I want us all to imagine for just a moment. Take the next few seconds and imagine what it would be like if you won the lottery for 5 million dollars. What is the first thing you would buy or what is the first thing you would spend money on if there were no longer limitations on your purchase ability? Would you pay off your house, buy a new car, get rid of debt, buy the latest gadget, go on vacation? What would your first financial decision be?

Now, what if I told you that money can buy happiness? We have all heard the saying money doesn’t buy happiness, so what if I told you that wasn’t true? The deciding factor is what you spend your money on.

When we spend money buying a new car, or a new suit, or new shoes, getting a massage or a pedicure, or whatever else you enjoy the happiness effect is temporary. However, when we spend money on others our happiness level increases. Our overall feeling of satisfaction lasts a lot longer than when we spend money on ourselves.

So, money can buy happiness if you spend it right. All we need to do is learn to be generous with our money and our level of happiness will increase. A Gallup poll from 2008 showed a direct correlation between people giving to charity and their overall perceived happiness with their own life.

Today we are finishing up talking about our vision statement by talking about giving. Today, however, as we talk about giving, I don’t want us to think of this in abstract terms. Instead, I want to encourage us as we think about giving in terms of what it is that we are buying or investing in.

When we give into the storehouse of God, we are buying a future reward. The bible calls this laying up treasures in Heaven. We are buying happiness. When we give to a cause bigger than ourselves there is a much bigger sense of satisfaction that anything, we could spend on ourselves. The cause we give to is contributing to others hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here is the important part though, it’s not the amount that you give as much as it is the sacrifice and obedience to God that make the difference. We know this because of what Jesus said during HIs ministry as he saw people cast into the treasury.

‭Mark‬ ‭12:41-44

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Have you ever found yourself wishing you could give more? You think to yourself if I only had X amount of dollars, I could really give something. What Jesus points out is that it isn’t about the amount, but about the amount of sacrifice it took to make the offering. The rich gave a lot, but it didn’t cost them that much. This poor widow gave everything she had.
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I want to encourage us this morning not to miss the blessing because we think what we have to give is too small. First, Jesus tells us that when we make a willing sacrifice to give into the kingdom of God, we are doing more than mindlessly giving in our access amount. Secondly, studies show that the amount of the gift wasn’t the determining factor on whether a person felt happy afterwards. It didn’t matter if it was buying someone a $5 cup of coffee of paying of $10,000 in medical bills, the sense of happiness that came to the person was the same.

Instead of thinking in terms of how little we have to give, we should think of it in terms of how great the God we serve is. In order to give $5, we may have to sacrifice lunch or not watching that movie we wanted to. We are sacrificing buying something for ourselves for pouring into the kingdom of God to see others get to know the same life-giving truth that we know.

We should not think we are doing well if we are able to give thousands of dollars, but God has placed on our heart to give more. Nor should we think we are doing poorly if we only have a dollar to give and give it. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth and put it this way.

2 Corinthians 9:6-14

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

Sparingly or bountifully is based on the individual not the amount given. That is the first thing we need to get right. The second thing is giving according to how God has purposed in our heart. Here is the reality of the situation, God has an opinion on what we should give. He knows our need, so when we give as He purposes, we won’t lack for our needs being met.

God doesn’t need or money. He doesn’t want us to give out of obligation or with a sense of dissatisfaction. He wants us to give joyously. He wants us to find happiness in our giving. He also wants to be in communion with you on your giving. Sometimes I think we may be guilty of living by the letter of the law instead of the Spirit of God dwelling in us.

What I mean by that is that we think giving 10% is sufficient when God has called us to give more, or I can’t give 10% so I might as well not give anything. God wants us to be more attuned to what He is trying to accomplish in our life. It’s easy to just think in terms of a percentage and be done, but we are called to live in the Spirit not under the law.

What I know about living in the Spirit is that it is not always black and white. It, in many ways, is harder than living according to a set of rules. We have to learn to speak to our God and then listen for His direction. I also believe that God wants us to be more generous that we are often prepared for.

God has called us into HIs work. When He called us, he called the resources He supplied as well. He called our time, our talents, and our money. If we are going to see the bounty of God, we need to sew into the kingdom of God.

The bounty of God is not our health or our wealth, by the way, it is souls saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what we are giving to. We are trading spending money on ourselves for the opportunity to make the gospel available for someone else. We are investing in an eternal reward, not a temporary one here in this life.

Our motivation for giving matters so much more than what we give. Knowing why we give will help with our motivation. Our why is rooted in finding our identity in Christ and knowing that we are preparing for a life after this one in the flesh.

If you are struggling with how to start giving or increasing your giving. Here are a couple of suggestions that can make us better stewards ane responsive to the will of God.

Ask God to increase your joy in giving. Ask for your heart to find happiness in building His kingdom and remember that our giving impacts souls saved.

Get rid of debt. If we are spending money on debt, we have less to build His kingdom. If you need help with that there are some solutions, we can explore together.

Choose a pleasure you spend money on to give up and give that money instead. For instance, if you spend $50 a week on lunch at work, try to cut it down to $25 and give the extra in the offering that week. Maybe you give up your cup of Starbucks coffee for a week and give that as a love offering.

These are just some suggestions. You have to determine for yourself what you want to do. It should be as God has purposed in your heart. With that in mind, I have three questions we can ask ourselves to be better at giving to the most important thing we will ever commit money to.

Question 1:

What am I currently giving on a monthly basis?

Question 2:

How much time have I spent in prayer with God asking His opinion on what I should give?

Question 3:

What am I willing to sacrifice to see the Kingdom of God go forward and provide an opportunity for others to hear the gospel?