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REVIEW
So today, I believe we will be concluding our series entitled “Financially Faithful” where we have been learning how we can be more faithful to the Lord in the financial part of our life. And church, we have been seeing some pretty cool testimonies come out of this from people “finding money” in their pockets and in the washer machine / dryer, people having those who owed them money paying them back out of the blue, people reaping exactly what they sowed, and even a random “estates & inheritances” testimony where someone was randomly included in someone’s will! Praise the Lord! So what we started out talking about were some very important mentalities to have in order to be better stewards of His resources: One of those was that God is actually pleased to see His people prosper. Yes, He actually desires for you and I to flourish financially like we desire for our own kids to be successful in this area. Another mentality we looked at was the belief that God wants His people poor. No, we learned that us having money is not a violation of God’s will for our lives. It’s simply covetousness and greed that the Lord is against. We also learned how we need to possess that blessed mentality that whatever we set our hands to prospers and wherever our feet tread, the Lord will give it to us. Understanding this and that we are redeemed from the curse of poverty is key to possessing our promised land. And finally, we looked at the fact that God calls us stewards, so an important mindset is that everything I possess is His and I am simple handling God’s money. Then over the past several weeks, we have been looking at the main way we can be most faithful in this area – in our giving. We studied the tithe in detail. We learned about how remembering the poor is also to be a priority. And then last week, we looked at the concept of offerings, which in and of itself was an eye-opener. And church when it comes to this subject of giving, I think our greatest takeaway ought to be a couple of things:
Church, just simply adjusting some of these mentalities will drastically change the way we both give and receive in our lives. In fact, I remember hearing the former CEO of Andrew Wommack Ministries, Paul Milligan, once say that the number one reason God’s people don't prosper is because of the way we think. In other words, being successful in this area really has a lot to do with how one thinks about money. And I have found that to be true. In my years in banking, I learned that there was a big difference between the people who had money and those who didn’t. Those who didn’t have much, spent their money frivolously and didn’t balk at overdrawing their bank account or borrowing money. However, those who obviously had a lot of money would not eat bank fees or settle for lower interest rates. Really the “rich” would treat their finances the way the poor should have been, even when they didn’t need to. What’s the lesson, you ask? The lesson is that there is a certain way that people who have money think about money, and that’s one of the reasons why they have it. So in this last week that we are looking at being more financially faithful, I would like us to look at some of these natural ways that we ought to view money. Yes, today let’s move into how to steward the money that we do not give: Notice how I worded that— “… the money that we do not give.” The reason I say it that way is because, as we learned last week, giving is to be our primary focus. We saw how it is why we work a job. In fact, it is why we live and move and have our being. We are, first and foremost, called to be givers of God’s money. But you see, if all there was to prosperity is giving, then many of us in here would be millionaires by now. The fact is, we live in this world too and there are rules to prospering in this world as well. So there is certainly a good portion of finances that the Lord leaves us to handle – to pay for our own personal needs and desires. Amen? But, again, I want to remind you that we are simply stewards of the Lord’s money. So even this money that we are not giving and that we are free to use for our own personal needs and desires is still His. WISDOM FOR FINANCES So let me share with you some wisdom that I’ve gathered in this area. And I will say that this virtue called “wisdom” is the very virtue we should seek when it comes to this area of our finances. You see, possessing this one virtue is what led to one of the riches men the world has seen. Of course, I’m talking about King Solomon. We all know the story, right? The young king had the Lord appear to Him at night, asking him what He shall give him. And Solomon had the prudence to ask for wisdom and knowledge to rule over God’s people. But one thing that I think most believers miss is what led the Lord to ask him this. In Second Chronicles 2:7, we are told “on that night, the Lord appeared to him …” telling him to ask what He could do for him. Well, it’s important to understand what happened on that day. At the end of verse 6, we see that Solomon offered to the Lord one thousand burnt offerings! Can you imagine that? That’s a super significant offering! Well, it was that huge offering that obviously instigated this, right – showing us again that truth that our gift does indeed make room for us (Proverbs 18:16). Amen? But my point is that when God appeared to him, giving Solomon the option for whatever he wanted, Solomon requested the wisdom he needed. Which was essentially Solomon seeking first the kingdom of God, right? And what does Matthew 6:33 teach us happens when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Jesus said that all these other things will be added to us. And guess what? This is exactly what happened to Solomon when he practiced this principle: God then said that because he didn’t ask for riches, the life of his enemies, etc. that with this wisdom towards God’s kingdom would come the riches, honor, and wealth. You see, I think that we can become so focused on the fruit of flourishing in our finances and not always understand the real root of it, which is wisdom. And this is so important in the arena of finances … The Bible teaches us that with wisdom comes riches, wealth and honor. One proverb says that wisdom brings in her left-hand riches and honor and length of days in her right. (Proverbs 3:13-18 & 8:12-18) So this is what Solomon discovered—that if you find wisdom, you will also find riches and wealth. So I think the real key to being financially faithful to the Lord is possessing this virtue of wisdom. Yes, if we just apprehend it, we can get a better handle on our finances. WHAT IS WISDOM? You see, in studying the wisdom of God, you will find that it is the principle thing (Proverbs 4:7) - that is, it’s the “first fruit” in regard to importance and significance in the kingdom of God (literal Hebrew definition of “principle”). In other words, there is no other virtue that we can possess that comes before the wisdom that comes from above. So if wisdom is the principle thing and is this important to kingdom living, what is it? Simply put, wisdom is being skillful or an expert at something. For instance, if someone is skillful and an expert in auto mechanics, then you could say that they have wisdom in the arena of fixing cars. I have also heard wisdom defined as “the correct application of knowledge.” So in regard to auto mechanics, if someone has the ability to correctly apply the knowledge of fixing cars, then they would not only know what an engine is, but they would also know how it operates. This is an example of wisdom from a natural standpoint, but the wisdom we are talking about is godly wisdom and not natural, carnal wisdom… Godly wisdom can be defined as “the principles of right living.” It is having the ability to correctly apply what we know about God’s kingdom into everyday life’s situations – thus producing a righteous lifestyle that is according to God’s standards. So you could say that godly wisdom is being skilled in the arena of kingdom living. So let’s take a look at what wise Solomon taught us about this area of our lives … ACKNOWLEDGING THE LORD IN ALL YOUR WAYS The first point of wisdom that I would like to get across to you is – if all of this is His, then don’t you think we should treat it as such? For example, if say you give 15% of what you earn one month and that leaves you with 85% to spend on yourself, then do you think it is wise to just disassociate God from what you decide to do with that remaining 85%? You see, the answer to a thousand and one questions is simply “be led.” In