God and My Money (Part 7 – Be a Cheerful Giver)
During this series, we encourage you to get your priorities in order.
Simply put…
- Put God first
Jesus said, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
- Save part of your income before you spend it to build up savings and a wealth portfolio
“The wise man saves for the future,but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20)
- Budget and plan well
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
- Live within your means by managing your expenses. Cover your essentials first before you spend on the nice-to-haves.
“The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.” (Proverbs 10:16)
The God and My Money series is designed to help you structure your money in the correct order, while …
- Honoring God,
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10)
- Being a blessing,
“Give freely and gain even more; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)
- Living a contented life, while
“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
- Building towards a fruitful financial future.
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23)
Over the past few weeks, we looked at the purpose of the tithe.
WHAT IS A TITHE?
The Hebrew word that’s translated as ‘tithe’ literally means ‘a tenth’. The tithe is GIVING 10% OF YOUR INCOME TO GOD.
WHAT IS TITHING?
Tithing is the practice of returning the first 10% of our income to God.
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30)
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE TITHE?
“The purpose of the tithe is to teach you to always put God first in your lives.” (Deuteronomy 14:23)
The way we handle our money is a good picture of where we are really putting God first in our lives.
It shows your priorities. We should be putting God first in every area of our lives, and this includes PUTTING GOD FIRST WITH YOUR MONEY!
Today, I want to speak to you about: Be a cheerful giver.
When it comes to giving to God, God wants you to go so cheerfully.
BE A CHEERFUL GIVER
Don’t let your giving become a burden.
God calls us to be generous and to be a happy giver.
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, comparing generosity to planting seeds:
“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)
He went on to say:
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Give willingly. Give freely. Expect nothing in return.
Give to bring a smile, meet a need, and shine a little light into someone else’s dark world.
Paul also reminded us that God blesses those who bless others:
“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)
When you give to God, you are saying…
- Lord, I put you first
- Lord, I honor you
- Lord, I am happy to help others out
- Lord, I am looking to you as my source
I want to encourage you to put God first in your life and be a cheerful giver.
Remember, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
