Daily Readings from Beyond Blessed, by Robert Morris
God is a generous God, and He has offered us the extravagant gifts of salvation and eternal life with Him. Since we are made in His image, believers should also exhibit His kind of generosity and extravagant giving. When God changes our hearts from selfishness to generosity, every part of our lives is affected.
God blesses us for two reasons: He blesses us because He loves us, just like we love our kids. But He also blesses us so that we can be a blessing. Living beyond blessed is not about what we’re able to receive; it’s about what we’re able to give.
The way God blesses us when we are generous was the foundational principle of book The Blessed Life.
We have to live within our means.
It is a simple concept, but there is still an unmet need for teaching in this area. Understanding how to manage one’s financial resources comes before generosity; it is the first of the two legs on which this life of blessing walks. The term for this management ability is stewardship. That is the focus of Beyond Blessed.
When we manage our finances well, we can bless other people as God leads us. God also blesses us in supernatural ways when we steward the finances He gives us and when we’re generous and bless others. It’s then that we can truly live beyond blessed and be a blessing.
You will find more peace within yourself and in your relationship with God and others. Your marriage and family will be blessed. And you will eventually find a treasure trove of rewards that God has prepared for you in heaven.
Follow for ninety days on this journey through Beyond Blessed. This collection of daily devotionals contains passages from the book that will guide you along the road to good stewardship.
You will relearn the concepts that are important to developing an attitude of stewardship and some practical steps needed to get there. You will also be challenged from time to time with reflection on your perspective and expectations about living a life of generosity.
Along with the daily readings you will find selected Scripture passages to help you understand the day’s material and to encourage you on the journey. There is also a daily prayer for inspiration and contemplation. Use these as a guide to express your thoughts and feelings to your heavenly Father and listen for Him to speak to you in return.
The readings are divided into fifteen sections that comprise the chapters of the book:
1. Maximum Impact, Minimum Stress
2. More Than a Budget
3. Your Perspective of Provision
4. The CFO of “You, Inc.”
5. First Things First
6. Humbly Grateful, Not Grumbly Hateful
7. Happy Heart, Happy Home
8. There Is Enough
9. Great Gain
10. The Witness Stand
11. Aim Before You Shoot
12. Hearses Don’t Pull U-Hauls
13. Hello, Mr. Budget
14. To Debt, or Not to Debt
15. Blessed to Be a Blessing
Of course, the purpose of this book is not just for you to learn about stewardship. You must put the principles of good stewardship and generosity into practice. As you do, you will experience all of the fruits of the Spirit, including what may be the greatest gift of all: the JOY that comes when you are living a life beyond blessed.
