Omer Devotional Day 39

May 8 at sundown - Day 39
Today is day 39 of counting the Omer 
Today is day 39 out of Egypt
Today is day 39 of Messiah Resurrected

Reaping Bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6-13)

Sowing and Reaping Generosity
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.
7 Let each one give as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion—for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that by always having enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work.
9 As it is written, “He scattered widely, He gave to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now the One who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
11 You will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us brings about thanksgiving to God.
12 For this service of giving is not only supplying the needs of the kedoshim, but is also overflowing with many thanksgivings to God.
13 Because of the evidence of this service, they praise God for the obedience of your affirmation of the Good News of Messiah and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to everyone.

Reflect:

We may often look at our household bills and the things our families want with nervousness. There may be an unspoken fear that we may run out of resources, that our kids won't be living the fullest life possible with the best possible outcome. Instead of being fearful about our lack of resources or losing them, Paul is challenging us to look at giving and generosity in a different way. He is showing us that “reaping bountifully” isn’t the result of keeping resources to ourselves but instead the result of being generous! At Restoration we call this being irrationally generous. As a congregation we give out 12.5% percent of the tithes and offerings we receive to charitable organizations such as Seattle Children’s Hospital, the Everett Pregnancy Resource Center, Seattle Union Gospel Mission, and many more. We firmly believe being irrationally generous is a discipline that God has called us to, and we encourage those who attend to do the same!

Prayer: Lord, show us how to be irrationally generous. Help us to understand that You want us to sow into our congregation’s finances and the lives of others. In Yeshua’s name, amen.

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At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.