Tag: What the Bible says about giving

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!

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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!

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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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 1-25-16

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.”

Looking back many, many years, to when we first started to tithe and give of our offerings, we were in a position just like this woman; Broke, and in debt.

We heard a message about “Entering into a Covenant with God” being taught that day, and we KNEW God was speaking to our hearts.

We really didn’t question the financial position we were in. We just knew we had to take this step if we ever were to get out of our situation.

On our ride home that day we were silent. It was a humbling kind of silence. We had made a decision in our hearts and decided that no matter what, we would make a covenant with God and give to Him first.

We gave out of our poverty and our need.

Things did start to change for us. We had to work hard and it didn’t happen overnight. But God was faithful to His word and His promises.

If God is speaking to your heart to give, don’t wait until everything is just so. Start when you feel the prompting. Be prayerful. He will guide your steps.

God takes note when we give to Him and trust that He will take care of our needs.

Luke 21:3 (NKJV) 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;

It was not the amount, but the commitment and sacrifice.

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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-30-15

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.”

We had someone write in to us one day, asking us to pray that their financial situation would change, so that they would be able to give.

On another occasion, we had a person tell us that what they really wanted from God was to be able to give abundantly.

In our own lives, understanding the power that lies within giving was one of the major things that helped us to come out of a huge financial situation many years ago.

After listening to a teaching on giving one day, we realized we were in the mess we were in, not because of anyone else’s fault, but our own. We needed to obey God and His word, even in our giving.

If we don’t obey God’s word we cannot expect to receive His promises. So, that day we made a commitment to give to God, first and foremost, from that day forward.

We didn’t know how we were going to pay everything else. We just took a huge step of faith and gave to God first, every time our check came in. Things got paid and it worked! We saw His promise happen right before our eyes!

For others, it may be different. The way we did it may not be the way you should do it. The best thing to do is acknowledge where you are at and go from there.

Pray and ask God where and how you should start. He will guide your steps.

We want this coming year to be a wonderful year for you; the beginning of change in your financial situation. As we hold on to God’s promise, we must begin somewhere. Pray and ask God to bless you so that you may be able to give.

When He gives to you, or should we say when He opens the door for it to come in, don’t spend it on other things. Because that does happen a lot.

Take it, put it in a safe place and give it to where and whom He guides you to.

We are not saying that trials won’t come against you and that everything will always be smooth sailing. But we are saying that when they do come, you will have protection.

Malachi 3:11 (NKJV) “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;

There is NO doubt that it changes our situation as we obey God in our giving. 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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-29-15

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.”

Giving is the answer to a lot of our problems today.

There are so many problems with finances in this world. People struggle every day.

We know from firsthand experience that as we give it comes back, just as God promises us it will.

We teach on giving, not so we can become rich, but so that you may receive all that God has for you.

So many people struggle with giving; there’s no doubt about this. We hear about the struggles and we see it all around us.

Why? Because it’s a normal instinct to want to keep what we work hard for. It’s normal to want to get ahead and put some away. But what we lack in knowing is that God’s word promises us that if we give to Him first, all these things will be taken care of.

What destroys people is a lack of knowing the important things that God wants to help us with; a lack of knowing God’s way of doing things, following them and then receiving His promises.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV) 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Let us not be destroyed by rejecting the simple truths of God’s word. Let us take action and do what is right.

Give today and watch it come back, pressed down, shaken together and running over! 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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-25-15

Matthew 19:21-22 (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.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

A very wealthy young ruler had come to Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do to have eternal life.

Jesus gave him a short list of important things that he should do. The young man replied that he was already doing those things and asked if there was anything else he needed to do.

As the young man waited for Jesus to answer, he was very likely thinking that he was in pretty good shape due to the life he led and the fact that he was already following all of the things Jesus had told him to do.

But then Jesus told him that he would need to sell all of his possessions and give to the poor. Upon hearing this, the young man went away sad.

Why did he go away sad? It wasn’t because he was rich. It was because he held so tightly to his wealth that he wasn’t willing to give it away, even at the expense of his eternal destiny.

What about us? How well would we handle this same scenario? Would we also walk away sad?

We don’t have to have great wealth to be greedy or to hold too tightly to what we have. But what we do have, we need to be willing to let go of, if God requires of us to do so.

When we are blessed with material possessions, we need to hold them loosely, so that if, or when, God asks us to give them away, we won’t have a hard time doing so.

And if we don’t have great wealth, it doesn’t excuse us from giving, either. Whether we have little or we have much, God requires of us to give!

Luke 21:1-4 (NKJV) 21 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 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.”

So let’s ask God to search our hearts in this and ask Him to show us if we’re holding too tightly to what we have been blessed with.

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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-7-15

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.”

Giving is so rewarding, whether it’s giving of our time, giving of our money, or giving of material things, etc. This past week and a half has been a crucial time of giving for me.

My Dad was having trouble with chest pains and went to see a heart specialist. He just barely made it in, only to have them take him out by ambulance to bring him to the Emergency room, and then finding out he needed three way bypass heart surgery. My dad is 80 years old.

I was so thankful that I could be there and walk through it with him and be there for my Mom. Everything that I had to get done on my schedule came to a screeching halt. It was my time to give to them.

At times I was exhausted. I’d hold back my emotions and tears just to be strong for them. Even though I was scared and my legs were ready to crumple beneath me from the different reports the doctor would give us.

It was not about me. It was about putting myself and my feelings aside to help someone else get through a tough time in their life.

Giving of our time means so much to people, and through it they see how much we care.

It is a time to let others see God’s love and strength work through us. Giving is a sacrifice, but a very rewarding one at that.

Give and it will be given 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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 3-16-15

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.”

If we want to feel fulfilled and do something meaningful, then we need to let God show us how to give and to whom to give. It is the best feeling ever and brings such fulfillment when we are one with God!

One day, long before we were pastors, God laid on our hearts to go visit a man and woman we know, and give to them a specific amount of money. So we drove over to their home and knocked on their door. They had us come in and sit down and we explained how God had sent us there and wanted us to give something to them. We handed them the envelope and planned on leaving.

But instead, we stayed and visited a bit. After we had been there a while, the man got up and left the room. When he came back, he had a large basin filled with warm water, and he had some towels. He asked us to take off our shoes, and he began to wash our feet.

As he washed our feet he began to tell us things that God was going to do in our lives. We cried like babies as he ministered to us. We had no idea it was going to turn out like that.

As we did what God asked us to do and gave that sum of money, He had a special surprise waiting there for us.

Some of us are waiting on God for Him to move on our behalf, but He is waiting on us to do what He has already told us to do.

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.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-30-14

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.”

We may think that when we give, no one knows about it but us, whether it’s a helping hand to someone, or something personal that means a lot to us.

It could even be our tithes and offerings. Maybe we were thinking that we could have used that money for our own personal use, but instead we obeyed God, made a sacrifice and gave it anyway.

Or it could be something as simple as hugging someone that irritates us, but we went out of our way and did it because we knew they needed it.

God noticed it. He saw what you did! He sees all that we do, and Jesus says in this verse that it will come back to you. He is faithful to give back to us with the same measure we use when we give.

It may not come back the way that we thought or from the person or the organization that we gave it to, but it will come back to us in the way and form that God wants to bring it back.

So keep on giving. We can’t get discouraged and start doubting what we did. Press in, keep giving and thank God because it’s coming back!! Amen.

Have a wonderful day.

Love in Christ,

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.

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