The Bible Prayer Line – Bible Lesson
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Bible Lesson: Marks Of Godly Character Versus Marks Of Non-Christian Character: Liberality Versus Stinginess.
Bible Texts:
Liberality:
Proverbs 11:25 KJV
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Proverbs 11:25 NLT
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Stinginess:
II Corinthians 9:6,7 KJV
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
II Corinthians 9:6,7 NLT
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
The Word; Liberality:
Leviticus 25:35 KJV
And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
Deuteronomy 15:11 KJV
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Luke 10:25-37 KJV
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.
28 And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Luke 12:33 KJV
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
II Corinthians 8:1-9 NLT
1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.
5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to The Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving.
7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.
Philippians 4:14-18 KJV
14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you The Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this.
16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.
17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.
I Timothy 6:17-19 NLT
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
James 2:14-16 NLT (Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead)
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
The Word; Stinginess:
Proverbs 11:24 NLT
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
Proverbs 21:13 17 NLT
13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.
17 Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.
Proverbs 23:4,5 NLT
4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.
5 In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.
Proverbs 28:22,27 NLT
22 Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.
Mark 12:41-44 NLT (The Widow’s Offering)
41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.
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.
44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
Luke 6:34-36 NLT
34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of The Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
Luke 12:15 NLT
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Romans 13:8 KJV
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
II Corinthians 9:6 KJV
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
I Timothy 5:8 KJV
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
I Timothy 6:6-10,17 KJV
6 But Godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in The Living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Prayer:
Galatians 6:10 KJV
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
