Giving is Spiritual Investment, not Expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is Your Reason for Giving? by Rick Warren

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) "God doesn't want your money, he wants your heart. He wants you to decide when and how you'll give." The Bible says there are a lot of reasons to give and be generous. But one thing God will never do is pressure you or guilt you into giving. As it says in our verse today,  "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion ...." If you ever feel pressured to give by anybody - in church, at your house, someone on television, or anywhere else - don't do it. In fact, you can use me as an excuse and say, "Pastor Rick told me not to give because the Bible says never give under pressure or out of guilt." God doesn't want your money, he wants your heart. He wants you to decide when and how you'll give. So how do you decide? Well, you can give by reason or by revelation. Giving by reason just means that you give based on what you can afford. But I'll tell you, God doesn't bless that kind of giving. Giving by revelation, on the other hand, means taking a step of faith. It's asking, "God, I want to depend on you, not myself. What do you want me to give? What will stretch my faith and make me trust you more?" It's giving outside your comfort level. This is the kind of giving that pleases God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give More and Live With An Attitude of Gratitude by Rick Warren

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion ... your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV) "When you let go of what's in your hand, it's now empty to receive greater blessings from God." What an amazing verse! God makes you rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion, which will result in thanksgiving to God. God doesn't bless you so you can be greedy; he blesses you so you can be generous. You give away and God gives back to you so you can give more away and he can give more back to you and on and on and on. God doesn't give you things so you can pile them up. When you let go of what's in your hand, it's now empty to receive greater blessings from God. But as I've said before, God's giving to you is based on your attitude. That's why it's so important to live with an attitude of gratitude. The Bible says, "This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many ｅxpressions of thanks to God" (2 Corinthians 9:12 NIV). When you give, you are performing a service. To serve and to give is the same thing. It's two actions of love. You can't love without serving and giving. And the best part is this: your service leads to ｅxpressions of thanksgiving to God. Take a moment to pray and express your gratitude to God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giving is Spiritual Investment, not Expense by Rick Warren

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV) "No farmer considers sowing seeds an expense. He sees it as an investment." God often compares giving to sowing seeds. Like a farmer, if you go out and sow a bunch of seeds, you'll get a bunch of plants. If you only sow a few seeds, you'll only get a few plants. And if you sow no seeds, you'll get no plants. No farmer considers sowing seeds an expense. He sees it as an investment. He knows that if you don't buy seed, you won't have a farm. When a farmer plants seeds, he's excited about it; he's hopeful about it. He has faith because he puts one corn seed in the ground and expects to get a whole corn stalk full of more seed than he put in. He looks forward to the harvest because he knows he's going to be blessed. Here are three things the Bible says about sowing and reaping: Whatever you sow, you are going to reap. If you sow criticism, people are going to criticize you. If you sow gossip, people are going to gossip about you. Whatever you sow in life, you are going to reap it back. Count on it. The good news is, this works in positive terms too. Give it to God and watch his blessings flow onto others and back to you. You will reap more than you sow every time. A farmer who plants one kernel in the ground will get a stalk with eight or nine ears that have 100 to 200 corn kernels each. You always reap in a different season than you sowed. You sow in one season and then you reap the benefit in another season. You can go plant a seed today, dig it up tomorrow, and there will be no difference. But if you let it settle, slowly it will grow and produce. That's the faith portion of the waiting period in God's economy. How big a harvest do you want to see in your life? It's up to you. God says, "According to your faith will it be done to you" (Matthew 9:29 NIV).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living a Life of Generosity by Rick Warren

"Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God's blessing in everything you do, in all your work and ventures." Deuteronomy 15:10 (MSG) "But I don't give to get a blessing. I give to be a blessing. Do you see the difference there?" God is a generous God. Everything you have in life is because God gave it to you. It's a gift. It's God's generosity. God wants us to follow his example. He wants us to create a spiritual legacy of generosity. We do this by learning to be a giver, not a taker. Our culture is all about being self-serving. It encourages us to take, take, take. It's all about acquiring money and things, like that bumper sticker that says, "He who dies with the most toys, wins." But God says that's not the way it is. I love how The Message paraphrases our verse today, "Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God's blessing in everything you do, in all your work and ventures." As a pastor, I care about you and I want God's blessing on all your work. I want God's blessing on all your ventures. I want God's blessing to be triggered in your life. The Bible says the only way that happens is by learning to be generous. Now, this is important. I don't give to get a blessing.  I give to be a blessing. Do you see the difference there? To give in order to get is the wrong motivation. I give to be a blessing, not to get a blessing. But when I continue to give more and more away, God makes sure he out gives me. The Bible is full of promises about generosity. God says that if you trust him and give generously, he will bless your wealth, your health, you family, your career, your time, your past, your present and your future. What a way to create a lasting spiritual legacy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Does God Have To Say About You? by Rick Warren

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21 (NIV) "The point of living your life to the fullest in every aspect is not to increase your reputation; it’s to make your life count for God." I read a book one time about how to figure out what your life’s legacy should be. It told you to imagine yourself going to your own funeral, sitting in the back of the church and listening to what everyone there had to say about you. The book encouraged you to think of what you’d like people to say about you after you die; that becomes your legacy and you should spend the rest of your life living so that becomes true. Taking that approach is better than nothing, but honestly, it doesn’t matter what other people think of you. In the final analysis, when you die, the only thing that’s going to matter is what God says about you. That is my ultimate goal for you as you prepare for your Decade of Destiny. The point of living your life to the fullest in every aspect is not to increase your reputation; it’s to make your life count for God, to invest it in what God says is going to make a difference. I believe that God put you here on earth for a purpose. God has given you a special SHAPE – Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences – that he wants you to use for his glory. And when we stand before him at the end of time, all that matters is what he’s going to say about how you used your SHAPE. Just like the servant in Matthew 25:23, I hope God says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” That’s what you want said about you, and you want it said by God, not by other people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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