Sunday, 27th December, 2020.
Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 9: 36-42
Memory Verse: The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. Proverbs 11:25 (NKJV)
What manner of man lives with his wife in a rented apartment in the city of San Francisco but surprisingly, over the course of his life donated more than $8 billion to charitable causes. What manner of man never wears branded clothing, his glasses are aged, his watches are functional but unglamorous but through his lifetime has contributed $588 million to Cornell University, his Alma mater. What manner of man does not have his own car – his primary means of transportation is the bus, and the bag he uses for work is an old plastic bag but has given $125 million to the University of California and $60 million to Stanford University. Who is this man? Well, his name is Charles Francis popular called Chuck Feeney. He was born April 23, 1931.
He is an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist and the founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies, one of the largest private foundations in the world. He made his fortune as a co-founder of the Duty-Free Shoppers Group, which pioneered the concept of duty-free shopping. He is frugal with himself but generous to others. He likes to make money but does not like to spend it on himself. Outside of the United States, he spent $1 billion renovating and then building seven new universities in Ireland. Incredibly, he also founded a charity fund aimed at providing cleft lip surgery for children in developing countries.
More incredibly still, Chuck never sought for praise for his many contributions. He admirably never revealed his name in any association for his donation preferring to be anonymous. Towards the end of his life, God decided to announce him personally by Himself. When asked why he chose to donate all his wealth to charity? He simply said, “People are born naked and then finally die alone. No one can carry the wealth and reputation that he himself has been striving for a lifetime”. A reporter asked again, “Why did you give all your fortunes?” He said, “Because the corpse cover does not have a bag”. Chuck Feeney also said, “Think for the people while enjoying life at the same time”.
Food for Thought: As soon as we all drop dead, everything we ever worked for in one way or the other belongs to another person. Why not use your resources to the glory of God now that you can. In this season of love, sow a seed into eternity. Do something unusual to the glory of God and for the benefit of humanity now that you can. There is always a need in your environment. Lord, open our eyes of understanding to where you need us work for you with our resources.
Quote: You could be wealthy but not generous. Check your heart.
Prophetic Decree: Receive the giving grace, in Jesus name.
Prayer Focus
1. Thank you Jesus for lavishly giving me all that pertains to life and godliness.
2. I receive the giving grace today, in Jesus name.
3. Spirit of selfishness, die, in Jesus name.
4. I tap into uncommon wealth for generational transformation, in Jesus name.
5. Lord, this day I make a solemn declaration that by your grace, I will not fail You even as You entrust me with wealth, in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 John; 3 John