Promise for Today - Wise Investments

They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NLT)

You are going to enjoy forever what you invest in heaven, and you invest in heaven every time you use money for good.

So what’s the best way to store up your treasure in heaven? Any financial advisor will tell you not to put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, you put your money into different funds for a balanced portfolio.

Today and tomorrow, we’re going to look at five different “funds” you can invest in for eternity. These funds are proven. They have a track record. They’re protected. They are risk-free. And they yield enormous dividends.

God’s Growth Fund. 

This is any time you invest in something that is going to grow your character. Proverbs 10:16 says, “The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin” (NLT).

You enhance your life with your money when you use it to grow spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. When you use money to develop your skills and become mature, you are investing in eternity.

God’s Mutual Fund. 

This is every time you use money to encourage fellowship and build relationships with other believers. Romans 12:13 says, “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality” (NLT).

Why does God want you to use some of your money to show love to other believers? There are three reasons: It proves that you’re in God’s family. It creates unity. And it’s a witness to unbelievers.

God’s Service Fund. 

This is when you invest in eternity by using money to serve others. God wants you to take some of your money and use it to help people who are in need.

Proverbs 11:24 says, “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor” (CSB). In other words, the more you help others, the more God blesses you. Why? Because God is a giver. He is generous, and he wants you to become like him.

You’ll find yourself becoming more and more like God as you invest in your character, other believers, and people in need.

Talk It Over

Do you spend money on things that ultimately damage your character? What could you direct that money toward to build your character instead?

Why is it important to demonstrate to people that you are in God’s family by taking care of other believers?

What is your motivation for being generous? How does your motivation affect your generosity?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          We come before You, asking for Your wisdom, insight, and discernment so that we may serve others with clarity, compassion, and truth. Open our eyes to see the needs of others, to understand their situations, and guide us in how to meet them in love and faithfulness. Grant us the discernment to act with integrity, to speak with truth, and to lead with humility. May Your Spirit fill us with wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy (James 3:17), so that we can grow and help others grow in their walk with You.
     We trust in You completely, knowing that if we lean not on our own understanding but on Your guidance, You will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Help us to avoid the pitfalls of pride and self-reliance, and instead to rely on Your wisdom in every decision that affects others. 

     Father, may our words be a blessing, our actions a testimony, and our hearts a channel of Your grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - No Worries

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

You can be a hero one day and a zero the next day, a millionaire one day and bankrupt the next. No matter how much you make or how much you save, finances are an uncertain part of life.

So you worry. But what does the Bible say about worrying over money?

1. It’s unreasonable. 

Matthew 6:25 says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (NIV). You’re going to have fears in life, but you don’t need to fear a lack of finances. Even bankruptcy does not have to defeat you. Life is more than just the accumulation of things. Be concerned about what’s truly important.

2. It’s unnatural. 

Jesus reminded people that there’s no need for God’s creation to worry: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NIV).

3. It’s unnecessary. 

Financial fears come from a misunderstanding about God and what he’s promised to do for you. He’s assumed responsibility for your needs. Jesus said, “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field . . . will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30 NIV). God is your Father; you are his child. He knows what you need better than you do and will provide for you in ways you may not expect.

When you worry, you’re trying to play God. You’re assuming responsibility for something that God has said he will take care of. Paul says in Philippians 4:19, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (NLT).

God knows what’s going on in your life—and in your wallet. He knows all your needs even before you ask. And you can trust him to take care of you.

Talk It Over

Sometimes money can feel like the most important thing in life. But what things in your life are actually more important than your finances?

How do you balance trusting in God and being a good steward of your finances?

What promises from Scripture encourage you when you start to worry about money?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          We come before You with hearts full of the choice to trust You. We know You are our provider, and You care for us and our families. Please lift up Your standard against every worry, fear, and anxiety in our hearts.
       We release and place our financial concerns into Your hands, knowing You will meet all our needs according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Help us to focus on Your kingdom and righteousness, and to live with gratitude for what You have already given us. Give us the wisdom to manage our resources in ways that honor You, and to be generous to those in need. We pray that You will open doors of opportunity to serve and to give to others in need. Provide for our needs, and bring peace to our hearts. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - When It Comes to Giving...

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.’

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)

When it comes to giving, God cares much more about what’s in your heart than what’s in your wallet. You may think you don’t have a lot to give. But what he really wants is your willingness—not your wealth. God cares about your heart in giving because your heart reflects him. He wants you to grow to be more like him and reflect a heart of generosity.

This verse offers four key heart attitudes you should have when you give.

1. Give thoughtfully. Don’t give impulsively. The most spiritual kind of giving is when you think about it, pray about it, and then make up your mind about it. God wants your giving to be important and meaningful in your life—so he wants you to plan for it.

2. Give enthusiastically. Don’t just think, “I have to give.” Give because you know God’s going to do something big in your heart when you become a generous person.

3. Give voluntarily. Any time someone pressures you to give, don’t do it. God’s not going to bless that kind of giving anyway. But when you feel God challenging you to give, that’s the time to give generously and voluntarily.

4. Give cheerfully. Give with joy! One of the Greek words for “offering” has the same root as the word “hilarious.” God wants you to enjoy giving to him and to others.

Next time you’re considering whether to give or how much to give, remember that God’s greatest concern is your heart. When you give thoughtfully, enthusiastically, voluntarily, and cheerfully, then you know that’s a gift God will bless!

Talk It Over

God wants you to give thoughtfully, enthusiastically, voluntarily, and cheerfully. Which of these attitudes is most difficult for you? Which is easiest for you? Why?

What is a healthy, proper way to respond in situations when you feel pressured to give?

What is God doing in your heart through your current giving habits and choices?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

        We come before You today with grateful hearts, asking that You shape our giving to be mindful, intentional, and aligned with Your will. Help us see every blessing — whether it is time, resources, talents, or love — as a gift from You, entrusted to us for Your glory and to help build Your kingdom.
      Remove from us any reluctance, fear, or selfishness that might hinder true generosity. Teach us to give not out of obligation, but from a place of joy and love for You. Let our giving reflect Your heart, marked by compassion, kindness, and patience. Guide us in how, when, and where to give, so that our acts of generosity are wise and purposeful, meeting needs without causing harm or imbalance. Whether it is through material support, time, encouragement, or acts of kindness, may our giving overflow with blessing for others and for You.
      Help us to give with a cheerful spirit, knowing that You are our Provider. May our lives become a channel of Your grace, bringing comfort, hope, and encouragement to those around us. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - Keeping Record

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

Proverbs 21:5 (NLT)

If you want to be financially strong, you need to start writing down what you spend until you know where all your money is going. This is the principle of accounting. You’ve got to keep track of your finances!

Have you ever made it to the end of the month and wondered, “Where did all my money go?” Ignorance of your financial condition plus easy credit equals disaster.

You’ve probably heard this phrase: “Money talks.” It does not. It just walks away quietly, and it doesn’t tell you where it’s going. To know what you’re spending your money on, you have to keep good records.

When it comes to your finances, you need to keep good records of four things: what you own, what you owe, what you earn, and where it’s going. This kind of record-keeping is the framework for budgeting.
There are several ways to budget, and you need to figure out which one is best for you. You need to get online, get to your bank, get to your accountant’s office, get into your books—whatever it takes for you to get on track and understand your money so that it works for you and not against you.

Proverbs 23:5 says, “Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle” (GNT). That’s a pretty descriptive picture. If you don’t know where your money is going, it’s just going to fly away like an eagle. Fortunately, for those of us in the US, our government is kind enough to remind us of this by putting an eagle on every dollar bill!

The financial plan that God blesses starts with recognizing that he is your source of income and your security. Then, by keeping good records, you can more easily see how God is providing for you and blessing your good stewardship of his gifts.

Talk It Over

How can budgeting your money give you more freedom financially?

What steps do you need to take today to be able to better track and allocate your money?

