WEBVTT

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Want to continue talking about contentment Let's

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read 2nd Corinthians 9 8 and God is able to make

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all grace abound toward you that you Always having

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all sufficiency and all things may abound to

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every good work That word sufficiency is the

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same word that we translate into contentment

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in first Timothy 6 6 which says godliness Godliness

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with contentment is great gain Paul is writing

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the church and Corinth saying God uses abundant

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grace to give us contentment Sufficiency enough

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in all things that we may abound in every good

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work We will have enough to do the good work

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by the empowerment of God Because we all know

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I love context. Let's go back to the beginning

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of the chapter Verse 1, For as touching the ministering

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to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write

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to you. Superfluous. Love that word and wish

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I remembered to use it in real life. Here it

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means excessive. Paul is saying when we talk

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about meeting the needs of the saints, it would

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be over the top, it would be excessive for me

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to write to you about this because, verse two

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says, I know the forwardness of your mind, for

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which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that

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a KI was ready a year ago and your zeal hath

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provoked very many. So what he's saying is, I

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know your predisposition to give. I know you

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were ready to give last year, and I told the

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church in Macedonia about that, and it inspired

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them to give as well. Yet have I sent the brethren,

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lest our boasting of you should be in vain in

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this behalf, that as I said, you may be ready.

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Lest happily, if they of Macedonia come with

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me, and find you unprepared, We, that we say

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not ye, should be ashamed in this same confident

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boasting. So, Paul is just saying, I know you

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said you were going to give. I know you're ready

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to give, but I really am coming for it. Don't

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make me ashamed of what I said of you. He's not

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trying to put shame on them, right? He says,

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I'm not saying you would be ashamed. I would

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be ashamed, we would be ashamed, right? He's

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using this inclusive language because he knows

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where their heart is at and he just wants to

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make sure they're not caught flatfooted. Therefore,

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verse five, I thought it necessary to exhort

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the brethren that they would go before unto you

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and make up beforehand your bounty whereof you

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have noticed. Before that the same might be ready

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as a matter of bounty and not as of covetousness

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So motivation matters Paul is reminding the church

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about their commitment But he wants them to give

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out a bounty out of abundance Think about that

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versus taking because you want what someone has.

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The NLT says a willing gift, not grudging. If

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you are not content, you will never have enough

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left to give. If you're not at a place of sufficiency,

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you will never have enough to spare. You might

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have good intentions. A lot of us say, well when

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I, I will give. When this happens, I will give.

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However, if you're looking around and you're

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bounty at your bounty You can always find something

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to give I was talked to I was talking to someone

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about giving and being generous and they said

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oh I give a lot. I always send my stuff to goodwill

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They were completely serious But they were giving

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out of their lack They had to buy new clothes

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and shoes or a chair, and to make room for that,

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they had to get rid of something. The goodwill

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donation was made because of a lack of space,

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not out of an abundance of blessing. Not to belabor

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the point, but I was talking to a friend of mine,

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and her friend had a house fire. The lady who

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had a house fire said there was a ton of donations,

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but it was all clothing and furniture no one

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wanted anymore. Now this is pertinent to our

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conversation because Paul is specifically talking

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about alleviating physical needs of saints in

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another location when we give To we say I'm giving

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my best because I have enough or Are we giving

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our cast -offs because we can't afford to spare

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any of our resources? Verse six But this I say,

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he which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly.

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And he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also

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bountifully. Proverbs 19, 17 says, he that hath

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pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord. And

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that which he hath given, will he pay him again.

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So when you lend to the poor, you're lending

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to God, and he will always repay. And so when

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we're giving, we don't want to give sparingly.

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We want to give, we want to sow a lot of seed

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because we want a lot of crop. This is something

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my mother would remind me of as she gave people

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money as I was growing up, and I'm thankful for

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this example. I remember her giving $100 to a

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neighbor lady who needed some cash, and she quoted

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this verse, and she said, I never expect this

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lady to pay me back. I'm giving it to the Lord.

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He will give it back when I need it. I believe

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the lady did pay her back, but it really didn't

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matter. My mom was sewing bountifully. Verse

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seven says every man according as he has purpose

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in his heart So let him give not grudgingly or

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of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver

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Let every man think about what he should give

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Pray about what he's gonna give And once they've

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decided without persuasion or Chris or coercion

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They should give without sadness or obligation

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or because that's what's expected It should bring

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us joy now remember this church had already made

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a commitment But it was a long time ago It was

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a year ago and right there attitude could have

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changed changed and Paul saying do not give Because

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you are being persuaded because you are being

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being coerced, give because it brings you joy.

