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Day 329, or November the 25th. You can't take

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it with you. Our thoughts today come from 2 Corinthians

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9, verse 6. Remember this, whoever sows sparingly

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will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously

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will also reap generously. And now the big picture

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surrounding this verse. Paul adds more advice

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about giving, because it should really be part

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of normal Christian living. He then goes into

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some detail about his claims to be a real apostle.

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He declares he is a proper Jew, a true descendant

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of Abraham, and at the same time a true servant

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of Jesus. He's suffered beatings and shipwreck

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and many other perils as he has travelled to

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spread the good news of the gospel. He even shares

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the time he escaped from Damascus by being lowered

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down through a hole in the city wall. There is

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a traditional part of the modern wall today where

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this event probably took place. I recall standing

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next to it and reading the Acts chapter 9 passage.

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It made the event live forever. And now today's

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action step. The devil has done a wonderful job

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getting Christians to think that money and spirituality

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can't coexist. In our world, I am convinced it

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is impossible to minister without money. I think

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I can hear someone disagreeing. Allow me to enlarge

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my comment. The one who does the ministering

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and the one who supplies the money need not be

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the same person, but money is involved and has

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to come from someone. The question is often asked,

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how little do I need to give? Think about today's

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verse again. If we give little, we reap little,

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but if we give lots, we reap lots. When folk

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die, it is often asked by those who remain, how

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much did they leave? The answer is everything.

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Use your money here on earth and see God use

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it. Leave it in your will, and God can still

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use it, but you won't get to see. Paul was speaking

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to poor people, but they were very generous.

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It seems to me that often the more we have, the

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more we want, and the less we want to give. Money

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is great and very useful. How are you going to

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use yours?