other words, the answer to every question that arises like “what should I do with this?” or “what do I do here?” is – be led by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. But I would venture to say that very few of us that even tithe and give offerings, actually ask the Lord what we should do with the rest of our income. And the God’s honest truth is – the reason why we do not ask Him things like “Lord, should I buy this TV?” or “Father, do I switch to this company for my telephone service?” is because we still view it as our money to do with it what we please. But even if we viewed it as ours, wisdom would still ask the One who knows all things what we should do with it, right? You see, most Christians lean to their own understanding and intellect on every decision they make. This is why we get that important nugget of wisdom from one of the wealthiest men who ever lived on this planet taught us – King Solomon … He said in Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Notice the first phrase in these verses- “Trust in the Lord.” The God’s honest truth is – we truly are trusting in the Lord when we follow His principles and are obedient to Him. This would be like us trusting in all those passages of Scripture that teach us about seeking first the kingdom of God financially. If we trust Him, we will be radical givers. Then notice that Solomon says, “with all your heart.” He did not say, “with all your head.” In other words, we are talking about not being “head-led”; we are talking about being “Spirit led” from a New Testament perspective. The next phrase is very interesting. It says, “and lean not to your own understanding.” The word “lean” denotes putting all your weight on something or relying on something else for support. You see, God gave us a brain to use but here, He is simply telling us not to put our total confidence in our own understanding. We are to use our head, but we are to put our ultimate trust in His understanding and not our own. When he says, “In all your ways” this denotes not in just what we consider the important “ways” but in all our ways. Regarding financial stewardship, this would mean including the Lord in every financial decision we make. By using the terminology “Acknowledge Him” we can see that the Holy Spirit desires to be acknowledged in every decision we make and every direction we take. The word “acknowledge” here was used in Genesis when Adam “knew” his wife Eve. So this word describes a closeness and an intimacy. This is what the Spirit of God desires to have with us. And last but not least, we have the promise of when we trust in Him and acknowledge Him in all of our ways. It says, “And He shall direct your paths” – not He “might” direct your paths, but He “shall” direct our paths when we trust Him and acknowledge Him. The word “direct” means “to make smooth or straight.” You see, if we are led by the Spirit of God 100% of the time, we would never get food poisoning, we would never make a bad investment, we would never get ripped off, etc. When we learn how to develop that close relationship with the Holy Spirit and are aware of Him in all of our ways, He will make our paths smooth and straight as opposed to hard and difficult. So, my point is that all of these other practical guidelines we are going to give you today are not something to legalistically observe. They are just general guidelines. What is important is that you inquire of the Lord with how you need to do it personally. And this both requires and promotes personal relationship with God and communion with the Holy Spirit—which is our primary purpose and calling. Amen! THE FIRST STEP TO GETTING A HANDLE ON OUR FINANCES Now the first thing that I believe is important in regard to learning to “handle” our finances is really “getting a handle” on our finances. And the only way to really do that is to write everything down. You know, the Lord spoke through the Prophet Habakkuk and said, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2) While the Lord was referring to the specific words He was giving them, the principle holds true even in our finances:
Therefore, when it comes to getting a handle on your finances, the key is in, first, writing down what you have coming in versus what you have going out and then disciplining yourself to make the adjustments you can clearly see you need, in order to turn things around. Amen? For example, the Book of Proverbs gives us a couple of Scriptures that talk about the importance of this “diligence” … In Proverbs 12:24 says, “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.” This verse describes the primary difference between the boss and the employee. Then in Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” This proverb again differentiates between the lazy soul and the diligent soul- the lazy wants more but doesn’t get it. The diligent gets it instead. So what does it mean to be diligent? I once heard God’s definition of diligence. He said, “It is an energetic drive to achieve by action what it believes.” The Lord said He is a rewarder of diligence (Hebrews 11:6). So after you write it out, let’s look at a good, general guideline of how our finances should be structured. But, again, let me caution you to not become overly rigid concerning this guideline because, for example, a danger of knowing all of the specifics of how much you’re giving is an unwillingness to go above and beyond what you might normally give. So leave some “wiggle” room in there for the Spirit’s periodic promptings. You basically have three categories when writing down your finances:
Now, let’s start with giving since it is the priority, even above our personal expenses… Regarding “giving,” this should be at the minimum of 10% to start off with. I know some of us give maybe 12%-15%, but we should all start with the tithe as our general guideline and then purpose in our heart to give above and beyond that- both consistently by partnering with various ministries and sporadically by giving to various needs that you come across. So, 10% is a good percentage to budget for the giving category. And while we are on that, let me address a question that comes up regarding this… A good question that people who are struggling in their finances ask is- “If we owe a bunch of creditors, do we still give our tithe to the Lord?” And the answer is a resounding YES! Again, you are not giving if you have something left over; you are giving first. That must be the mindset because this Matthew 6:33 principle of seeking first the kingdom of God is what will make the rest of your money go further. Amen? LIVING Now let’s talk about that “general expenses” category- or, the money you live on… A good rule of thumb is that you really want that figure to be at 70%. But this is just the goal. If you are one of the many who’s general expenses are at 90% to (God forbid) 110-120%, you need to do what you have to do to get that percentage that goes towards general expenses down to at a maximum of 80%. In my opinion, a good average is 75%. You may do this by selling your vehicle you still make payments on and buying an older vehicle outright. You may do this by getting rid of Internet, cable etc. You could also get rid of your smart phone with its plan. But it might also be the case that you cannot eliminate any of these expenses because you’ve cut out everything you possible can. In that case, you can think of a short-term extra source of income to get the income number up instead of bringing the expenses down. Just determine what your skills are and put them to good use. Now pride does not like to do this because we think- “I deserve better. I shouldn’t have to do more than those around me.” Well, the bottom line is- you have to do what you have to do. And if experiencing a positive trend in your finances is important to you, then do what you need to do to solve the problem. You’ve heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results? Well, that applies here as well. Humble yourself and get up a little earlier on Saturdays to start mowing some people’s grass to get some extra income. Just be creative, and research ways that you might be able to generate more income for yourself. You see, you just want to get that “general expense” number down as far as you can so you can- SAVE! SAVING This is a really important one because savings is crucial for one to get out of the financial mess they are in because we must develop this reserve for multiple reasons:
