The point is this:

whoever sows sparingly

  will also reap sparingly,

and whoever

           sows bountifully

will also reap bountifully.

       2 Corinthians 9. 6

(God's fundamental law

       about sowing:

What am I sowing?

How am I sowing?

And for whom?

Generosity is not just

      about giving.

   But about sowing,

investing, engaging,

putting forth effort,

and sacrifice

    in so many dimensions.

Abundance in giving

  is never singular.

It is not just about stuff.

    But our hearts in it.

Generous in every way,

in every good work,

in every good attitude,

in every gracious act,

in every response,

not because we have to,

     but we get to.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just see need

          all around us,

but how to respond to it.

And not just see need,

     but people.

Fill our hearts

with the abundance of

    Your steadfast love

that we may sow

   with great hilarity

for Your glory and grace

even in barren

   and unexpected places.

 

For we aim

at what is honorable

not only in the Lord's sight

but also in the

           sight of man.

         2 Corinthians 8.21

(Our relationship with Christ

comes with a

     360 degree awareness

of His Presence in all places

    and those around us,

serving the Lord,

loving Him,

loving others

that He may be known.

Our salvation is not based

      on our behavior,

but our behavior is

   radically changed

   because of our salvation,

His love for us,

      our love for Him.)

O LORD,

You are with us.

You surround us.

You open our eyes

           and hearts

to everything around us.

Help us not just to be

aware of You,

but changed by Your Presence,

in love with You,

in awe of You,

worshiping You

      wherever we are

and among whomever,

witnessing Your glory.

 

As you do not know

the way the spirit comes

to the bones in the womb

of a woman with child,

so you do not know

         the work of God

who makes everything.

In the morning       

            sow your seed,

and at evening

   withhold not your hand,

for you do not know

which will prosper,

       this or that,

or whether both alike

        will be good.

        Ecclesiastes 11. 5-6

(Whatever God places before us

       or on our hearts,

do with all excellence,

for in our work and worship,

there is no insignificance.

We can never know

how God is using it,

    just that He is,

the extraordinary

       even in the ordinary.

The simple act

   of sowing tiny seeds

produces a forest

that far outlasts

      our lifetimes.

We have only

   to be faithful to Him.)

O LORD,

In whatever we do,

You bring completion

            to it,

in unlikely places

  and unexpected ways.

There is no end to

    what You sow through us.

There is no separation

    between work and worship.

Faithfulness and

           fruitfulness

     are inextricably woven.

You, O LORD, redeem.

Even this hard place.

Even this mystery.

Even this lowly task

  that is more sacred

             and eternal

 than we can ever know.

 

That your trust

may be in the LORD.

         Proverbs 22. 19

(What is the meaning

            of this incident,

this hardship,

this awesome joy,

this rocky road,

this glorious path?

That we would

        know Him more.

That we would trust Him,

      no matter what.

God is still sovereign,

even over what

   we don't understand.

At the end of our rope,

the bottom of the pit,

hanging on by a thread,

God is right here with us.

"Trust Me in this."

God is already redeeming.

Trusting Him is

not having to see

     His fingerprints,

but knowing He is using this,

far beyond what we can know.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust You more.

Help us to know You more.

Help us to make You known,

to share the testimony

     You have given us

as a strength for others

and to point to others

        that You are God.

You are the Almighty God

      in Whom we trust,

our Savior whom we love

   and You love us.

Trusting You

     may not change

     the circumstances,

but radically changes

             our journey.

We choose to run with You.

 

Sing praises to God,

    sing praises!

For God is the King

   of all the earth.

          Psalm 47. 6-7

(What am I listening to?

What am I humming?

What songs are

    stuck in my head

    on automatic repeat?

Songs of grumbling

and complaining

and dissatisfaction?

Singing praises to God

doesn't just make us feel good

but actually physically

      changes our brains

      and ultimately our hearts.

We can change

    the station we

    are influenced by.

Praise sees differently

and looks differently

altering how we live,

choices we make,

how we respond,

how we love God

     and love others.

How can I approach this day

   and even this difficulty

with praise to God

   in my heart and words?

What song

    am I singing today?

What new song

    am I composing?)

O LORD,

May we sing out loud

the song that never ends,

the song of Your steadfast love

and joy in unexpected places.

May our lives

    be radically different

even in what we sing.

May we be aware

that others are listening

   to what we praise

and the songs of our heart.

 

There is nothing better

for a person than that

he should eat and drink

and find enjoyment in his toil.

This also, I saw,

is from the hand of God,

for apart from Him

who can eat

  or who can have enjoyment?

           Ecclesiastes 2. 24-25

(God is our source of joy

in whatever we do.

He does not promise

everything will be fun,

but that there is joy

        through Him.

May we seek out His joy

in whatever He places

before us to do,

not in striving to

      earn His favor,

but out of sheer love

                  for Him

and sheer joy in

    getting to serve Him,

sometimes in the most

  unexpected and unlikely ways.

God brings the fulfillment

      and completion to it.

We have only

        to be faithful.)

O LORD,

We come before You

not just in time of need,

but in serving You

in the extraordinary

   and in what we only see

   as ordinary.

You bring Your joy to it.

In Your eyes,

there is nothing mundane,

nothing that You cannot use

for Your glory

and for Your kingdom.

Even in this.

We can approach

the hard stuff differently

because You dwell in us.

Help us today to be ready

and equipped

and aware of opportunity,

even in the

      not so obvious ways

   of Your glory.

 

For the love of Christ

            controls us.

...that those who live

might no longer

       live for themselves

but for Him...

   2 Corinthians 5. 14-15

(What does it look like

for the love of Christ

      to control me

      in this situation?

To respond, act,

and love others differently

not just because

   of my love for Him,

 but His love in me.

"It is not I who live,

but Christ who lives in me."

Nothing can

        ever remain the same.)

O LORD,

Dwell in us richly.

Help us to live in that reality.

Help us to live like that.

Release,

restore,

redeem

and empower us

   to be faithful

   and a witness.

Even in this.

Control us, O LORD,

by Your love.