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Paul's challenge to Timothy about prayer is the same challenge, with different words, as his challenge to the church in Colossae. "Be devoted to prayer." Being devoted to prayer doesn't mean that prayer is the only thing that you ever do. Just like being devoted to a job, or a cause or a spouse doesn't mean that is the only thing you will ever do. But if I am devoted, there isn't much in my life that my devotion won't touch. Right? If I am devoted to my wife, it will cause me to give myself to her in many different ways. It will shape my decisions, shape my day. She will come to mind often. But it doesn't mean I am with her 24/7, that wouldn't be good for her!

 Being devoted to prayer doesn’t mean that all we do is pray, but it does mean our passion for prayer will shape our day, our decisions, and our relationships. There will be a practice of prayer that looks like devotion. That practice won't be the same for each of us and it won't be the same in every season of our life, but it will be noticeably different from not being devoted to prayer. 

Are you devoted to prayer?

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In this episode we are going to look at one of my favorite visions from the book of Revelation. It's a vision of the bowls of heaven being filled with our prayers and then emptied out before God. It's a vision that shows us how much prayer matters to God, as it describes a silence in heaven, the hush of heaven as our prayer are heard. Prayer matters. Prayer matters more than we think. 

Last week we had a week of 24/7 prayer. 300+ people prayed for about 1200 hours. In fact 80+ of our Myanmar family prayed for close to 500 hours! Kids fasted and prayed for us. You talk about the bowls of heaven being filled up.  During the week I had some opportunities to see God answer prayers in pretty incredible ways, so incredible that it makes me want to do it again soon. But even more shaping for me during that time was just this occasional sense that God was there. Listening. With a smile on his face or a tear in his eye. Those times gripped my heart. Prayer matters to God. It should probably matter more to us.

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I'm just going to close the Overflow series with some generosity stories, a few of my favorites. I hope that they inspire you to put God to the generosity test. See if he will actually make all grace abound to you so that you can abound in every good work. I really do think that He is eager to help us become living proof of a loving God! Enjoy some generosity stories!

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This is a hard one. Matthew 18:23-35 is a hard story, but it contains a liberating truth that our hearts need to hear. Jesus says it's our choice. When someone offends, hurts, or betrays us, will we build a prison of bitterness or live in God's overflow of grace?

It's our choice...

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This is the last message in our Life Refreshed, summer in the Psalms series. It was given for a weekend of celebration. But at it's heart it is an invitation to join the story of God, a God whose greatness goes beyond imagination and whose greatness is matched in abundance by His goodness. And how do we join the story of God? Well that's why you need to listen. :)

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 Here is a principle I've repeated more than once in this series. "God's uncontainable blessings come from God's unmistakable presence." But let me add to that with this truth. "His presence comes in community." Now I'm not saying that He's never with you when you are alone. But there is a certainty and power to His presence when even just two or three gather with one heart focused on Jesus.  Why is that important for a discussion on generosity? Well first of all don't miss the practical truth flowing from that statement. Here it is. "We can't live in the overflow alone!"

And living together requires a generosity of another kind. It requires a generosity of grace and forgiveness that begins with the overflowing grace and forgiveness of God. That's where we are headed in this episode.

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In this episode we are going to tell the generosity story of Mary. In the last few days of his life, she gave Jesus a gift that touched his heart. She had a love-burst. She had a moment of tender affection that gripped and expanded her heart so much that it seemed like it might burst. And she had a moment, an act of generosity that has not been forgotten for thousands of years.

I don't know about you, but I want to be remembered as a generous person...a person who gave with his heart...not just his head...a person who was crazy
in love with Jesus and willingly gave into his love-bursts. Have you ever had a love-burst? 

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In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story. It's a story about helping or ignoring Jesus in need. Now at first glance I'm a little unnerved by this story. I don't like the idea of ignoring Jesus in need.  I'm pretty sure that if I saw Jesus, (and I knew it was him) I would help. I would help Jesus-in-need. Don't want to miss him. But what if the point of the story is less about who I've missed and more about my heart? The point of this generosity story isn't to lay out a set of rules and regulations, the point is my heart.  Do I have a generous heart? Am I motivated to get in the generosity game?

And if you think about it, Jesus makes it pretty easy to get in the game. These are not unattainable goals. This is not super bowl giving; a cup of water for someone who is thirsty, a meal for someone who is hungry. This is simply baseline behavior for someone on the Jesus journey. Take a step. Do it for Jesus!

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Why do we long to be rich? And is there a better way? Those are the questions I'm tackling in this episode, still looking at Paul's words to his young friend, Timothy. But in the end, rather than going after more stuff, we need to trust a better Savior. We need to live entrusted rather than entitled and we have to grab life through generosity.

Then we start stepping into the overflow!

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We have entered a week of 24/7 prayer at Calvary. Actually if you want to join us, you can sign up at www.calvarycwow.org/resources -- just look for the "Sign Up Here" button. If you sign up I'll send you a prayer guide!

But we start the one-hour prayer guide with gratitude. I wrote this, "We begin where revival always begins — not with our striving, but with his goodness. Gratitude is humble preparation for a reviving work of God. In hard times, gratitude turns our eyes back to the God who has already been at work all around us. Before we ask God for a move of God in Central PA, let’s thank him for every move of God we have already seen."

Psalm 67 is a great Psalm to focus our gratitude. It uses the word "bless" a lot! It's a good thing to be reminded that in so many ways, we have been blessed beyond belief.  So this episode will continue our Psalms series with a pause on gratitude. Next episode we will step back into generosity!