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Giving should bring us joy. If giving doesn't

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bring us joy, that is an indicator of spiritual

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illness. Have you ever looked at your favorite

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treat when you're sick and it makes you ill just

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looking at it? Same thing, when you come across

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a need, when you are asked to give, And it brings

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out a bad attitude, you need to check your spiritual

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temperature. Verse 8. And God is able to make

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all grace abound toward you, that you always

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having all sufficiency in all things may abound

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in every good work. Here's why you have more

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than what you need. It is so you can do good

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work. Ephesians 2 10 says we are created unto

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good works. God blesses us not to get more stuff

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and go on vacation, but to do good. Of course

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we can have nice things and go on vacation but

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very few of us cap our spending Say this is enough

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for me and I am going to do good with the rest

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we are not very mindful of our resources as it

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relates to giving as a whole Verse 9 says as

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it is written he hath dispersed abroad he hath

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given to the poor his righteousness Remaineth

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forever so he's quoting here from Psalms 112

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9 which says he hath dispersed He has given to

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the poor his righteousness endures forever his

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horn shall be exalted with honor and so Paul

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is making an appeal to the Old Testament He is

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appealing to scripture that they would have read

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And he's saying this is a principle. We already

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know When you give to the poor when you give

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to places that are not gonna benefit you where

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you get no immediate Feedback or immediate benefit

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your righteousness is gonna remain forever He

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continues in verse 10. Now he that ministereth

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seed to the sower or gives the seed to the sower

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both ministers bread for your food and multiplies

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your seed sown and increases the fruits of your

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righteousness. Let me read it in NLT. It's a

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little bit easier. For God is the one who provides

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seed for the farmer and the bread to eat. In

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the same way, he will provide and increase your

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resources and then produce a great harvest of

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generosity in you. So what is the source of our

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prosperity? We often think of terms of, I worked

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hard for my money so I deserve. Or if I work

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harder, I will be able to afford. The center

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of that thinking is south What if we thought

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of our paycheck as from the Lord our? Investments

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as from the Lord our extra vegetables in the

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garden as from the Lord Psalms 1124 says give

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freely and become more wealthy be stingy and

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lose everything the generous will prosper Those

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who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

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People curse those who hoard their grain, but

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they bless the one who sells in time of need.

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Second Corinthians continues in verse 11, being

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enriched in everything to all bountifulness,

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which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

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For the administration of this service not only

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supplyeth the want of the saints, but is abundant

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also by many thanksgivings unto God. Let's read

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it in the NLT again. Yes, you will be enriched

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in every way so that you can always be generous

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and when we take your gifts to those who need

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them They will thank God so two good things will

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result from this ministry of giving The needs

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of the believers in Jerusalem will be met and

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they will joyfully express their thanks to God

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Wow This all stems from contentment People's

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needs will be met and God will be given thanks

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if our lives Bring glory to God by being generous

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by giving to people's needs What a great thing

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to do We have increased goods. We have increased

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blessings and we have it for the purpose of blessing

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others Which produces Thanksgiving to God? Think

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about a fellow believer's response when you supply

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a need. If you bring groceries to somebody, you

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prepare their car, you mow their grass, and they

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say, praise God. Oh, thank you Jesus, right?

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Your good works gives God praise, and it causes

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this gift to God. Verse 13 says as a result of

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your ministry They will give glory to god for

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your generosity to them and to all believers

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will provide you Prove will prove that you are

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obedient to the good news of christ And they

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will pray for you with deep affection because

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of the overflowing grace god has given you I

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love verse 14 And they will pray for you with

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deep affection Isn't that true? I know for me

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when someone shows a kindness to me I feel so

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loved and I love them in return. I'm more prayerful

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about their needs Sometimes we are never noticed

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except because of her kindness For me, I'm not

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beautiful or rich enough for anyone to pay any

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mind to me But if I'm kind and generous, I will

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be remembered and the root of it all Overflowing

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grace grace that is so great in you it is passed

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on Gifts, we don't deserve passed on to the next

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person and grace reaches the next person Thank

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God for this gift too wonderful for words. That's

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what nlt says in verse 15 Thanks be to God for

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this process. It's an amazing thing. It's an

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amazing gift It builds unity and trust within

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the body it allows us to serve more effectively

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and is the most joyful and fulfilling thing that

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we can do