No, the Bible actually backs saving… Proverbs 21:20 says, "There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man squanders it." And Proverbs 22:3 emphasizes, "A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." For example, if we would save $1000 each year and let this money earn 6 percent interest, compounded annually, we would have $24,672.56 at the end of a 15-year period. If at the end of 15 years of saving faithfully, a son or daughter is ready for college or the family needs to move into a bigger house or wants to serve the Lord on a full-time basis, the couple can start to withdraw their savings. They can withdraw $2000 a year for 10 years and still have $15,322.17, or slightly more than they set aside. Isn't this making your money work for you? God has a reason for the principle of saving money. Of course, you are not going to get 6% interest in a regular savings account. This is where investing comes into play. And while many of us do not know a lot about investing, a good scriptural principle to live by is found in the Book of Proverbs… Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Also, Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” You see, there will be times in our lives when we will be faced with difficult decisions. These decisions will be hard because there will be a lot of risk involved. Say, for instance, when the opportunity presents itself for us to change jobs, move a considerable distance, or get married to someone. These are big decisions that we do not want to miss God on. So how do we make sure we are not missing it when making big decisions like this? Let’s look over at Deuteronomy 19:15… It says, “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits: by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.” As Matthew 18:16 & 2 Corinthians 13:1 both put it- “…every word shall be established.” Now I understand that Moses was referring to a specific situation when he originated this often-used verse, but as evidenced by Jesus’ and Paul’s use of this saying, it has a myriad of meanings. And I believe that one particular meaning is that it is also referring to “every word from God.” So I would quote this verse as saying, “in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word from God shall be established.” In other words, we have a way to establish (i.e. make firm and solidify) everything that God speaks to us. And what way is this? In the mouth of two or three witnesses! You see, not only do we have the inward witness, but we also have multiple witnesses that God will use to verify and establish the direction that He wants us to go! We have the inward witnesses of peace, our desires, what seems good to us, and what we know in our hearts, but there are other witnesses that God has given us so that we can make sure that we are not being led astray by what we think is God. So how do we avoid making these same bad choices that others originally thought were from God? It is through obtaining multiple witnesses. It is through not making any rash decisions when we think we have heard from God- especially on the risky decisions. So what are the different witnesses that we have available to us to protect us from making these big mistakes? I have divided them into three categories:
If what we believe God is leading us to do contradicts what the Bible clearly condemns, then we can throw that idea out the window. For example, if someone believed God told them that they were supposed to be with someone else’s husband and they were committing adultery with that man, then it is rather obvious that they did not hear from God because the Bible clearly is against adultery. So the Word of God is a witness that keeps us from making major mistakes. Other “God witnesses” we have would be if we were to hear God’s audible voice telling us what we need to do or, more subtly, the Holy Spirit speaking clearly on the inside of us giving us direction. But did you know that just having this one witness- the God witness- is not enough when making major, life-altering decisions? Why? It is because the enemy can certainly twist and mimic these so-called God-experiences. Now let’s look at what I call the second witness- Yourself… There is an inward witness that we have within ourselves that is manifested in many different ways. And this witness that we have in ourselves is another witness that we have to help us be established in the direction we receive from God. You see, if we face these bigger decisions that we believe the Lord has put before us (i.e. things that have a lot of risk involved if we miss God), we would be wise to have not just the God witness, but also to have the witness within ourselves. Why? Because, as I just made the point of, we might receive some kind of supernatural experience that seems like God but if it does not bear witness with our spirit then we need to be cautious. In other words, we can receive a word from God, but we also need to have that witness within ourselves in order to confirm what we experienced. God set it up this way! He put that new spirit within us to confirm whether the things that we hear or experience are God inspired or not. This is the second witness! But, on the other hand, if we feel like the Lord is leading us in a certain direction through this second witness and this is a risky decision, we can and should seek another witness such as the first witness we discussed- God. We can do this by asking the Lord to confirm what we are feeling in our heart to do and He might just give us a Scripture or two to confirm this. He might have the Holy Spirit speak gently to our heart what He wants us to do. Whichever way He decides to honor your wise request, it will give you more of a solid foundation to stand on as you step out in faith. But not only will God confirm these inward witnesses through the God witness but He might send the third and final witness to you- Other people. Let me explain… If you have a desire to do something that you feel might be from God or if you just know in your heart that you are supposed to do something, and then you ask the Lord to confirm whether this is his plan for you or not, He might not use that first witness. He might will to use other people as that confirmation. He might move upon someone to come to you and say something like, “Yay, Thus saith the Lord, you are supposed to do this or that!” or He might do it more subtly by sending someone across your path to just make a passing comment that you know to be a confirmation of what you already know in your heart. Either way, God will oftentimes use people whether they know they are being used (i.e. a prophecy) or whether they do not know they are being used (i.e. just a suggestion or comment). But there are other ways to receive this third and final witness such as seeking godly counsel… For instance, if we receive either or both of the first two witnesses, we can go to someone who we believe hears from God, someone we respect, and someone we know will be honest and forthright with us. This is an important part of the third witness that God oftentimes uses to correct us when we are getting off of His path for us. Therefore, we would do good to not only listen to the godly counsel that we are offered, but also to seek out this counsel when faced with a big decision. So we have three witnesses that we can use to let every word be established… We have the “God Witness.” We have the “Inward Witness.” And we have the “Other People Witness.” All three can and should be used when making these big and risky decisions. There is a word used in wise financial investing called “diversification.” This word means “to spread your money around.” In regard to investing the experts say that we should spread our investments around and not put all of our eggs in one basket, because in doing so, we eliminate the risk of a financial disaster. This is just an illustration of what I am talking to you about this week… It is a wise thing to not just invest all of your trust in just one witness because we are always capable of missing it. It would be wise on these bigger decisions to “diversify” and seek two or three witnesses. For in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word will be established. WISE AS SERPENTS Now regarding this wisdom, let’s go over to a New Testament passage of Scripture and look at a statement our Lord told His disciples: In Matthew 10:16, Jesus said to His disciples— “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Herein lies a great principle for the proper stewardship of our finances: We certainly want to be “harmless” in our dealings—meaning, we are not to get over into hurting others simply because things benefit us. We are not to be that overaggressive businessman who runs over others to get