Proverbs 11:24  24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

Meditative thoughts:
What are the various ways the Holy Spirit has made me richer when I have given freely? 
How has God used these 40 days of “Walking in the Word” in my life?  Let the office or Pastor Bruner know.

Deuteronomy 16:10-11a   10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name…

Meditative thoughts:
How is sharing what God has given to me, a sign of trust in His generosity?
How generous can I be toward the ministry of St. Paul Lutheran, when God provides all that I have?

Matthew 10:32-33  (ESV)   32 “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”     

Meditative thoughts: 
How do people around me know that Jesus is the highest priority in my life? 
How is my love for God visible in comparison to my visible love of others?

Ecclesiastes 2:26a   26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God….

Meditative thoughts:
How does God use the Means of Grace to bless my life, rather than bless me through the gathering and collecting of the things of this world? 
Instead of hoarding, how can I help St. Paul Lutheran give away the gifts of God’s love and forgiveness?

Isaiah 46:3-4  (NIV84) I have upheld you since you were conceived, and have carried you since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Meditative thoughts: 
How do these verses express God’s commitment to me?
If God has promised to care for me my whole life, to what extent can I trust Him when I give generously to the work of the church?

Genesis 28:20-22   20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” 

Meditative thoughts:
Jacob spoke these words as a single young man with no job or income.  How can I rely on God as Jacob did?
I have much to be thankful for because of Christ Jesus.  How do I show my gratitude to God through my worship and gifts to Him?

Psalm 145:15-18  (ESV) 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 

Meditative thoughts: 
How has the Lord always provided for my needs? 
Whenever I call on the Lord, what assurance do these verses give me?

Deuteronomy 8:17-18  (ESV) 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.  

Meditative thoughts: 
What has my heavenly Father done for me that I would join Luther in saying, “for all this, it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him?”  
How often do I give God the credit for what I do and what I have?