Jesus has simple words on giving: "Give, and it will be given back to you." It is important for the Christian to view giving as an exciting opportunity, as God has great rewards for the generous. The Bible describes a proportional relationship between the amount we give and what we receive back. Therefore it is important to examine your attitude and perception of giving and ensure that you are cultivating a giving spirit within yourself rather than a stingy spirit.

When Jesus was on the earth, the most common way he talked was with parables. He would use these story tools to parallel a physical truth to a spiritual one. One parable Jesus told was given great importance by Jesus, as he described it as being the keystone to understanding the kingdom of God. This is the parable of the sower. We are all familiar with this story and the description of different ground types' reception to seed being cast. Each of these examples describe the way in which the gospel may be received by listeners. We should strive to be the receptive soil that earnestly hears God's word and prospers.

Psalm 100 tells us to enter into God's gates with thanksgiving. The Bible's command to the believer is to be thankful for what God has done with us. An attitude of thanksgiving is not only the right attitude to have toward your creator but also something that will change your entire outlook on life and make your day so much better.

This month is a transitional month. Summer is ending, and autumn is upon us. Similarly, our life is full of transition periods, where we are needing to switch from our current state to what God has planned for us next. In other times, God may be wanting us to stay planted and dig in with endurance. It is important to exercise trust in God and patience in following his best plans for us.

When you go through the letters that Paul wrote, you come across many prayers that he prayed. It is important to distinguish between what was a benediction versus a prayer and their intended use cases. In particular I would like to focus on a prayer spoken by Paul over the church of Ephesus. We are encouraged by the content of this prayer to expand our expectations for what God can do for us.

If we aren't careful, we substitute people where there should be God. We start to rely upon others rather than God. It is of utmost important to make God your source. People are fallible and will let you down, but God is your creator who loves you and will always provide for you. It is especially important that when God provides for us, we do not mistakenly attribute it to other powers, but we must instead go back to God and thank him.

I'd like to speak to you on an Ephesian prayer. It serves as a framework for a prayer expecting growth and good things in the future from God. God is our heavenly father and has good plans for us, and we must be open to what he has planned for our lives. Regardless of what you have faced in the path, God's desire is to heal you and guide you into his perfect plan for your life.

I was in my office praying today and felt impressed with the word "forward," as in the phrase of "going forward." If you think about it, in the Bible there is so much emphasis placed upon us moving forward. For example, Jesus describes that if anyone were to follow him, he needs to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow him. The Christian walk is a concept of moving forward.