to the place he wants to go. Therefore, we are gentle with our dealings, not harmful. But we are also to be wise as serpents. Now what does this mean? Well, let’s consider how a serpent is indeed wise… Have you ever noticed how snakes spend a lot more time being still than moving? In their natural wisdom, they only make small, calculated movements. I believe this is a very important element of wisdom that we would do good to embrace in the handling of our finances. Take small, calculated steps. Don’t be quick to move and just blare on without giving a lot of thought to where you are going and how you are getting there. For example, many people don’t consider the outcome of their fleshly impulses. They just do what feels right at the moment, giving no consideration to what it will cost them tomorrow. THE BONDAGE OF DEBT This is one of the primary reasons people get into debt… Now another important principle of financial stewardship is to keep out of unnecessary debt and thus avoid the debt trap. Borrowing for a house or car is one thing, but taking on financial obligations that are beyond the ability of one to pay is another. Psalm 37:21 says, "the wicked borroweth, and payeth not again." The minute a person goes into debt, he loses a portion of his freedom. As Proverbs 22:7 says, "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." For example, do you remember that example I gave you previously of if we saved just a $1000 each year and let this money earn 6 percent interest, compounded annually, we would have $24,672.56 at the end of a 15-year period? Then we saw that we could withdraw $2000 a year for 10 years and still have $15,322.17, or slightly more than they set aside. Well, suppose we decided that instead of saving $1000 a year, we would go into debt for $1000 to buy maybe some new furniture. And suppose we then continue to increase our indebtedness by $1000 during each of the 15 years, without paying back one cent. With 10 percent interest, compounded annually, on the increase in debt, the couple's debt would have been an astronomical $34,949.74. The debt on $1000 alone for that same period, without any repayment, would have been $4177.21. Far too many people think you can buy now and pay later. That isn't true. I've found that easy credit now makes people uneasy later. It is proven that a person pays more for the use of borrowed money than he or she gets in interest for saving it. WHAT ABOUT CREDIT CARDS? Let’s look at an example of this that we can all relate to- credit cards… When dealing with credit cards, many Americans have the mindset that they are a means of getting what they want today even though they do not currently have the money. For instance, many Americans will say things like- “I can put this new flat screen, high-definition television on my credit card and then I’ll own it.” But the reality is- they don’t really own it because they are going to have to pay for it down the road- plus some! You see, wisdom will not do this. The reason why is because wisdom will consider what something is going to cost down the road before acting on the impulses of the flesh to purchase it now. Now don’t get me wrong- I am not saying that using credit cards is unwise (Sorry Dave Ramsey); it just becomes unwise when we do not handle them correctly. This occurs as we spend money on our credit card knowing that we will not be able pay it back immediately - thus incurring those high interest rates. But if we use a credit card, all with the mentality that we will pay it back at our first opportunity, then there is nothing wrong with them. However, my point is that it is unwise to simply gratify the flesh and not consider the repercussions of those decisions. So, in regard to this, we should do our best to avoid using credit as a means to get what we want today at the cost of tomorrow. Now we can flip this principle of wisdom regarding credit cards because did you know, you can actually use credit cards to your benefit? For example, Shannon and I have used credit cards for some time now that earn us cash back- anywhere from 1% to 5%. Of course, that is not a tremendous amount but when you charge everything you can on it (while deducting those payments out of your checkbook register as if you were using a check or a debit card) then it can add up. For instance, when we have to make a major purchase, we use the credit card even though we might have the money sitting in our checking account. Why? Because we want to earn the rewards with the credit card company on that purchase and then we will turn around and pay it back before the interest sets in. There are some credit cards that earn travel rewards and I know a man who earned a free trip to Hawaii for himself and 3 other family members after just a few years of charging everything he could on that credit card while paying the bill in full every month! This is how credit cards can actually benefit us. So I am not saying that using credit cards is wrong; what I am saying, however, is that it is just how most Americans use them that is wrong. Now there are some strong opinions out there regarding credit cards and whether people should use them or not. I know that some of the most prominent financial gurus out there say we should cut them up, but a rationale I have discovered is - are credit cards really bad, or is how people mishandle them the real problem? As I was writing this about the misuse of credit cards, a particular scripture was ringing in my head… “The law is good if one uses it lawfully” (1 Timothy 1:8)… You see, in the circles that I have run in, most people have this negative perception of the Mosaic and Levitical Laws. We understand that the law was given by God strictly to show us His unattainable righteous requirements - all with the hope of us throwing our hands in the air and asking for mercy. In this case, God sent the Messiah - the Lord Jesus - to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law for us so that when we responded in this manner, He would save us by grace. This is using the law “lawfully.” On the other hand, to use the law “unlawfully” would be to try and fulfill the righteous requirements of the law while rejecting the sacrifice offered through the blood and body of the Lord Jesus. In other words, using the law “unlawfully” would be us using the law as a means of justification before God. So, you see, the law is not bad in and of itself; it is just how people have used it that is bad. Likewise, credit cards are good, if people would use them “lawfully.” But the problem is many use credit cards as a way of gratifying their flesh today without giving any real thought to what it will cost them tomorrow. Let me ask you another question: Does the Bible say that money is the root of all evil? Many would quickly answer and say, “Yes!” But that is not what the Bible says. It says that the love of money is the root of all evil. So it is the misuse and mishandling of money that is the root of all evil. In other words, it is in how one views money that is the real pitfall. Therefore, I view credit cards the same way. They are not evil and foolish if they are used wisely. Now people will say, “Yeah, but statistics tells us that if we have the plastic in our pocket, we will more readily spend it than if we only use cash.” Well, that might be true with some people. And I will tell those people that if they cannot control what they spend if they are using a debit or credit card, then go to the all-cash formula. But I would encourage them at the same time to work on having more self-control and to be more Spirit led. You might say, “Why?” It is because credit cards can be beneficial. They are only detrimental if we spend money that we do not have when the payment on said credit card is due because we should strive to never pay any interest on a credit card. Also, we should not have a credit card that has an annual fee either because unless you spend a lot in order to accumulate a lot of the rewards you earn, the fee will offset any rewards you’re getting. But my point is that you should indeed get rid of your credit cards if you are prone to spend more money because it’s so convenient to, if you are paying an annual fee for the card or you are not paying it off every month and therefore making interest payments on top of the regular balance of what you’ve spent. But if you have these things in order, credit cards can be beneficial to you… How, you ask? By the points & cash back balance you can accumulate. Working in banking, I saw people who will use their debit card for everything. They used it for every little purchase they made and