Small Groups

Summer is a natural time of the year to pull back and get in some "me time". We are so busy with life that scheduling some down time to recharge our batteries becomes a necessary part of our summer routine. I do hope you have been able to do that or will do it soon. As you get back into your routine, mid August, use that recharged energy to give back to others. Make it a "Christmas in August" Bible Study for your group. Remember, giving is not dependent on the condition of your checkbook but on the condition of your heart. Lead your group in this brief Bible Study and model these life principles in your own life.

" For God so loved the world that he gave… John 3:16
"Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8
"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

10 Ways To Give Creatively This August

1. Give a homemade gift.
   "for the Lord your God will bless you in the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." Deut. 16:15
2. Give a personal gift.
   "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." Acts 4:32
3. Give a time gift.
   "Make the most of every opportunity," Ephesians 5:15
4. Give a prayer gift.
   "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12
   "I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone." I Timothy 2:1
5. Give an encouragement gift.
   "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." Proverbs 12:25
6. Give a blind gift.
   "If you give a cup of cold water to a little child, you will be rewarded." Matthew 10:42
7. Give a care gift.
   "Bind up the broken hearted." Isaiah 61:1
   "Bear one another's burdens." Galatians 6:2
8. Give a secret gift.
   "When you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret." Matthew 6:3
9. Give a forgiveness gift.
   "Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13
10. Give the gift of yourself.
    "Greater love has no one than this, to lay one's life down for his friends." John 15:13

Application:

• Which gifts do you need to give the most?
• Who needs to receive these gifts?