Making Change: Week 3 - Giving is Good
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Less Is More
Stress Is Bad
Giving Is Good
Tomorrow Matters
…You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Acts 20:35 NLT
We know it’s a blessing to receive....to consume
But consuming doesn’t move you. Think about it. How many stories of consuming give you goose bumps.
Receiving is OK, but Giving is what’s truly good because it’s more blessed because God says it is.
When that officer gave me the warning instead of the ticket....he didn’t have to, but he did…I was blessed.
When you give it impacts someone else’s life.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11
Giving makes you happier.
It actually healthier to give....
People who give are more connected to others…part of you goes out there
People evokes thankfulness…for giver and receiver
Giving is contagious
So why do we struggle to give more? to be more generous?
Liken it to eating at my granny’s table....best seat was by my papaw b/c all the food wound up at that end of the table.
I think it’s because we believe a lie for truth.
We have seen people take advantage of giving and that makes us cautious
But #1....We think we don’t have enough to be generous.
We live in Scarcity not abundance.
Scarcity—Limited amount available. Protect what I have.
Abundance—God has more to give—When I give—Bless.
TRUTH: When you give you will be a blessing!
When you give you will be blessed!
The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed... Proverbs 11:24-25 MSG
Think about that…the one who blesses others is abundantly blessed…not will be after…but gives out of their blessedness.
That’s the key to being a generous person actually…that’s why being generous is simple…because it’s not something we do…God does something in you and then you live in response
It’s that simple
To Grow in Generosity
To Grow in Generosity
1) Trust God in the tithe.
1) Trust God in the tithe.
One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy. Leviticus 27:30 NLT
God produced it all…we set aside 1/10
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10
Only place we can test God
Worship God with my first and my best—trust him to bless the rest!
Trust God in the tithe.
Trust God in the tithe.
When we began to tithe, Both FT jobs…then I take pay cut…M goes pt...
For years after we began to tithe, our income actually went down every year…but God blessed the rest.
Teaches: Prioritize your life around God.
Teaches: Abundance mindset.
Builds your faith in God’s faithfulness.
Never miss it!
Never regret!
2) Plan for generosity.
2) Plan for generosity.
We all have a plan to get more....we go to work…we go to school to get a better job…can we also make a plan to be generous?
But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity. Isaiah 32:8 NLT
Plan for generosity.
Plan for generosity.
I would love to give more…but I can’t…yes you can, we all can, we just may need to find a way to give!
Some of us may be able to earn more to give more…others may need to sell a boat! Sell season tickets! Some of us are unemployed—or on a limited income…we get to be generous with our hands and our feet…we can serve.
Examples of extravagant offerings in the bible!
Not amount amount—heart!
Solomon 1000 bulls!
Widow who gave 0.02c
Generosity won’t just happen…something else will always seem more important at the time.
3) Start your generosity now.
3) Start your generosity now.
And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Philemon 1:6 NLT
When it the best time to put faith into action? NOW.
Generous church…let’s focus it…Michelle met some kids at the dollar store the other day who were shopping for breakfast…There is a critical need in our community and God has all the resources to impact the lives of those kids right here in this room...
What if we adopted a family for a year and committed to teaching them job skills, budgeting skills, we introduce them to some of the people we know who own businesses; what if we taught them how to fix the things around their home.
What if we committed to serving a free dinner one night every week in order to meet and share the love of Christ with our neighbors.
They say people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care…what if through our generosity, we pooled our care to impact our community.
The time is now…the place is here.
When you give—you will be a blessing!
When you give—you will be blessed!
Less is More,
Stress is Bad,
Giving is Good,
Tomorrow Matters