sometimes it got them in trouble because they would forget to write down those purchases and their bank balance would go down further than expected and then when they wrote maybe a large check all of those items hit at the same time and it overdrew their account. And let me say this while I’m on the subject- if you have made it a habit to go into your overdraft in your bank account or have accumulated “NSF” (i.e. insufficient funds fees), you are hurting yourself badly. I have seen people who just live that way and they would be shocked if they actually saw how much money they are paying the bank annually. No, your credit cards and bank accounts should be working for you, not you for them. Another benefit of using a credit card over a debit card, aside from the rewards you can earn on a credit card that you won’t get for using a debit card, is in the event that you card is ever compromised (meaning, somebody gets your card information and starts using it fraudulently) then you have more recourse- because if they use it, even though the bank (w/ a debit card) may eventually be able to get your money recovered, it is a much bigger inconvenience than if your credit card was charged fraudulently. So my point is that credit cards can actually work for you by using them on all of your purchases, knowing that you will have the money at the end of the month to pay the entire balance off, and letting the rewards/points begin to accumulate over a period of time. This is how Shannon and myself pay for a lot of our Christmas shopping. We use a particular credit card that earns cash back and then redeem it once a year for things that make our money go a lot further than normal. So, wisdom will make financial decisions today that will be beneficial tomorrow. In other words, wisdom will invest as opposed to incurring debt! This is the heart of wisdom regarding the financial arena. CONTENTMENT IS KEY A very important principle to living free from debt is being content with what one has. Hebrews 13:5 puts it succinctly: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." You see, if we willingly violate this godly principle and allow the room for covetousness to enter our heart, then we are opening up other spiritual dynamics that will hurt our financial condition… One area where people often first become discontent involves the old automobile. Too many people trade or sell their cars before they are used up. There's a big difference between fixing up the old junk heap to drive three more years and buying a new car. Many salesmen make the slick remark, "You just make that easy monthly payment." There is seldom anything easy about that monthly payment. It seems to get harder to make all the time. Second Corinthians 6:10 is so beautiful to apply here. It reads: "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." My friends in the automobile business tell me that most cars are good for more miles than most people put on them. Just because a car has over 100,000 miles doesn't mean a person has to get rid of it. Look at some of the buses, trucks and cars still going strong, especially in countries outside North America. They are cars of the same age and mileage that other people junked years ago. A worthwhile saying to remember on contentment is this: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without." WATCHING FOR WOLVES And have you noticed how easy it is for us to get ourselves into this debt snowball? The world will help you! You see, in the context of Matthew 10:16, Jesus was giving them an admonition because He was sending them out as sheep among the wolves. And you have probably heard before that sheep are, by nature, dumb. Therefore, Jesus was telling us, “Hey, you guys are being sent out like dumb sheep into a world filled with wolves that are ready to devour you. So be wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves!” So let’s consider this in the arena of the world’s economy: If you have done business in this world long enough, you will know that there are indeed wolves in the business world - and they are not just the tax collectors, the car salesman, etc. You need to know that in the marketplace almost a total 100% of businessmen and businesswomen are not looking out for your best interest; they are looking out only for what benefits them. I bring this up because so many of us are naïve. We easily trust that people are telling us the truth all of the time, and in many sales tactics, people tell what they call white lies and purposefully do not tell you all they know because they are trying to get that sale. So we are to be “harmless as doves” in that we are not repaying them evil for evil, but we are also to be “wise as serpents” in that we do not succumb to the sales tactics that they use like “This is a limited time offer: act now!” or “Come on! You know you want this car right now!” Many people “buy” into these forms of manipulation because they are “sheep.” In other words, they are just led around by what others are telling them to do, blindly trusting others. But the truth is, that as the Lord’s sheep, we are to be led around by only one and that is the Good Shepherd. As Psalm 23 so poetically states that when the Lord is our shepherd, we shall never “want” (i.e. lack). He will lead us in the way in which we should go, which is beside still waters. In other words, He will lead us by or through still waters. Most people only see that as saying he will lead us beside the still waters, but how about He will lead us by (or, through) still waters- that is, through peace. You see, we need to learn to be led by peace and as Colossians 3:16 says, let the peace of Christ rule (i.e. act as umpire & call the shots) in our hearts. Saints, if you don’t have peace about something, NEVER do it! Be led by those still waters in your heart as Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would provide living waters on the inside of us. How many of us have had a lack of peace about doing a business deal and then we regret it later? Start to pay attention to that peace on the inside of you before you make a move. This is being wise like a serpent. And this leads me to what I would call – the heart of wisdom. THE HEART OF WISDOM I have found that the heart of wisdom is this: it always looks ahead. In other words, the very basis of wisdom is that it always considers the future when making current decisions. Isn’t this just a common characteristic of a wise person? Through the knowledge and experiences of life, a wise person who chooses to learn from their life-lessons will make adjustments the next go around. In other words, because of what they learned will happen when they do certain things, they consider the outcome of their current decisions. This is wisdom, and this is exactly the opposite of what a fool does. You know, as you read through Proverbs – the Book of Wisdom – you find that Solomon spent a lot of time differentiating between the wise person and the fool. And we also see that in describing the foolish person, he used the exact opposite characteristics of those we see in the heart of wisdom. For instance, a fool will speak without thinking - never considering how what he is about to say will affect him or those hearing him. In regard to this, a fool will vent all his feelings. In other words, what is in his heart will become obvious because he will always let you know what he is thinking no matter how inappropriate it might be. A fool will also just blare on without giving any thought to his destination. He will rarely consider how what he is about to do will affect him down the road. So, you see, a fool conducts himself in the exact opposite manner of the wise. People with the heart of wisdom will not vent all of their feelings. They will consider the effect their words will have before they speak them – and in many respects, godly wisdom will restrain any words that would be hurtful and harmful to the hearers. The wise will also consider where what they are about to do will take them before they move forward – thinking ahead as to whether or not their current decision will lead them away from God’s perfect plan for their life. To put it simply – the heart of wisdom is that it looks ahead and considers where it is going. Let’s now look over at a verse in the 90th Psalm that uses this terminology “the heart of wisdom” (This Psalm was actually a prayer that Moses prayed during the time Israel was wandering in the wilderness for 40 years) ... In this Psalm, Moses prayed for something that I believe we should all pray for consistently for our own lives and the lives of others. In this awesome