Go Giving!

29Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, everyone who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or fields for Me and for the Good News 30will get a hundred times more than he left. Here in this world he will have more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields. And with those things he will also suffer for his belief. But in the age that is coming he will have life forever."

Mark 10:29-30 (The Everyday Bible)

• Part of what it means to live life for Jesus and the Good News (Gospel) is to be willing to give up things.
  
• This scripture tells me that Jesus needs to be placed first. Living a Christ-led life means making it a top priority over everything else.
  
• When my priorities are in line and Jesus Christ is placed first and I am willing to give up and surrender everything, He promises that the reward will be a hundred-fold. A blessing like that from God is so great, it's beyond comprehension! What more incentive do I need to be willing to give it all up?!
  
• God promises that we will have it "here in this world", meaning NOW, -that's when we can receive a blessing by God. Therefore we need to act upon his instruction NOW!
  
• The Lord also tells us here that we will suffer, or be persecuted for our belief. I believe that this is a form of discipline from our Heavenly Father. For with belief comes a heed to God's instruction, with the obeying of His instruction comes blessings, and with these blessings must come discipline so that we may steward them well and not squander them.
  

Dear Heavenly Father please help me to be willing to give up everything that I have in this life and help me to endure persecution. Your rewards far outweigh any suffering because I know that every blessing and every gift that You give is worth more than anything in this world. Help me Jesus to always stand up and be a soldier for You. ~Amen

Great Knowledge... Available to ALL!

All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
John 16:15 (NIV)

• I really love this scripture. Jesus here explains the connection that we all have, the connection to God the Father.
  
• Jesus has an understanding of God that is so vast, and yet He (by the Spirit) wants to share it with us and make Him known to us.
  
• God's generosity and love is so great! He wants to give us all He has, and make things known to us that will only deepen our relationship with Him.
  
• A love for Jesus, and trusting in Him with all your heart will allow God to love and work in your life. Jesus himself tells us this in verse 27: "the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God."
  
• We need to keep the Spirit within ourselves, always. For it is through the Spirit we are guided and through the Spirit we can hear and learn truth from God.
  
• Keeping the Holy Spirit within keeps the connection to God.
  
• Jesus is God's gift to the world, and the Spirit is God's gift to each and every one of us as individuals.
  
• Jesus enables us to have a direct-to-God connection. God sent Jesus so that we may know Him and His ways.
  

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Your Son to be that excellent example for us, to give us teaching that otherwise we would not know, and to ultimately pay for our sins. Thank You so much Lord, for it is through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that we may have a close relationship with You. I pray that I may always keep You near, and forever keep the Holy Spirit within me.  ~Amen