How do you want God to bless you financially? In what ways are you being faithful to him with your finances?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for every resource You have placed in our hands. We acknowledge that all we have comes from You, and we are merely stewards of Your provision. We ask for wisdom in managing our finances—to make decisions that honor You, avoid unnecessary debt, and prepare for the future. Teach us to distinguish between needs and wants, to budget faithfully, and to invest wisely. Forgive us for, and protect us from, greed, pride, and scarcity thinking. Help us cultivate a spirit of generosity, trusting that You provide for all our needs. Let every financial choice bring stability, peace, and blessing. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen

Promise for Today - Time Delayed

Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.

Galatians 6:9 (GNT)

I talk to people all the time who say, “One of these days, I’m going to . . . ” They promise to serve more or give more when they retire, or when they get a raise—one of these days.

But “one of these days” is none of these days. You can’t wait for things to get better; you need to start planting now. Why? Because the sooner you plant, the longer you’re going to enjoy the harvest in your life. But the harvest is not always going to come in your expected timeframe. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season, and you harvest in another.

You have to be patient and not give up!

This is one of the principles that the kingdom of God operates on. In Mark 4:26-28, Jesus says, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” (NIV).

The results will come, but they will come slowly and as part of a process. And because it takes time, you have to choose to be patient: “Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest” (Galatians 6:9 GNT).

Choose to forget about last year’s crop failure. Instead, start focusing on the long-term harvest in your life. If you’re in financial difficulty, you didn’t get that way overnight. You took years to mess things up, and it’s going to take a while to put things back together. There is a time delay between sowing and reaping.

The Bible says in Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (NLT).

What loss have you been grieving over? Maybe you’ve lost your job. Maybe you’ve lost your health. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one. Maybe you’ve lost your savings. Maybe you’ve lost half of your retirement in the last few years. Maybe you’ve lost your dream.

Mourning is okay; moaning is not. Instead of moaning, get moving!

Today is the day to plant the seed.

Talk It Over

If you could give financial advice to your younger self, what would you say? What can you learn from your financial mistakes that you can apply to your current situation?

What past mistakes and financial failures do you need to let go of? What do you need to start doing today to move forward with your finances?

What do you want to receive more of in your life? How can you plant that seed so that you will one day reap your own harvest?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Just as the farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, so we wait for the harvest of Your promises. Teach us to be like the husbandman—faithful in our labor, trusting in the early and latter rains of Your provision
      Thank You for the seasons You have given us, for the growth You have allowed in our lives, and for the foundation You have laid. We place our hope in You, knowing that if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently. Strengthen our hearts so that we do not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.
       Lord, calm our anxious thoughts and fill our souls with peace. Let our patience be a reflection of Your goodness, and may our waiting be an opportunity to grow in faith, trust, and gratitude. We trust in Your sovereignty, for to everything there is a season, and we accept Your timing in every matter. Thank You for the harvest You have already begun to gather for us, and we look forward to the fullness of Your promises. May our patience be a light to others, showing them the beauty of waiting on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Reflection of the Generous

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)

If a farmer goes out with a trailer load of beans and plants them in a barren field, what fruit does he expect to bear? Watermelon? Cucumbers? No, he’s going to get beans. He doesn’t doubt or question that outcome, because whatever you plant is what you’re going to get back.

This is the law of reproduction, and it applies to every single area of your life, especially your finances. Another way to explain the law of reproduction is this: You reap what you sow.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (NIV).

This can work either positively or negatively in your life. If you’re planting seeds of kindness, people will be kind to you. If you forgive others, they will be forgiving of you. If you’re generous, people will show generosity to you.

But if you are angry all the time, people will respond in anger. If you cheat other people, people are going to cheat you. If you gossip about other people, guess what? People are going to gossip about you.

The law of reproduction says that you reap what you sow. But the principle of multiplication says that you also always reap more than you sow.

When you put one kernel of corn in the ground, you don’t get one kernel of corn back. You get a cornstalk with multiple ears and hundreds of kernels. This is the exponential power that God has established in the universe. You always get more out of it than you put into it.