prayer, Moses shows us how the heart of wisdom applies to our life on this earth versus our life in eternity. So what was it that Moses specifically prayed for that will enable us to gain a heart of wisdom? In verse 12, he asked the Lord to “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” What a powerful verse this is! What Moses was asking Yahweh was to teach them to count the number of days that they had. What does this mean? Just think about it: the carnal human tendency is to suppose that we will live on this earth forever. Most people (particularly young people) just float through life never considering that their life may end soon. Since this life is all that we have ever known, we just live life never really considering what happens after we die. But life after death is a reality that we must consider! As a matter of fact, eternity is something that we better consider because how we live our life now will determine where and how we will spend eternity. Do you see how vague this is to most people – even Christians? But this is exactly why Moses prayed this for Israel… He prayed that God would teach them to calculate and evaluate their days on this earth so that they would be ready for the next life. So I pray now for all of us… “Lord, teach us to number our days as well - to see how short this life really is so that we would make the most of our time here on the earth. Lord, give unto us this heart of wisdom.” Amen! In the 90th Psalm as well as several other places in Scripture we are reminded of our human frailty. The Scriptures that are ringing in my ears even as I am writing this describe mankind as grass (see Isaiah 40:6-8 & James 1:9-11). And the point of emphasis in these Scriptures is that we are like grass in that we grow up one day and are cut down the next. Some of us are beautiful, glamorous, and successful like the flower of the grass, but we all will suffer the same fate of death regardless of what we accomplish here on the earth. We are all but a vapor. You see, in the world success is sought for. People live their whole lives to make a buck and be able to retire one day. And although there is some wisdom in preparing for our future here on the earth, if that is all we live for, then we are living a life of vanity. You see, our life on this earth is so short in comparison to eternity. And I believe the church has allowed the same mentality of the world to creep into it. We have adopted the same carnal and foolish thinking that is only concerned with this earth-life. This is indeed a grave mistake because a day is coming, soon and very soon, when we will stand in front of our Master and have to give an account for the stewardship of our life on this earth. I personally want the Lord to look at me and say, “Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in little (i.e. in this short life) and now you will become ruler over much (i.e. in the eternal kingdom of God)!” So which end of the spectrum are you going to strive for? Are you going to live for today and be in debt for the future or are you going to live for the future and lay down your life today? Life is short, my friends, so live for eternity! So, in conclusion, we could say that making current decisions that will positively affect our future is the heart of wisdom! By far the most important aspect of this is regarding the spiritual because he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8). But we should also incorporate this characteristic of wisdom into our earth-life as well—physically, financially, etc.
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REVIEW
The series that we are currently on is entitled “Financially Faithful” where we are learning how we can be more faithful to the Lord in the financial area of our life. And over the past few weeks, we have been looking at the main way we can be most faithful in this area – in our giving. And regarding this subject of giving, let me reiterate to you that God does not need our money! He is not in lack! God just simply wants all our heart. And if He gets all our heart, then He will get our giving. It is that simple. You see, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is far more important than your gifts to Him (See Mark 12:33). However, never forget this one truth: You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving! In other words, you can give money to the Lord without your heart being in it, but when God has all of your heart, He will have all of your wallet or pocketbook as a by-product. God just wants our heart, church! So we spent a few weeks on the first & most foundational type of giving – the tithe. And we’ve learned everything from what the tithe is and why we give it to when the tithe is and where we give it. I would encourage you to go back and listen to those three weeks as we answered all these questions because tithing is foundational to us correctly stewarding our finances. Then last week, we looked at another type of giving that is equally significant in the eyes of the Lord, and that is the giving of “alms.” We learned that this term simply describes gifts given to the poor. And we learned just how important remembering the poor is to the Lord. In fact, I call it God’s soapbox, because throughout the Scriptures, we see that taking care of the poor is a HUGE deal to God. In fact, it was something that He had to constantly correct His chosen people about. However, we learned some important wisdom when it comes to the day & time we live in—because giving to the poor isn’t as simple as it might have been in Bible times. For example, we learned that not all who claim to be poor are “really” poor. You see, in case you aren’t paying attention, in our country we have a lot of unethical, deceptive, and manipulating practices by some people in this area. You don’t have to drive far to see people hanging out at intersections & on street corners begging for money, and in many of these cases, it’s a scam. But the problem is that we as Christians – particularly us who have big hearts and are generous – can have the tendency to be gullible. Yes, we are believers, so when a person tells us a story, we tend to believe them. So if a person gives us some spill, a lot of Christians can tend towards swallowing their story hook, line, and sinker! So our point was that in this day & time and in our culture, we have need of wisdom to know when to give and who to give to. This applies to everything really, but especially in this area of the giving of alms. But the fact remains that there are still legitimate needs out there that the Lord wants His people to have a heart for. And we saw from the mouth of Jesus and in the Book of Proverbs that having this “eye”—this focus on the poor—holds a lot of tremendous blessings. Church, I hope you can see just how important it is that we remember the poor and focus on meeting the needs of those who are really going through difficult times. It is God’s heart! And the Lord wants us to have a heart like His – to meet the needs of His creation with our service, His power, and also with His and our finances. This will yield a life that is blessed, for He will recompense us for every good deed we do in love and by faith. Amen! DEFINING OFFERINGS So this week, let’s take a look at what the Word of God has to say about another type of giving. This is one that I believe we are all familiar with because of how it is threaded throughout the Scriptures – I’m referring to “offerings.” Now when we think of the term “offerings,” we think financial. In fact, in a lot of our churches, we call that time of the service where we collect money, “offering time.” But there were all kinds of offerings that we see described in the Bible, and most of the times those offerings were animals such as bulls, sheep, etc. Other times, offerings were things like crops, fruit, etc. But like we learned with the tithe, one of the big reasons we see that Israel was told to tithe things like livestock and the fruit of the ground is because those things represented money to them back then. Therefore, it is understandable why we primarily give monetary gifts today instead of other things. However, when it comes to offerings, we don’t need to just see it as money or other tangible things that we give to the church, some ministry, or another physical place or person. We need to see “offerings” as us giving something that is precious & valuable to the Lord Himself. So yeah, even though we might be giving a tangible thing to a physical person, place, or thing, what is really supposed to be occurring is us giving a spiritual sacrifice to our Lord Himself. And I