Daily Devotional for Tuesday July 23, 2019

The widow's mite!!!

(Luke 21:1-4)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Father, I pray, today, for each person who is reading these words. You know exactly where they are at today financially. I pray that whatever they have today is multiplied many times over in the coming weeks and months. Bless them in the area of their finances, Father, so that they may not only care for their day-to-day needs of those they are responsible for, but so that they may feed the poor around the world, those who are materially poor as well as those who are spiritually poor. I pray, today, a prayer of BLESSING on the finances of the person reading these words. Whatever we have in this life comes from You and is Yours Father. May we be faithful in managing what You have given to us. Multiply many times over what You have currently given to the person reading this word today and allow them to be a great blessing to the work of God throughout the world. I pray BLESSINGS over the finances of the person reading these words today for the glory of Almighty God. In the name of Jesus. Amen!!!

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

What is the real significance of the offering the widow made at the Temple? As most people were making their offering from the abundance that they had been blessed with, here came a widow with no wealth, with no possessions, who was just getting by day to day.

Yet, Jesus took the time to point out that her offering was greater than the others because she was giving out of her need. How could that be? You see my friend, it was not the greatest offering in the amount that she gave, but it was the greatest offering because of her need and the heart that she gave it with.

The point of this passage today is that the widow gave because she not only had faith that God would meet her daily needs, but just as important, she gave out of obedience and an understanding of how God works. You don't "give to get." You give as an act of obedience. You give as a form of worship.

You give to bless others, and because you give with a pure heart, God in turn blesses you. Never forget that His blessings come in many forms. Not just in money, but in things like health, safety, daily provision, and many blessings that we simply take for granted.

What I want you to take from this word today is that the amount that you give is not important. It is being obedient to give what God tells you to give! It is the heart and motivations that you give it with. When you give sacrificially, you are saying to God that you trust Him to provide for your needs as He has promised to, and that you are more concerned for others than yourself.

Nothing touches the heart of God more than giving of yourself to others, much as He gave His own Son for the sins of this world. God understands sacrificial giving!!!

I am overwhelmed and amazed how God takes so little to do so much. The overall basic ministry budget each month for Liveprayer is only $55,000. For just over $1,800 a day, we are able to freely provide all the ministry we do to millions of people worldwide every 24 hours.

The Bible is very clear that it is God's people who are to support God's work, and, they are to do so as they are led by God. I have always used the biblical example of Moses when he raised the funds to build the Tabernacle, David when he raised the funds to build the Temple Solomon finished, and Paul when he raised money for his missionary journeys.

Share the need with the people and simply ask each one to pray and give as God leads them to give!!!

We finally cleared up our June shortfall last week, getting a late start on covering our July ministry operations. 23 days into July, we have taken care of the first $5,000 of the $55,000 we require for July’s budget. Every year the summer months of June, July, and August are always a challenge as kids are out of school, many families take vacations, and life just slows down a bit for most people.

***We require $13,000 of our July budget IMMEDIATELY which leaves the final 8 days to cover the $37,000 balance of our July ministry operations. I need your help today!

Please be praying about what the Lord is calling you to do to help me this month. We are taught to “give according to our ability to give.” For some, that may be $10, others $20, $50, or $100, and still others it may be $1,000 or more. OUR GOD IS ABLE!!!

Today is the 23rd of July, and then we begin the 31 days of August. We require $50,000 for the balance of our July ministry operations, and $55,000 for our August ministry operations. So over the next 40 days we require $105,000 to go into the final 4 months of 2019 with all of our basic ministry operations current!!!

***In honor of our 20th anniversary in August, please be in prayer about sending a special one-time gift of $20, $1 for each year, $200, $10 for each year, $2,000, $100 for each year, or $20,000, $1,000 for each year. I will also humbly accept a special gift of $200,000 from one person God has blessed, enabled, and will speak to, about honoring His work at Liveprayer over these past 20 years!!!

TO GIVE A GIFT TO LIVEPRAYER, you can use your major credit card at: http://www.liveprayer.com/donate.cfm or you can mail your gift to: Liveprayer, 6660 46th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, FL 33709. All gifts to Liveprayer are 100% tax deductible!!!

I love you and care about you so much. Every day I get so many emails from people on the subject of giving. How much to give. Who to give it to. Never forget this. ALL, 100% of what we have belongs to God and is simply on loan to us. So whatever you give, you are simply giving back a portion of what He has entrusted to you for this season. That is why you can't out-give God, IT IS HIS ALREADY!!!

My counsel is to get alone with the Lord, pray, and let Him give you direction on how much to give and who to give it to, then be faithful to do it and do it cheerfully. HE WILL BLESS YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS, AND HE WILL BLESS YOU FOR YOUR OBEDIENCE!!!

Thank you for standing with me in this work. I will praying for you and for the Lord’s blessings on your finances. Never let giving be something that you dread doing. Don't ever let anyone force you to give what you don't want to. WHAT YOU GIVE IS NOBODY'S BUSINESS! IT IS BETWEEN YOU AND GOD!!!

Just like the widow that day at the temple, give as God leads you to give, give the amount He tells you to give, and give it cheerfully. Giving is an act of worship. When we give out of our need as that widow, GOD WILL BLESS YOU AND HONOR YOU FOR THAT!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller