http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nalKZlh3xoo&feature=related
We will focus on one of the most sensitive and challenging areas of our life and that is what we do with our money. We will talk about what makes it so easy for us to part with in some areas of our life and why it is so hard in other areas. It is my desire that we walk away with a God sized confidence in the biblical teaching on this very subject. We want to focus on overcoming the barriers that get in the way of cultivating a spirit of generosity.
http://www.generousgiving.org/excuses-barriers
There are at least 40 barriers that have been identified why it is so hard for us to part with our money in a good way as it relates to giving. Don’t worry we won’t go through all 40 but let’s look at the most common.
Reason #1 It’s my money. I earned it.
Everything comes from you; all we're doing is giving back what we've been given from your generous hand." 1 Chronicles 29:14 (The Message)
As long as our starting point begins here, we will always have a tight rein on our money. We need to realize that everything we have is a gift from Him. We have been blessed with talents, skills, opportunities and it is all from Him. A transformed mindset asks God how are we going to be a good steward of the resources You have given me.
As long as you keep thinking that it’s all about you, you will have a very hard time with giving.
As a child I thought I had a pretty good grip on what I could hold in my hands. It didn’t take very long with four older brothers that my grip wasn’t as good as I thought and I learned to let go and share. As we get older, we need to learn this lesson again and again and God has His ways of helping us learn to lose our grip on things and keep placing our grip on what has eternal value.
Reason #2 I am so in debt right now, giving is not even an option.
"God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done ... " 2 Corinthians 9:8 (The Message)
The key in all of this is to realize that God knows exactly what brought the debt into your life. He knows the burdens that you are carrying and He wants you to bring it to Him. He is the one that can give you the wisdom and the understanding to walk out of this. He has also blessed us with the wisdom of others.
The Dave Ramsey ‘financial peace university’ saves the average family $5300- in debt and blesses them with $2700- in savings through learning to budget and even simplifying our spending by looking at it even from a daily perspective.
The easiest way to part with your money is to not account for it and that is what happens when we make the decision to reward ourselves with purchases that have not been brought into the big picture.
Some people look at credit card as real money and so they have learned to move to the envelope method. This is where the money that comes in a given month is divided accordingly to set amounts at the beginning of the month and the receipts are tracked in those non-fixed areas of our expenses. Some have even gone so far is to put cash in each of the envelopes.
However, even when we are in debt, God doesn’t want us to miss out on the joy and blessings of giving so even when we are rock bottom, He still expects us to listen and be ready to give while being responsible to pay back debt.
The Bible tells all Christians to give to God from their "first fruits" (Proverbs 3:9). ‘The first check you write belongs to the Lord and no one else, not even a creditor.’ Larry Burkett
Do you believe that God's grace is sufficient to allow you to be obedient to Him even when you have other bills to pay?
Reason #3 I would like to give, but my spouse does not share my desire to give.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6
God is all about marital unity and desires that this unity is also expressed in the way that we give. It is something that we do together and we don’t sacrifice one on the altar for the other. We need to really be together on this one and it comes as we pray about it together as well. When there is an unbelieving spouse, there is also need for openness to come to agreement on this as well as giving will be done in such a way as not to challenge or strain the marriage.
The Old Testament spoke a lot about being obedient to tithe. The tithe is 10% of our earnings. However, even in the OT, giving went beyond the tithe and it ceased to be the finishing line in the NT where we are told to give cheerfully from the heart. The tithe is an excellent starting point for us and God didn’t want it to become just a rote exercise that is done without thought. It was for that very reason that the children of God in the OT learned that it was giving God our firstfruits, our very best as we see taught in Exodus 23:19 and commanded in many places throughout the OT.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9
To give is something that we do in proportion to what we have. This is not about going in debt or giving more than you have. God may ask you to stretch your limits, but that will come as you adjust your budget. This is not a demand that is placed on each and everyone to a specific percent or amount uniformly as that would be legalistic. It is much easier to give you that. It is quite another thing to search your heart on this matter.
It does take a lot of faith to believe that we will be blessed because giving something away does result in us having less. So, when we say I understand that and I still going to give is huge on the faith learning curve. What you are in fact doing is choosing to have less but holding on the realization that you will have more in the spiritual realm.
Reason #5 Giving would be bad stewardship, if it chipped away at my investments; depleted my savings; or subjected me to tax liability.
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted..." Luke 12: 32-33
God wants us to be prudent in this area and make wise choices, but He also wants us to be selfless as Jesus taught with His whole life right to His sacrificial death for us on the cross.
At the end of the day where do we want to entrust our investments with man or with God? God calls us to lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven.
Sharon was relating a story to me about a friend who was asked this very hard question by some speaking prophetically in their life and it really has resonated with me.
Do you want what everybody else wants or do you want the kingdom? The Bible makes it pretty clear that you can’t pursue both. A doubled minded person is unstable in all he does. James 1:8
But, it also tells us that when we seek one...the kingdom, that God will look after our needs
Matthew 6:33
When you follow God's guidance to give generously, you place God's Word ahead of earthly concern for security and daily life. Passion triumphs over prudence as you dare to walk the path of reckless generosity that is guaranteed to lead you closer to God.
Reason #6 I don't agree with how my church might spend the money.
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." Hebrews 13:1
The local church biblically has been set aside as a first priority for giving and the place where we need to remain faithful. We see this modelled in the Galatian churches as shown in 1 Corinthians 16:1
God has called us to a place of trust in this area where we are called to pray for our spiritual leaders to lead according to God’s will and to give us discernment. The church is also called to be transparent and show proper accountability.
Paul Scanlon is a pastor in England and shared recently at a conference in Canada. He spoke about the fact that the average size of a congregation there is about 20. He says they don’t benefit from ‘Christians on tour’ as he calls it. These are the serial church switching people. He basically stated that unless they reached the unchurched, they won’t have anyone. Their church in particular began a bus ministry to reach out.
It is our desire to be turned inside out in the way that our finances continue to breathe our mission to keep us focused on the lost, the least and the last as Jesus did.
The majority of people who come to this church during the week for our youth ministry, for God’s girls and King’s Sons program are from families that are unchurched. The GFN store is ....there are many that are still unchurched but they the amazing thing is that they are getting to know Jesus.
We have to do it creatively too and this past week at God’s Girls and King’s Sons we had the chance to redeem pumpkin carving!! The children who came learned the gospel while we worked on the pumpkins together.
Dear God,
As I carved my pumpkin, hear my prayer
Open my heart and mind so I can learn about You. (cutting open the pumpkin)
Take away my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do ( as they dig in and cleaned out the pumpkin guts!)
Open my eyes so Your love I will see (eyes cut in the shape of hearts)
I’m sorry for turning up my nose to all You’ve given me. It was all shown to me by the love on Your Son on Calvary (cut the nose in the shape of the cross)
Open my ears so Your Word I will hear (ears cut in the shape of the Bible)
Open my mouth so I can tell others You’re near (cut mouth in the shape of a fish)
Let Your light shine in all I say and do! Amen (place a candle and light it).
We completed it and then thanks to a gift they all received glo bracelets and the verse for the night was let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven Matthew 5:16
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. The Bible says, "If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?" (Luke 16:11, NLT)
This is a very important truth. God says there is a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life! How I manage my money ("worldly wealth") determines how much God can trust me with spiritual blessings ("true riches"). Let me ask you: Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can you be trusted with spiritual riches?
How I manage my money determines how much God can trust me.
Questions For Discussion
1. What have you identified in your own life as a barrier mentality to giving?
2. What biblical promise on giving speaks most to you?
3. How do you see Southside fulfilling its God-given mission through you?
4. What part of you needs most to be turned inside out?
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