The Heart of Giving - The Crosswalk Devotional - April 25

PLUS...10 Ways to Amp Up Your Prayer Life  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ &zwnj [Crosswalk.com Logo]( The Crosswalk Devotional  [Devotionals](        [Newsletters](        [e-Cards](      [The Crosswalk Devotional]( The Heart of Giving By Annie Yorty “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” ([2 Corinthians 9:7-8]( NLT) Denial. Disbelief. Delay. As a young Christian, I confess that when I learned about God’s prescription for giving, my reaction did not exude faith. I denied God expects His people to [tithe](. And if it were true, I couldn’t believe offering ten percent of my gross income would ever be possible. As a result, I delayed acting on the Holy Spirit’s conviction to give. God pursued my heart despite my stubborn attitude. My mind tussled with the impossibility of donating a chunk of my income to God. I recalculated my expenses time and again. A baby with special needs, a mortgage, car payments, student loans, utilities, and everyday costs expended our entire take-home pay. We didn’t even make enough to replenish the savings we had just spent to buy a home, much less give money away. Didn’t God understand our dilemma? Looking back, I imagine my heavenly Father shaking His head at His little girl trying to figure out this financial puzzle. I suspect I may not be alone in my limited understanding of God’s desire for generosity. In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to give a tithe—one-tenth—of their income to Him. This law led to our common understanding that we should give God ten percent of earnings.  Most don’t realize God also commanded additional giving, so a tenth is merely a starting point. In the New Testament, Jesus pointed to a destitute widow who exemplified the type of giving God requires.  [CONTINUE READING →](            You May Also Like:        [10 Ways to Amp Up Your Prayer Life](  Patricia Engler As essential as we know prayer to be, we may still struggle to pursue the vibrant prayer life which we recognize we need. Sometimes we can all use a little fresh inspiration to pray, whether we’re seasoned prayer warriors or new “spiritual cadets.” On that note, here are 10 ways to amp up your prayer life.  [CONTINUE READING →](       [7 Tools to Fight Anxiety](  Aaron D'Anthony Brown Never again do our minds have to run amok, not when we can use these seven alternatives to being anxious.  [CONTINUE READING →](            [Tim Hawkins Hilariously Recalls Growing Up With Generic Groceries](  GodTube.com Oh, Tim, you’ve done it again. You have us in stitches.  [WATCH NOW →](        [13-Year-Old Turns Into Viral Sensation With 'Moon River' Blind Audition - Audition Videos](  from GodTube.com You have to check out this 13-year-old singer who turned into a viral sensation after her rendition of ‘Moon River’ during the blind auditions on The Voice.  [CONTINUE READING →](                            Bible Trivia Question of the Day                                           Which book follows Numbers? A. Deuteronomy B. Jeremiah C. Judges D. Ruth [ANSWER THE QUESTION →](     [Crosswalk.com Logo](  [Read about Salem Web Network](  |  [Unsubscribe](   [Email Preference Center](  |  [View in Browser](   © 2023 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk. Â