Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #85

Generosity

2 Corinthians 9

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 6-7) "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

My Thoughts

Paul reminds us to be generous. Generosity means to be giving right? Well, what if you don't have enough for yourself? Enough money, enough food, enough clothes, or other stuff. Yes, generosity is about giving, it is also about being selfless as selfishness is the opposite of generosity.

Being generous doesn't mean that you have to go out and donate to charity or that you have to give food to every hungry person you see or even clothes to those who don't have much. You can totally do those things, and it is awesome for you to! If you are unable to do those things, that is alright too. There are other ways you can be generous.

You can be generous with your time, with your knowledge, with your advice. You could probably think of something that you can be generous with, even if you can't afford to give, financially. Paul says here that you reap what you sow, and it is so true. He says that if you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly, and if you sow generously, you will reap generously.

What Paul is getting at is not necessarily that if you give seventy percent of your income, you will get back more or that God will give you back more. Rather, you will get more in God's kingdom. That is nothing really to do with material things or money, but with your spirit. If your heart is not in the right place and you expect to gain something from your generosity, God will not be pleased.

If you are going to give, then give, and if you are not, then don't. Do not give reluctantly and do not give compulsively. Give because you want to give, not expecting anything in return, not because you feel you have to, but because you want to do so out of the goodness of your heart.

Giving, being generous, is supposed to be a joyful thing. Like at Christmas, the time of giving, it is supposed to be a joyful time! So be joyful this Christmas, whether you give a lot or give a little, if you give with gladness of heart, that is what matters and that is pleasing to God.

Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #78

Watch Yourself

Galatians 6

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 1-2) "Brothers, if someone is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (v. 4-5) "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each on should carry his own load."

My Thoughts

If a brother or sister in Christ is caught in sin, you should not condemn them. If you condemn them, you are going against what Paul teaches here and against what Jesus would want. Jesus did not condemn anybody, nor did he come to do so. He came to restore us and save us. So if our brother or sister is caught in sin, we need to restore them, gently. Do not be harsh as that will only drive them away.

Be loving toward them as Jesus would, and remind them that Jesus loves them very much. Help them to come back into right relationship with Christ. As you help them, you need to watch yourself, that you are not led into temptation as well. This can easily happen if you are not careful. Do not let them talk you into it or show you anything of it. Do not let yourself become a part of it in any way. If you do, that is how you will be tempted and you may fall down the same hole, so to speak. If you are the one needing and receiving help, do not try to tempt the one who is helping you.

Paul says that we should carry each other's burdens so as to fulfill the law of Christ. What he means here is to carry each burdens in the way previously mentioned. That is, by helping to restore your brother or sister who is caught in sin. We are accountable to one another, remember. That is how we carry each others burdens.

You also need to watch yourself that you don't compare yourself to anyone. Comparing yourself to others only leads you to think less of yourself, and that isn't healthy. Take pride in yourself for what you can do, for what you have, in God. Don't let yourself become conceited. You are special as you are just because you are you. God made you the way He made you for a reason, and that is not so that you can be less than anyone else.

I have people comparing themselves to me for certain things, and I honestly don't like it. I have also compared myself to others, and all it does is make me feel bad about myself because I'm not as strong or as smart or as good at a particular thing. Just be you and don't worry about others. Paul says here for this that each should carry his own load. He means in terms of comparing. You don't know what someone else's life is about, so don't compare yourself.

Paul says earlier to carry each other's burdens, then here to carry your own load. Seems a bit strange, doesn't it? First he says to do so, then he says not to. That's because they are of different context. The first is in terms of companionship. The second is in terms of comparison. As companions, share with each other, help each other and be together. As yourself, be yourself and only yourself, not someone else is because they are 'better' than you in some way.

Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #74

Sharing the Word

Acts 13

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 46-47) "Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: 'We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' ' "

My Thoughts

So far, I've done quite a few Bible readings from Acts. There is a lot of stuff in there and most of it seems similar. Well, it's all about acts; actions. Acts is about sharing, witnessing and generally just doing. We need to take action faithfully, otherwise we aren't truly living up to what God asks of us.

Paul and Barnabas shared the word of God. They shared the word to those in the synagogue, and also to the Gentiles. They, of course, faced opposition from the Jews, who incited others against them. Sharing the word isn't always easy. Sure, it is easy to do so in groups of people who believe, but not always so much when it is people who do not.

Some people may be angry because they think or feel that you are trying to force your faith on them. Others may just not really care. Again though, we need to share our faith. We do not need to go preaching to others, nor do we need to talk about any of this out of the blue. The biggest thing is that we do not hide our faith in Jesus.

When people ask questions or you feel like bringing up something specific from the Bible that would be relevant to the topic at hand, then do so faithfully! That is sharing the word, sharing your faith. When you do even this, you are acting in faith and planting the seed. What you say may incite those you're speaking to to learn more, whether they look it up themselves or talk more to you or someone else about it.

By the way, when you do face opposition to your faith in Jesus, do not worry about that. Do not worry because that means that you are fighting against Satan and he is trying to fight back. Do not be afraid because Satan cannot prevail against you if you stay faithful to God. In fact, keep on doing what you are doing! If God wants you to stop or to change something, He will let you know. Keep on acting in faith to God.

Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #71

Testimony

Acts 26

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 28-29) "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?' Paul replied, 'Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.' "

My Thoughts

Paul gave his testimony of how he came to know Christ. This was not the first time he had done so. King Agrippa's response to Paul was interesting. He knew that this was Paul's testimony and that Paul hoped he, and the others listening, would come to know Christ. Your testimony is important as well, even if it is not in any way similar to Paul's testimony.

People often have an easier time believing that something is true when there is testimony from others to go along with it. This is especially true when the claims are hard enough to believe as it is. It can be hard to believe some of the things that God has done because these things usually are not common place. So for people to hear them is great, but if they don't have testimony that someone else, living, has witnessed the same things, they may find it hard to believe.

The testimony that you give of the things that God has done for you and how He has changed your life make it all the more believable to those who hear who don't already believe. Give your testimony faithfully and honestly and don't be discouraged if someone gives you the same response Festus gave to Paul, "You are out of your mind!" You tell them what Paul said, "What I am saying is true and reasonable."

You never know, maybe your testimony is the first anyone has heard of Christ before, in which case, once they hear more, they will be more inclined to at least learn more. If yours is yet another time someone has heard about Christ, maybe yours will be enough for them to make the choice to follow God.

When you give testimony, be sure that it is honest and true. If people don't see that there has actually been any change, or they find out that a part of it was false, then that will most likely ruin all hope for them to commit there lives to Christ. If there is no change in your life from before you became a Christian to after, no one will believe that Christ has actually changed your life.

Be honest and faithful when you give your testimony of how Christ has changed your life. Stand firm when people don't believe you or when people argue with you. You may just be the one to bring someone to a relationship with Christ, whether you know about it or not.

Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #46

Mercy and Deliverance

Acts 22

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 4) "I persecuted the followers of this way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison," (v. 6-7) " About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' " (v. 20) "And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' "

My Thoughts

Paul was once an enemy of Christ. He persecuted people who followed Christ, threw them into prison and even had some killed. He gave approval of the killing as well. How could this man, who once persecuted and killed followers of Christ, come to know Christ Jesus himself? Jesus spoke to him in a personal way, through a bright light from heaven, which blinded him. Paul's companions saw the light as well, but couldn't understand the voice that spoke to Paul.

After this encounter with Christ, Paul turned right around and started to live for Jesus instead of against Him. What was your encounter with Christ? Have you had one? It may not be the same as what happened to Paul, but I can tell you, the encounter you have with Christ will not be something easily forgotten.

Jesus changed Paul's heart and Paul accepted Him into his heart. After that, God led him into Damascus to a brother. Later, God told Paul that he needed to leave because the people were not going to accept his testimony. God protected him and delivered him from the hands of people. Even in this chapter, as Paul is telling of these things, he was on trial. God delivered him from the hands of the commander as well.

God has mercy on all. As you can see in Paul's case, it does not matter what you have done, God will have mercy on you. You need only accept His Son, Jesus. If that is something that you want, all you have to do is tell God that you have sinned, ask for forgiveness and accept it, and ask Jesus to come into your heart. By saying this, you have made a choice to change our life and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. If you prayed from the heart, know that your prayer has been answered. What you do from there is change your ways to follow after Jesus.

God had a plan for Paul, and you can be sure that He has a plan for you as well. If you prayed that prayer just a second ago, you have been delivered from the hands of Satan. You have received mercy and are now made new in Jesus Christ! What is in the past no longer means anything, and I welcome you to the family of Christ!

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Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!

Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #29

Called by God

Galatians 1

I pray blessings on you as you read.

(v. 15-16) "But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I may preach him among the gentiles, I did not consult any man,"

My Thoughts



When Paul was called by God, he knew that it was God. Paul was persecuting those who followed Jesus and was advancing farther and faster than other Jews his age, as he says. Paul heavily persecuted Christ followers, until God appeared to him. After God had appeared to him, he immediately knew and he did not delay in going where he needed to go. Paul didn't even go and consult anyone else because he knew, after his encounter with God, what he needed to do.

Paul didn't hear God's calling for a long time. He certainly didn't hear God as a young child. Abraham was 75 years old when God had called him. Others are called at a very young age. If you have not heard God's calling yet, even if you are over the age of 50, don't worry about it. God has a plan for you and He knows what He's doing. Besides, I bet if you thought about it, you can see ways in which God has already used you, even if it's small things every so often. Remember, to God, the small things are significant. They aren't small to God or to those they affect.

God's plan for your life is not going to be the same as anyone else's. You are unique, and so is what God has in store for you. Just have faith that God will call you when the time is right. In the mean time, while you await that day, keep an eye out for the ways in which God already is using you, and for the opportunities where He could use you. I don't believe I have actually heard God's calling in my life yet. I feel strong pulls toward certain things, and then other things are just my own thoughts. God is still certainly using me in amazing ways, just as He is with you.

When God calls you, you'll know. Being human though, we may seek confirmation. I think that is totally fine. If there is something that's on my mind, and idea maybe, I would pray about it, and if I need to, I would go to someone I trust and ask their advice. There's nothing wrong with talking to someone who you could call a mentor and ask them to pray for you. In fact, that's actually always a great idea! Talk to a mentor and ask for their advice and prayer for any situation.

Last thing here, never think you aren't good enough for God to use you. Never think that you aren't smart enough, strong enough, charismatic enough or anything else. None of that matters to God because, one, He made you; He knows you better than you ever could, two, God is stronger in our weakness, and three, God qualifies those He calls. He does not call those who are qualified. Always remember that.

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Prayer Time

Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!