Bible Lesson: Cherished Promises To
The Child Of God: To The
Beneficent.
Bible Text:
Ecclesiastes 11:1 KJV
Cast thy bread
upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
The Lord's Request:
Cast thy bread
upon the waters:
The Lord's Promise:
for thou shalt
find it after many days.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 ERV
Do good
wherever you go. After a while, the good you do will come back to
you.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 ICB
Do good things
everywhere you go. After a while the good you do will return to help
you.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 TLB
Give
generously, for your gifts will return to you later.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 MSG
Be generous:
Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns.
Isaiah 32:20 NLT
The Lord will
greatly bless His people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops
will spring up. Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.
Beneficent/Benevolence:
Doing good or
causing good to be done; conferring benefits; kindly in action or
purpose.
Desire to do good
to others; goodwill; charitableness:
(Dictionary.Com)
Adam Clarke
Commentary:
Cast thy bread
upon the waters - An allusion to the sowing of rice; which was sown
upon muddy ground, or ground covered with water, and trodden in by
the feet of cattle: it thus took root, and grew, and was found after
many days in a plentiful harvest.
Give alms to the
poor, and it will be as seed sown in good ground. God will cause thee
afterwards to receive it with abundant increase.
The Word:
Deuteronomy 15:10 NLT
Give generously
to the poor, not grudgingly, for The Lord Your God will bless you in
everything you do.
Psalm 41:1,2 KJV
1 Blessed is he
that considereth the poor: The Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble.
2 The Lord will
preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the
earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
Psalm 126:5,6 KJV
5 They that sow
in tears shall reap in joy.
6 He that goeth
forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Proverbs 3:9 KJV
Honor The Lord
with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase:
Proverbs 11:18,24 NLT
18 Evil people
get rich for the moment, but the reward of the Godly will last.
24 Give freely
and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
Proverbs 19:17 KJV
He that hath
pity upon the poor lendeth unto The Lord; and that which he hath
given will He pay him again.
Proverbs 21:13 KJV
Those who shut
their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time
of need.
Proverbs 28:7
NLT
Whoever gives
to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to
poverty will be cursed.
Ecclesiastes
5:13 KJV
There is a sore
evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the
owners thereof to their hurt.
Malachi 3:7-12 KJV
7 Even from the
days of your fathers ye are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have
not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith The
Lord Of Hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man
rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed
with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all
the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house,
and prove Me now herewith, saith
The Lord Of
Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out
a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will
rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the
fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before
the time in the field, saith
The Lord Of
Hosts.
12 And all
nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land,
saith The Lord Of Hosts.
Matthew 5:45-48 KJV
45 That ye may
be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His
sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just
and on the unjust.
46 For if ye
love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
publicans the same?
47 And if ye
salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even
the publicans so?
48 Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 10:42 KJV
And whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no
wise lose his reward.
Matthew 25:32-40 KJV
32 And before
Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one
from another, as A Shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats:
33 And He shall
set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall
The King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world:
35 For I was an
hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I
was a stranger, and ye took Me in:
36 Naked, and
ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye
came unto Me.
37 Then shall
the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered,
and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we
thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw
we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And The King
shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done
it unto me. (Read the rest of the story...verses 41-46)
Mark 12:41-44 NLT
41 Jesus sat
down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds
dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.
42 Then a poor
widow came and dropped in two small coins.
43 Jesus called
His disciples to Him and said, “I tell you
The Truth, this
poor widow has given more than all the others who are making
contributions.
44 For they
gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given
everything she had to live on.”
Luke 6:33-38 KJV
33 And if ye do
good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners
also do even the same.
34 And if ye
lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for
sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye
your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and
your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of The
Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye
therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not,
and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it
shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with
the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again.
Luke 14:12-14 NLT
12 Then He
turned to His host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” He
said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich
neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only
reward.
13 Instead,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
14 Then at the
resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those
who could not repay you.”
II Corinthians 8:1-3 NLT
1 Now I want
you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has
done through the churches in Macedonia.
2 They are
being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are
also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich
generosity.
3 For I can
testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more.
And they did it of their own free will.
4 They begged
us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the
believers in Jerusalem.
5 They even did
more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves
to The Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
II Corinthians 9:6-9 KJV
6 But this I
say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he
which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is
able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9 (As it is
written, He hath dispersed abroad; He hath given to the poor: His
righteousness remaineth for ever.
Galatians 6:8-10 KJV
8 For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to The Spirit shall of The Spirit reap Life everlasting.
9 And let us
not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not.
10 As we have
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto
them who are of the household of faith.
I Timothy 6:17-19 KJV
17 Charge them
that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust
in uncertain riches, but in
The Living God,
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do
good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing
to communicate;
19 Laying up in
store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that
they may lay hold on eternal life.
Hebrew 6:10 KJV
For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have
shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and
do minister.
Giving And Taking
Who gives and
hides the giving hand,
Nor counts on
favor, fame, or praise,
Shall find his
smallest gift outweighs
The burden of the
sea and land.
Who gives to whom
hath naught been given,
His gift in need,
though small indeed
As is the
grass-blade's wind-blown seed,
Is large as earth
and rich as heaven.
John Greenleaf Whittier
Give of Your Best to
the Master
Give of your best
to the Master;
Give of the
strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s
fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle
for truth.
Jesus has set the
example,
Dauntless was He,
young and brave;
Give Him your
loyal devotion;
Give Him the best
that you have.
Refrain:
Give of your best
to the Master;
Give of the
strength of your youth;
Clad in
salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle
for truth.
Give of your best
to the Master;
Give Him first
place in your heart;
Give Him first
place in your service;
Consecrate every
part.
Give, and to you
will be given;
God His beloved
Son gave;
Gratefully seeking
to serve Him,
Give Him the best
that you have.
Give of your best
to the Master;
Naught else is
worthy His love;
He gave Himself
for your ransom,
Gave up His glory
above.
Laid down His life
without murmur,
You from sin’s
ruin to save;
Give Him your
heart’s adoration;
Give Him the best
that you have.
Howard B.
Grose, pub.1902
Hear the music,
copy and paste this URL into your web browser and hit enter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKRW4vlgGks
Prayer:
Romans 5:7,8 KJV
7 For scarcely for a righteous man
will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to
die.
8 But God commendeth
His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us.
Acts 2:21 KJV
“And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall be saved.”