don’t think this is what most Christians do when we give in the “offering.” In fact, the word “offering” in Webster’s dictionary is defined like so – “a sacrifice ceremonially offered as an act of worship.” Now there are a lot of words in that one definition that are significant to us understanding what we need to know about offerings. A SACRIFICE CEREMONIALLY OFFERED Notice the first word listed in our basic definition of an offering is that it’s a “sacrifice.” Although this term used by Webster’s is likely specifically referring to the offerings prescribed under the Old Covenant such as the burnt animal sacrifices, I believe that those offerings given under the Old Testament were not only types and shadows of the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion, but they were also examples of what our financial offerings to the Lord should be like – sacrificial. You see, we might see a sacrifice offered back in the days of the Old Testament as the thing itself being offered. But what was of more importance to God was not the thing being killed & burnt, it was how much of a sacrifice was it to the person offering it, to give that offering. In fact, the Lord at one point told His people – the ones that He had commanded to offer these sacrifices in the first place – that it wasn’t about the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. In Isaiah 1:11 – “‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?’ Says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.’” So it wasn’t about the sacrifice; it was about the heart of the one offering the sacrifice. And that’s the lesson for you and I – Is it a sacrifice? Are we honoring the Lord with what we are “offering”? That’s what He was looking for then, and it’s what He’s still looking for now. But the fact is, God did indeed prescribe these sacrifices. In fact, they were to be “ceremonially” offered under the law. You see, God instituted in the Law many different kinds of offerings such as peace offerings, freewill offerings, drink offerings, etc. to be regularly given. And these can all be used as types and shadows of our financial offerings given under the New Covenant. One thing that we can learn about offerings from an Old Testament perspective is that there were a lot of them, and each of them had a specific purpose. For example, the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:3-17) was for the purpose of the general atonement of sin, and there were certain animals that could be used for this type of offering. There was even a specific way to burn these offerings (i.e. overnight). Then you have a peace offering (Leviticus chapter 3), and it was more of a festive offering. It likewise required specific types of animals. And the list could go on and on (i.e. the Grain Offering, the Sin Offering, the Trespass Offering, etc.) With each of these offerings, they were given very specific details on what was considered an acceptable type of offering for each of these, what their purpose was, and how these offerings were to be prepared. In all of these myriads of details, I learn one invaluable lesson: There are different kinds of financial offerings that we can give today, and each one can have its own specific purpose. For example, one type of financial offering in our day might be considered a “partnership offering”— that is, identifying a ministry that you believe in and making a pledge/commitment to giving regularly, a consistent amount into that ministry. Another could be a “seed offering”—which would be a one-time financial gift to a person or ministry for the specific purpose of planting a seed for a needed or desired harvest in your own life. Others might be a “missions offering” (i.e. giving into either a local or overseas mission), a “project offering” (i.e. giving into a special project like a building fund etc.). And this list likewise could go on and on. One specific kind of offering that Shannon and I like to give is what one might call a “Resurrection Offering.” What this is, is that around Easter every year, when we are celebrating the most important day of our faith, we sow what is to us a very significant financial gift to honor the Lord for His victory over death, hell, and the grave and to show gratitude for what that means to us. Now like it is with these types of offerings that we can give today, there is not necessarily Scripture for each of them. However, with some of the offerings given under the Old Testament, there wasn’t always a “Thus saith the Lord” associated with them either. They just came out of the heart of the giver! And to me, saints, this is what it is all about: Our offerings need to come out of our heart! Yes, we need to purpose in our own heart how we can honor the Lord. And I can assure you, when you choose to offer Him something from the right heart, the Lord receives it as a sweet-smelling aroma. (Example of Noah’s sacrifice after the flood in Genesis 8:20) But my point is that like it was under the Old Covenant, there are many different types of “offerings” we can give, and each can have its own specific purpose and intention. But let me say this – the most important purpose & intention is to honor the Lord. Sure, it’s fine to have a reason for giving an offering, but we shouldn’t get all wrapped up in the benefit of giving it and forget the One we are giving it to. Now I want you to notice that in Webster’s definition of an offering that it describes it as a sacrifice ceremonially “offered.” The word “offered” is really where our English word “offering” is derived from – It is something that is offered to the Lord. Now by the fact that it is offered, we can see that it can either be accepted or rejected. For example, if I “offered” you a ride, some advice, or anything like that, then you have the choice of accepting what I am offering or turning me down. Well, when you study offerings in the Scriptures, you find that God didn’t accept every offering. Some He received and others He rejected. (We will look at an example of this a little later). But my point is that there are things we “offer” to the Lord, but that doesn’t mean He receives or accepts them. The motivation of our hearts, the love that is behind them, and the sacrifice that they were to us, are all things that determine whether our offering is accepted by Him. And again, it’s Him we are giving to. I get tickled sometimes because there are people that have made sure I knew what they were giving and were in hopes that I would be impressed by it. In other words, they wanted me to accept & receive their offering. Well, that’s not exactly why we give offerings. No, we want God to be impressed, not a man or a woman, because He’s the One we are ultimately giving to. Amen? THE PERFECT OFFERING So let’s talk really quickly about what does a good, acceptable, and perfect offering that God accepts look like … In Ephesians 5:2 the apostle Paul says, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Friends, is there a better example of a perfect offering than Jesus Christ? I think not! Yes, He is the ultimate example of what an offering should look like because He was the best and most perfect offering ever! Why? Because He was a sacrifice! God gave His only begotten Son! He did not give just one of His sons that He could spare! No, He gave His very best and that which cost Him something! But another reason Jesus was the perfect offering was because He was a sweet-smelling aroma to God. That means He was an offering that was well-pleasing and acceptable to God. And do you know why? It was because He was pure and had no blemish. He was totally void of spot & wrinkle! You see, one of the things the Lord had to correct Israel about was that when they brought these offerings to Him, that it wasn’t right for them to bring the blind, lame, spotted, etc. No, these were the leftovers. They were keeping the best because they were more valuable and, therefore, worth more. But Jesus was that Lamb of God without spot or wrinkle! Therefore, He was that most valuable sacrifice that could have been given. Amen! So, the thing we can learn from Jesus’ example is how our offerings can be offerings in which God is well-pleased: First of all, as a general rule, our offerings need to be our very best gifts—something that cost us something. King David said in First Chronicles 21:24 that he would not give to God something that cost Him nothing! This means that our offerings should be our very best gifts that are a sacrifice to us. Secondly, Jesus being a pure and undefiled sacrifice shows us how our offerings should be given with a good heart and void of impure motives. Our