38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.”
1 “Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
“As God's beloved children we have to believe that our little lives, when lived as God's chosen and blessed children, are broken to be given to others. We too have to become bread for the world. When we live our brokenness under the blessing, our lives will continue to bear fruit from generation to generation. That is the story of the saints - they died, but they continue to be alive in the hearts of those who live after them - and it can be our story too.” Henri Nouwen
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Amy Carmichael
“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, You have brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see You in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Your glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Your stars shine; Let me find Your light in my darkness, Your life in my death, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin, Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley.” From: The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
“Even when we feel like we’ve lost everything — we always still have something to give — and this always gives us back joy.” Ann Voskamp
“The heart that gives, gathers.” Marianne Moore
“A cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him to whom the gift is given.” Julian of Norwich
“God is the Great Giver and He desires for His people to be great givers as well. In God’s perfect economy, when we walk in faithful obedience to His commands, we will discover that we NEVER out give Him. What meager sacrifice on behalf of His children we perhaps make reaps a sure harvest even though it be extraordinarily hard. We live our lives for an audience of One to please Him not men. Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” BHY
“If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything. They who do not like Christ on these terms, may leave him at their peril. Whatever we part with for this pearl of price, we may comfort ourselves with this belief, that it is well worth what we give for it. The terms are, that we prefer Christ.” Matthew Henry
“We need not fear of losing anything by encouraging others. Indeed, it is a blessed paradox wherein as we pour out we become full. It’s God’s way.” BHY
“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received -- only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.” St. Francis of Assisi
“Be the bread so broken and given — that a hungry world yearns for more of the taste of such glory.” Ann Voskamp
“Take note of what God gives you. Then you will also know the task He gives you.” Heinrich Emil Brunner
“When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun. His love has no limit; His grace has no measure. His pow’r has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!” Annie Johnson
“Cheered by the presence of God, I will do at each moment, without anxiety, according to the strength which He shall give me, the work that His Providence assigns me. I will leave the rest without concern; it is not my affair. I ought to consider the duty to which I am called each day, as the work that God has given me to do, and to apply myself to it in a manner worthy of His glory, that is to say, in exactness and peace.” Fenelon
“You can have a saved soul and a lost life.” Alan Redpath