TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD
“A Practical Plan for Generous Giving”
like a godly servant.
God owns everything and reserves the right to give money and possessions to His servants.
God’s ownership is referred to in Genesis 24:35, Psalm 50:10,
Acts 17:25
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; —Acts 17:25
and
1 Timothy 6:17
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; —1 Timothy 6:17
We must decide to use what God gives to serve Him and bring Him
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; —1 Tim. 6:18
Understanding God’s ownership gives us balance.
If our income is up, we praise God and serve Him faithfully without
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. —1 Chron. 29:12 NIV
If our income is down, we trust God, serve Him with what we have, and
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. —2 Cor. 8:12 NIV
Thinking like a godly servant helps us keep materialistic desires in check.
1 Tim. 6:6-10
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. —1 Tim. 6:6-10
When we know that God is the owner, we will want to please Him with our spending decisions and guard against selfish desires (1 Tim. 6:6-10).
Large debts and
Before making a purchase, we should ask ourselves, “Does God want me to spend His money on this item?”
a. God wants us to enjoy the blessings He gives (1 Tim. 6:17).
b. God wants us to make spending decisions that are good for us and for His Kingdom.
like a trusted manager.
Right thinking leads to right actions. Once we start thinking like a godly servant, we will know how to act like a trusted manager of God’s resources.
Our money and our
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. —Matt. 6:19-21
To have a more spiritual heart, we must make spiritual decisions about where our money is spent.
Giving to God is a spiritual ministry.
2 Cor. 9:6-8
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 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: —2 Cor. 9:6-8
If we want God to consider us trusted managers, then we must
We can be both
Practical, inspired directions for keeping our financial management on track.
1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. —1 Corinthians 16:1-2
- Give
- Give
- Give
- Give
like a precious heir.
God wants to train us
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. —Matt. 25:21
God uses money and possessions to prepare us for His
Since God owns everything and can make anything, it’s obvious that He could do all the work without any
God gives us resources and lets us decide how to use them, because He has special
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. —1 Tim. 6:18-19
- He wants us to be “rich in good deeds.”
- He wants us to be “willing to share.”
- He wants us to take hold of “life that is truly life.”
- God gives us an opportunity to discover His truth for ourselves.
- Training helps us become like
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. —2 Cor. 8:9
- God wants to
- God wants us to
- God doesn’t want us to be afraid to trust Him.
Some fear, “If God will meet my needs, then I’ll trust Him.”
But God says, “Trust me, and I’ll meet your needs.”
The story of the poor widow shows God’s provision
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” —Mark 12:41-44 NIV
The widow demonstrated personal faith and
She gave all she had and trusted
We must take God’s Word seriously like the widow did.
Even though the text doesn’t specify what happened to the widow, this woman sowed generously (2 Cor. 9:6).
Consider these questions:
Did God take care of the widow?
Did he pour blessings on her, or did she stay destitute?
(See Mal. 3:9-10, Luke 6:38, 2 Cor. 9:10-11.)
- The answers will affect our willingness to trust God, too.
- If He can take care of a widow who gave all she had, surely He can and will take care of us!
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD
WORD THREE — “I TRUST YOU TO MANAGE MATERIAL RESOURCES”
1. Read each passage about God’s Kingdom and contrast it with the world’s mind-set: *1 Chronicles 29:12, Psalm 50:9-10 Proverbs 3:9-10, Proverbs 10:22, 1 Timothy 6:6-10*
2. How does giving help us become more like God? Why did God create a world that calls on us to give in order to meet needs?
3. When Christians really take Psalm 50:10 to heart, how will it affect their views on material possessions?
4. As you read these three passages, focus on the attitudes you think that God wants His children to develop. List as many as you can. - Malachi 3:10, Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6-12
5. Discuss the steps people need to take with each giving decision to maximize their effectiveness as managers of God’s resources. What wisdom might God be trying to give you in order to determine this (James 1:5)?
Decision 1—Give to the Lord this Sunday.
Decision 2—Give to the Lord every Sunday.
Decision 3—Give “tithes and offerings.”