Pastor Stoval Weems of Celebration Church in Jacksonville had a sermon one Sunday about giving. it was really good so i wanted to highlight the main points of the sermon and get you thinking about giving more. now i know some of you are like "but i can't give. i might loose my job any day now so i have to save as much as i can right now! my rent and bills are through the roof, i live paycheck to paycheck. i have no money! i only work a part-time job" etc.. etc.. i totally understand. trust me,i do, but i still want to challenge you. what you do is up to you, but all i ask is for you to read through these points and consider them. i can't force you, but at least consider.. :)
1. over half of the world's population lives on less than $2 a day. "economic recession" is relative to your location. (please don't misunderstand. i know a lot of people are struggling and many have lost jobs. all i am saying is compared to what over half of the world, we are still better economically overall)
2. giving demonstrates Christ-likeness or righteousness. here is what Hebrews 11:4 says. "By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead." it was by faith, that abel brought a more acceptable gift to God than cain giving evidence he was a righteous man and God showed approval.
3. do you let fears, worries, and cares of this life, and greed trap you? did you really need that new skirt? the new CD? or was it a selfish desire you wanted to fulfill?
4. you know during Christmas, who does everybody dislike? Scrooge! because he was not a giver! ba-humbug! :) sometimes you may not want to be or realize, but our lives scream of ba-humbug more than we like to think.
5. we are involved in the greatest cause in the world
6. we're not Bono or Brangelina with millions of money, we struggle to live paycheck to paycheck. but here is the thing, God laid it out in the Bible the types of giving to maximize your giving and experience the joy of giving. it is more blessing to give than to receive.
7. 16 of the 38 parables Jesus taught about money and possessions. over 2,300 verses on money and possessions. (you think it's important?)
8. do you tithe?? because according the Barna Group, only 6% of born again christians tithe. hmmm.....
9. there are many arguments out there for tithing. there are people out there telling you to stop guilt-tripping yourself and stop tithing because its not a biblical concept. ill just have you look back at #7.
10. you don't give tithe, you BRING the tithe. the tithe belongs to God.
11. the tithe is about obedience and the Lordship of Christ. it is about Jesus being Lord of your life. you tithe because you belong to the Lord.
12. tithe it is a tenth of what God has given you.
13. Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
14. when you are obedient, don't you think God will make that 90% go so much farther than what your 100% will? that is faith. that is trust. you say you can't give another 10% of your paycheck. i challenge you to have faith that God will provide for you because you were faithful to Him and you obeyed His commands.
to be honest.. 100% of your paycheck < God's 90%.
15. do you give to missionaries and to the poor? i want to challenge you to really step out in faith, to not just tithe but give over and above.
give to missionaries, give to the poor and orphaned. give to the needy.
16. no matter what the economy of job market says, God is in control of your life. you might have to go through tests and trials, but just as one door closes, another will open. things might not look like the way you expected, but it will turn out for the better. ESPECIALLY if you have been obedient to God.
17. God is bigger than the economy and He is bigger than you paycheck. He is bigger than you rent and bills.
18. YOU, yes you, can be a giver. You can do it! :) We cannot NOT be givers.
so what do you think? not convinced? better yet, you have a point to argue? by all means go ahead. i'm down for listening to your side. you've read mine, ill read yours. but, this message has challenged my even further. i want to give more and more. i WANT to. i know the hardships of not having money. don't let me begin telling you what life on MPD or raising MPD is. its hard and challenging. i definitely cannot get the cute dress, cool new ipod, or even the latest DVDs all the time. but i've learned a lot through this. #1.i've learned that GOD IS FAITHFUL. i've never ran out of money. all my bills are PAID-IN-FULL ON TIME. how is this possible when i don't even have a full paycheck?! God provides and takes care of it all. #2. i learned that all those things are selfish desires. REALLY. its all to please who? ME! when i think about that $20 i spent on a DVD could have helped put a clean water well in Africa or send a missionary to Iraq, it hurts my heart.
Now i'm not telling you to stop spending money on pleasures in life, that its absolutely wrong, and all money not going to church related things are sin. i apologize if you feel im coming off legalistic. because i do, at times, spend on things i want too. what i'm saying is let's be wiser with our finances. i spent a better half of last month cleaning out a lot of junk in my room. i threw out 5 kitchen trash bags and 4 boxes of STUFF. stuff i bought over the past 4 years in college. things i spent money on, prolly used once maybe twice, and just sat around in my room are now useless and in the trash. it took me DAYS to clean because i had so much! when i thought about all that money wasted spent on those items because "i just had to buy it" at the time makes me want to be careful where i put my money to now. i definitely don't want to throw out another 5 trashbags 3 years from now. you get my point?
i apologize if i offended any of you. like i said before, i can't force you to give. i can't guilt-trip you either. but lets get real. where you put your money shows what is important to you.
if you want to work on budgeting and finances, please check out Dave Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover. if you can attend his Financial Peace classes, i urge you to. it will make a difference. also, listen to his podcasts if you can too. because we all need to BUDGET, GET RID OF DEBT, SAVE, and GIVE. right? yes yes. yes we do. its awesome and helps out so much. trust me.
giving is really important guys. Paul in Romans 10:14-15 says this, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?And how can they preach unless they are sent?" Read the Bible and let's be challenged to put our faith to the test. let's be givers. cheerful ones at that :) i challenge you to experience the joy of giving. not a means to be grouchy.