It’s why, when people verbally attack me, I never attack in return. Why? I don’t want to get caught in the chain. No matter what anyone says to me, I don’t want to say anything bad back to them because if I do, I’m going to reap more than I sowed. Instead, I choose to do the exact opposite of what they’ve done to me. I choose to bless them and pray for them. Why? Because that’s what I want to receive, and I always reap more than I sow.

The Message paraphrase says, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (Proverbs 11:24).

Talk It Over

How have you seen the principle of multiplication active in your life?

What do you expect from your investments? How are you sowing so that you can receive what you want to reap?

How do you want God to make your world larger (Proverbs 11:24)? What do you need to change about your finances so that he can increase your influence and giving?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,
           We come before You with humble hearts, asking for Your grace to be more generous. Teach us to see giving not as a burden, but as a privilege that reflects Your abundant grace. Open our hands and our hearts to share Your blessings freely, without hesitation or expectation. Remove selfishness, fear, and reluctance that may hold us back from truly serving others.
      Help us to give not only with our resources, but also with our time, our words, and our love. May our generosity overflow into acts of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, bringing healing, unity, and hope to those around us.

     Teach us to trust You fully, knowing that when we give, You will meet our needs and bless us in return. Let our giving be joyful, sacrificial, and in faith, so that it may glorify Your name and make Your light shine brightly. Father, we pray that our generosity may be a reflection of Your heart — open-handed, selfless, and full of love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Promise for Today - For Your Good

As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)

There’s nothing in your life that you can’t learn from if you’ll just respond with the right attitude.  Instead of saying, “God, why is this happening to me?’ learn to say, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” Every situation in life will either make you bitter or better. It’s your choice because you CAN choose how you respond to it.

Every problem has a purpose, and the purpose is to help you grow up spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 says, “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus” (ICB). If one of God’s purposes for your life is to grow up spiritually and to become like Jesus, then what is Jesus like?

The Bible calls Jesus’ character the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 GW). These are the qualities God wants to build in your life. He wants your life to overflow with love, joy, peace, and all of these attributes.

God often produces these qualities in your life by putting you in the exact opposite situation. 

He teaches you how to love by putting you around unlovely people. It’s easy to love people who are cool, people who are like you, people you get along with. But God will put you around seemingly unlovable people to show you what his unconditional love looks like.

He’ll teach you joy not by giving you everything you want but by showing you in adversity and grief that he is still enough.

He doesn’t teach you peace when you’re out fishing by the lake or wherever you choose to rest and relax. God teaches you real peace in the middle of chaos, when everything in your life is falling apart and you learn to trust him more.

God teaches us patience in traffic jams and waiting rooms and the thousand different ways we have to wait in life.

Becoming like Christ is a lifelong journey. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 in The Living Bible paraphrase, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.” God’s Spirit will be working on you the rest of your life to help you grow up spiritually.

When he uses ways to help you grow up that seem uncomfortable or inconvenient, remember that they are producing in you God’s best fruit.

Talk It Over

Think about a recent situation or circumstance that was difficult or stressful. How might God have intended to use it for your spiritual growth?

Why does adversity often teach us better than prosperity?

What do you think God wants you to do when you’re faced with adversity and you can’t see how God is using it for good in your life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Holy Spirit, we come before You with humble hearts, asking You to cultivate Your fruit in us. Let Your love flow through us, touching everyone we meet. Fill us with joy that overflows, peace that surpasses understanding, and patience that endures through trials.
           Lord, we ask for kindness and goodness to define our interactions, faithfulness to guide our commitments, and gentleness to reflect Your tender care. Grant us self-control to walk in righteousness and to resist temptations that seek to lead us astray.
          May love permeate our actions and words, joy radiate even in trials, and peace reign even amidst storms. Foster in us patience towards others, kindness in our dealings, goodness in our actions, faithfulness in our commitments, gentleness in our responses, and self-control in our desires.
         As we abide in You, we will bear much fruit, glorifying Your name and being a blessing to others.
We trust You, Father, to change us into the image of Your dear Son, and it's in His Name we pray. Amen