow Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, by stepping out and taking action.

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Give.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 5-9-16

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

We’d like to share a little story with you that came from one of our longtime readers, friends and supporters..

So many times, when someone comes to us with financial trouble, our first instinct is to give to them, in order to get them through their trouble. But we have learned that this is not always the answer.

We’ve learned over the years that, many times, the best way to help them for the long term is to teach them to give out of their need. As they give, this teaches them how to trust God with their finances and sets them on a path of lifelong provision.

So, here is the AWESOME testimony from that couple who was in this very situation several years ago:

“Our first question my husband and I had was, “do we tithe on the gross income or what we take home?” And Pastor Curt’s reply to us was, it can be either, whatever we feel God wants us to do. We decided it will be whatever comes into the house.

So we started giving 10% of all money that came into our house to Seven Seas Ministries. It wasn’t much at first, but we stuck with it.

I remember that first end of the year statement we got. It may not have been much, but I felt so wonderful that we stuck to it and were able to help someone else.

We always seemed to have just enough money to tithe and get by. Slowly, my husband would get a raise or have a bunch of overtime, and I would get a raise or a better paying job. As we got more, we gave more.

A few years ago, Pastors Curt and Ellie directed my husband and me to make a “wish list”, a list of the things that we would like for God to do in our lives.

I remember a few things on that list. To have my A/C in my car fixed (or a new car), my husband added a flat screen TV and a new recliner (his recliner was a hand me down from his dad) and I put….”to be able to give abundantly”.

About 4 years ago we got our flat screen!! Last year I got a job 10 minutes from home that paid well; this enabled us to get a new (fuel efficient) car. Last Christmas I was able to buy a new recliner for my husband. And the best part is that when I did our taxes this year, I tallied up the tithing and all of our various donations throughout the year and it showed that we gave ABUNDANTLY!

I cannot put into words, the feeling that we get from not only being able to give out of obedience to God, but to know that we are helping so many others that are now where we once were. “In God We Trust!!””

If you are struggling with your finances, we encourage you, today, to take a step of faith and follow the example of this couple. As their testimony said, they started out small, and God helped them grow to be able to “give abundantly”!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Tagged with: , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 4-12-16

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV) 9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

So many people today struggle with their finances. They never seem to have enough, always just making ends meet. And this is a hard thing to swallow.

The first question we have to ask ourselves is, “are we honoring The Lord with our possessions, are we giving to Him our firstfruits or are we believing that it’s ok to just take whatever God blesses us with and just spend it on our own needs first?”.

It’s easy to take our finances and put it in our bank account and pay our bills and tell ourselves that if there is any left over we will give it to God.

It happens all the time. That’s why people are broke, because it happens so often and there is never any left over. Why? Because me, myself and I can always find something else to spend it on.

Why does God want our firstfruits and not our in between or last fruits?

As we give to God first it shows Him that we are putting Him before ourselves, our needs and our wants. This means a lot to Him. This shows Him where our heart is.

When we put God first with our finances, He pays attention. Our giving does not go unnoticed. He knows if it is painful, or if it is easy. He sees if we are doing it out of the right heart, etc.

Luke 21:4 (NKJV) 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Now, just because we don’t give God our firstfruits doesn’t mean He love us any less or He won’t help us from time to time. God is good and He helps His children. He is a forgiving God and full of mercy.

But, can we cause our own problems at times by not obeying this?

Malachi 3: 10-11 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And 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. 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts;

According to Malachi, we could possibly be tying God’s hands from a protection and a blessing that He would love to give us as we obey Him with our tithes and offerings.

Give to God what He is asking for and be blessed!! Amen.

Malachi 3:12 “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Tagged with: , , , , ,