|
Site: |
home
| giving |
Generosity: Thank
you for living generously!
|
Secure Online Giving |
Download Printable Automated Giving
Form (PDF) |
|
The
Ownership Principle |
| |
You and
I don’t own the money in our wallets, stock
portfolios, or bank accounts. It is God’s money, and
he has entrusted it to us to manage (Matt 25.14-30).
When I understand the ownership principle, my
immediate question is, “What does the owner want me
to do with His money?” He asks four things: worship
God (Lev 27:30), meet our own needs (Phil 4:19),
meet the needs of others (Acts 2:45), and enjoy its
fruits (1 Tim 6:17). Since giving is big on God’s
heart, it’s not surprising that two of the four “Do
this” areas involve giving: worshiping God and
meeting the needs of others. When you give to your
local church, you’re accomplishing both of these,
because through the local church, people are
spiritually and physically cared for. When you give
an offering, you’re actually giving it twice: to God
and to His people in need. Remember, we don’t own
the money. God does. So we need to follow His lead
on what to do with it.
 |
|
The
Giving Principle |
| |
The
message we hear today is “Get.” As in “Get all you
can.” As in “Get it while you can.” You might say
that most of us live by the “Getting” principle. And
we falsely believe that the more we get, the higher
quality of life we have.
Life as a Christ-follower is just the opposite. God
tells us that the more we give, the more life we
experience:
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds,
and to be generous and willing to share. [19] In
this way they will lay up treasure for
themselves…that they may take hold of the life that
is truly life. (1 Tim 6:18-19) Why is that? It’s
because money’s lure coupled with our brokenness
leads to a life of hoarding. Hoarding money will not
buy us freedom in life - it actually buys us slavery
to possessions.
|
|
The
Cheerful Principle |
| |
When you
think of giving, maybe you think of tvs and
telethons and loud preachers making you feel guilty
for not giving. Contrary to popular belief, God
doesn’t want those types of givers. He’s looking for
cheerful givers. 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
Cor 9:7)
What makes for a cheerful giver? It’s a person who
realizes how much she’s been given. People who
understand God’s rich grace in Jesus Christ—that God
no longer counts our sins against us but in Jesus,
forgives us forever—people who have been touched by
God’s eternal generosity receive a deep joy that
wells up in cheerful generosity. They want to give.
They enjoy giving. They receive great emotional and
spiritual benefit from giving. They understand the
cheerful principle: that giving brings joy.
|
|
The
90% Principle |
| |
You’ve
probably heard of the tithe. Churches talk a lot
about the tithe. The word means tenth. It refers to
the first ten percent of all of our income. Pre-tax.
Before Uncle S. gets his. God, who owns the money,
asks us to give Him the first 10% of what He’s given
us. Because by nature we’re money-hoarders, we tend
to focus on that 10%. We forget that he’s giving us
90% to enjoy and manage for everything else.
When we live on the 90%, we’re telling God that He’s
more important than Starbucks, Time-Warner Cable,
Old Navy, and even Uncle S. We’re demonstrating that
the Giver of all things is more important than the
things. We are saying that we believe God when He
promises to provide for us (Gen 22:14). And we
believe he will bless our lives through our giving,
like He says in Malachi 3.10: 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.” And in Proverbs
3:9-10: Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the
firstfruits of all your crops; [10] then your barns
will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will
brim over with new wine. As faithful Christians,
living on 90% should be as natural as breathing air
and drinking water. And we can trust that God will
make the 90% more than enough.
Remember, we’re called to live on 90%. That’s a
whole lot. Don’t cheat God out of His 10%.
|
|
The Investment Principle
|
| |
Where
are you investing your money? Stocks? College
educations? Entertainment? Some are wise
investments, some are not. Some bring gains. Some
bring losses. None last forever.
Have you ever considered that by giving to your
local church, you’re making an investment that lasts
forever? When you give to your local church, you’re
making an eternal investment that won’t go up and
down with the latest world news.
The Church is in the investment business.
Specifically, we’re in the business of eternal
investments. We invest in people so that they have
an eternity with God. CrossPoint exists to share the
good news of Jesus Christ so that hundreds of
thousands over the decades to come will know Jesus
and the hope He gives and live eternally with us in
heaven.
So where are you investing the money? Jesus put it
like this: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust
do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:19-21)
If you want the biggest bang for your buck,
considering using money to make an eternal impact.
Make a commitment to live on 90% and give the other
10% to your local church. Be a part of something
huge. Be a part of eternity. |
|
Secure Online Giving |
Download Printable Automated Giving
Form (PDF) | |
