"So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Luke 16:11-13 CEV)

Faithful people are generous when they don't have anything to give. Anybody can be generous when they have a surplus. I can be generous with my time when I've got a lot of extra time. I can be generous with my money when I've got a lot of extra money. I can be generous with my energy when I've got extra energy to spend. It's when I don't have enough time for me, I don't have enough energy for me, I don't have enough money for me, I don't have enough talent for me that God says, "This is a test. I'm watching you to see if you are faithful. Will you be faithful, and will you trust me?"

Here are five principles in which God will test you and then bless you:

1. God gives to generous people.

Why does God want me to be generous? Because he wants me to be like him.

2. Obeying God's vision will bring God's provision.

If you do what God tells you to do, God will bring along the resources you need at the right time. What he's given you the vision for he will give you the provision for.

3. When I do all that God tells me to do, he does what I can't do.

God often asks you to do the impossible to stretch your faith. When you give what little you have, God multiples it and makes up for it.

4. When I have a need, I sow a seed.

Whatever you need in your life, sow that as a seed, and it will come back to you.

5. There's always a delay between sowing and reaping.

There is a season between planting and harvesting. What's going on in the time delay? It's a test of your faith.

Will you be faithful to give when you have little? Will you keep on doing the right thing? Will you do what God wants you to do, no matter the cost, and then see what God does?

Talk About It

- In what ways are you generous with your time, money, and talents?

- How do you respond to giving something in which you have a shortage?

Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He's the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America.

This devotional ©2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"He has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me?with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead .. And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers." (Lamentations 3:4-6, 8 NLT)

We all go through a time when our lives seem to be falling apart. We lose our job. A relationship falls apart. Someone dies. Our health takes a turn for the worse.

In those times, we're tempted to think God has abandoned us.

But he hasn't.

The ancient prophet Jeremiah was in the same boat when he wrote the book of Lamentations. His country, Judah, endured an economic tailspin and was terrorized by a foreign enemy. He witnessed incredible inhumanities committed against his people. People were out of work and starving to death.

Where did Jeremiah start? He told God how he felt. In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah says: "He [God] has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me?with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead .. And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers" (NLT).

Does it surprise you that these words are in the Bible? Jeremiah, too, felt God had forgotten him. But Jeremiah didn't ignore what he was feeling. He didn't sugarcoat the situation. He told God what was on his heart. In fact, Jeremiah spent five chapters telling God what he thought about the situation. He told God, "This stinks!"

Why would God put that kind of passage in the Bible? He wants you to know that he can handle your anger, your gripes, and your grief. Jeremiah spends an entire book of the Bible blowing off steam. If God was big enough to handle Jeremiah's pain, he's big enough to handle yours, too.

Swallow your emotions, and you just hurt yourself. Your stomach will keep score!

Instead, unload them on God.

When my kids were little, they'd throw temper tantrums. Their temper tantrums didn't make me love them any less. They didn't make me doubt my decisions. They didn't make me feel like less of a father.

They reminded me that my kids were immature. They didn't know what I knew.

God doesn't love you any less when you throw a temper tantrum. He doesn't owe you an explanation, but he is never afraid of what you have to say.

So tell him. It'll be the beginning of healing.

Talk It Over

- What is going on in your life that you've been afraid to talk to God about?

- Why is it difficult to be honest with God about our struggles?

- Try writing a letter to God about your struggles. How does it help to put these words on paper? What can you more easily say to God by writing rather than speaking?

Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He's the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America.

This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him, so it is best for us to wait in patience - to wait for him to save us." (Lamentations 3:25-26 GNT)

When life seems to be falling apart, your most "spiritual" decision may be a surprise: Get alone with God, and wait.

The Bible tells us this in Lamentations 3:28, "When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:?Wait for hope to appear.?Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The 'worst' is never the worst" (Lamentations 3:28 MSG).

Most of us don't know how to "enter the silence." We're always anxious. We don't like to wait on God because it stresses us out. We like to be in control.

What does it mean to wait on God? You sit down, close your mouth, and just listen to God. You may read your Bible. You may pray. But most all, you're quiet in front of God.

Anxiety comes when we're not "waiting for hope to appear," as Jeremiah tells us. God wants to talk to us. He wants to give us the hope we crave. But we're way too busy. All of our circuits are busy! When he calls, we're on a different line.

If we want to listen to God and experience the hope he has for us, we have to get alone with him. We must "enter the silence" and be ready to hear him.

Jesus also said this in Matthew 6:6: "Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace" (MSG).

Get honest with God, and your focus will shift from just seeing your problems - no matter how overwhelming they seem - to the grace of God.

Lamentations 3:25-26 says, "The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him, so it is best for us to wait in patience - to wait for him to save us" (GNT).

Before you go out and try to solve your problem on your own, let God save you. It's like in those war movies when the enemy is marching toward the hero's army - which is usually an inferior, ragtag group. The hero tells his men to wait until he gives the order to shoot. Then, at the last possible moment, he yells, "Shoot!" Firing at the right moment means success.

The same is true for us. No matter what obstacle you're facing, you've got to wait for God's timing. He'll time your next move perfectly.

So wait and listen.

Talk It Over

- Can you think of a time in your life when acting too quickly led to a disastrous outcome?

- Why is it difficult to wait for God when you're struggling through difficult times?

Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He's the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America.

This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.