offerings should be totally clean and perfect. These kinds of offerings are the ones in which God is “well-pleased.” Now do not misunderstand me, not all of our offerings need to be extreme sacrifices—such as, giving all that we have—but they shouldn’t be simply our pocket change either! Again, we just need to understand that when we give offerings to a ministry or our local church, we are giving unto the Lord! It is not man that we are giving to! Sure, we are giving into His works that consist of other people, but in actuality, we are giving to God. So, my point is that if we are giving to God, our gifts need to be honorable. In other words, they need to be a gift that is worthy of being presented to a King, something that costs us something. OFFERINGS = FAITH GIFTS Now we need to understand that these honorable offerings are always accompanied by faith. We can see this exemplified in the offering of Abel as opposed to the offering of Cain. This is one of our best examples of offerings that God loves versus offerings that God rejects. We all know the story of how God respected Abel’s offering and did not respect Cain’s offering and much debate has been made as to why. Genesis 4:4 says that Abel gave the firstborn of his flock (i.e. the first and, therefore, the best) and of their fat (i.e. their richest parts), but Genesis 4:3 said that Cain “in the process of time” gave of the fruit of the ground. The phrase “in the process of time” literally meant “at the end of days.” So, I believe the problem with Cain’s sacrifice was that it was not a sacrifice at all. He came to sacrifice to God when it was convenient for him. I believe he offered to God what he had left over and what he could spare, unlike Abel who gave the first and the best. You could put it this way: Abel gave sacrificially and honorably, while Cain gave conveniently and dishonorably. This was the big difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering. But did you know that the New Testament teaches us specifically what made Abel’s offering a more excellent sacrifice? Sure, Genesis shows us what they did and didn’t do, but Hebrews 11:4 teaches us why they did the things they did. It says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain …” So, how did Abel offer a more excellent sacrifice than Cain? It was “by faith!” Plain & simple. Saints, if you really want God to be well-pleased with your offerings, then they need to be given in faith- for faith is what pleases God (Hebrews 11:6) And it does not require a whole lot of faith for most people to pull a one dollar bill out of their wallet and plunk it in the offering. So am I saying that it is wrong to just give a buck? Of course not! First of all, giving just a dollar might require a lot of faith for some people in tougher financial situations, but what I am saying is that in order for your gifts to be “more excellent,” they need to require faith on your part to give them. You see, God does not focus on amounts; He focuses on percentages! Do you remember the story in Luke chapter 21 of the poor widow who gave two mites? Jesus said that she gave more than all the rest of the people giving their offerings. Why? Because He said that all the rest gave out of their abundance—that is, they gave what they could spare—but she gave all her livelihood! This poor widow did not give more than everyone else from an amount standpoint; She gave more than everyone from a percentage standpoint. Saints, when Jesus looks at our offerings, He is looking from a percentage standpoint. Am I giving what I know I can spare or am I giving in faith? This is the question we should ask ourselves. And this is where Cain made his mistake. His offering was evidently not honoring God and required no faith on his part. Therefore, God did not accept it and we all know well what the end result of that story was. Friends, let’s always make it a point that when we are giving an offering of some sort, to first understand that the Lord is ultimately who we are giving it to! Therefore, let’s make it a point to honor Him with that gift and give in faith! For with offerings like this, the Lord is well-pleased! Amen! WORSHIP THE LORD WITH YOUR GIVING Now in the rest of Webster’s definition, he defines an offering as “a sacrifice ceremonially offered as an act of worship.” This shows us how, when our offerings are given, they should always be offered as an act of worship. How many times have we prepared an offering for the Lord and then, when offering time comes, we just plunk it in the collection box or offering plate without any thought? Sadly, we would have to say it has been more often than not. But, saints, what we need to understand is that when we give our offerings to the Lord it is to be a part of worship. In other words, our giving should be accompanied by a heart that is prostrate and in love with the Lord, and not just something we are giving like we pay a bill. How do we do this? Well, it’s obviously giving cheerfully and with a heart of gratitude! I cannot reiterate to you how important this is to God. He does not need our offerings! He just wants all of you! So when you give Him your offerings that come from a grateful heart, He is well pleased. But when you just give an offering because you feel compelled to or simply out of habit without your heart being in it, then God is not impressed at all. So the best way to worship the Lord in our giving is to engage the Lord when we are giving it, which can be when we prepare it or when we release it. First Corinthians 13:3 tells us that we can give all our goods to the poor and give our body to be burned, but if we are not motivated by love then it profits us nothing. My question was how can you give like this apart from love? And the answer is that you can just do these things out of duty or even greed. You might just feel obligated to give your money to the poor because you have somebody watching or you might just be willing to give of yourself because of the reward you will receive. These are wrong motivations! God wants us, as New Testament believers and full of His Spirit, to give out of our love for Him and His works, not because we will get something in return. No, He wants us to give, not because it will benefit us in any way, but just simply because we want to worship and honor Him through our giving! This is our high calling as born-again children of God—to worship the Lord with our offerings! REAPING WHAT WE SOW & REAPING HOW WE SOW Now in conclusion, I want to share with you some of the benefits of this kind of sacrificial and worshipful giving: Do you remember the story of God asking Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice to Him? Many do not understand the results of Abraham’s obedience in that situation. God was in covenant with Abraham. So, therefore, God needed a man to be willing to give his only begotten son (his very best) so that the law of sowing and reaping would be fulfilled by God giving His only begotten Son. God was legally obligated to bless man’s obedience according to the law of sowing and reaping. Amen! So what is my point, you ask? My point is that when we, as covenant people of God, give God our very best then that same law of sowing and reaping will take effect in our lives. In other words, when we give sacrificial offerings and offerings that are full of love then we will reap, and they will produce after their own kind! Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” Whatever manner in which we give to God is the manner in which God will give back to us! So the blessing in giving loving and sacrificial offerings unto God is that God will give back to us loving and sacrificial offerings. And how many of you know that if God gives like this then it is going to be some extremely lavish giving!?! I’m talking about some ship sinking, net breaking, and cup overflowing kind of blessings! It has been well said that you cannot out-give God and that is so true. So even if this message makes you feel uncomfortable because it stretches you, get out of the boat! Start living in the faith zone and watch God pour out so many blessings on you that you do not have room enough to contain them! Amen! |
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Service ScheduleSunday Discipleship Classes - 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship - 10:30 a.m. Sunday Evening Service - occasionally, see calendar Wednesday Evening Bible Study - 7:00 p.m. Thursday Morning Healing School - 10:30 a.m. * Please refer to monthly calendar for any possible service cancellations |
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