2/11/2024 0 Comments How to Have Financial Peace*The following are my Bible study notes based on my pastor's sermon titled Financial Peace. First, let me assure you that lessons on giving are not about God raising money. Lessons on giving are about the Christian reaching maturity. When we hear sermons on the topic of giving, we can sometimes become anxious. A commitment to giving can be scary when our budgets are tight. Rest assured that worrying about money is nothing new. Even in Biblical times, people worried about money. People have sought financial peace from the beginning of time, but the only way to reach financial peace is to become a giving Christian. Let's look at Matthew 6:19-24. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. How to Have Financial PeaceIn order to reach financial peace, let's ask ourselves a few questions. Who do I love?Do I love Jesus or do I love money? Who am I serving? Who is my master? I must serve the right Master. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. - Matthew 6:24 When money rules us, it ruins us. We must not let money become our idol. The god of money will never give us the security we want. Have I been fooled?Let's read Matthew 20:1-16 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and to those he said, ‘You go into the vineyard also, and whatever is right, I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ The workers who had been in the field all day long got the same pay as those who had been there only an hour. Now, when I first read this, I felt the same way the all day workers felt. In my fleshly attitude, I thought the workers who had been there all day long should have received more or at least the one hour workers should have received less pay. However, Jesus told this story to make a very important point concerning greed. First of all, all the workers received the payment agreed on between them and the wealthy farmer. Second, the workers who had been there all day should have been grateful to have been hired and gotten paid anything at all. They could have spent the entire day waiting to be hired only to have gone to bed that night without work or pay. Thirdly, when the all day workers saw the one hour workers getting paid, greed settled into their hearts. They wanted more. The amount they had agreed on was no longer enough to satisfy them. The enemy fooled them into thinking they deserved more than what they had originally agreed was enough. A financial breakthrough is a blessing, not something we deserve. Do not weary yourself to gain wealth; May I always see the goodness of God in my life so that I will never be fooled into thinking I deserve more. May the desire of my heart be to give more. Where is my treasure?Money is a great tool, but a terrible master. Nothing in this life is secure. Let us not be fooled by false securities. May we never sell our souls for treasures that will never last. If we always want more and more, then our love for money has already robbed us of financial peace. Sometimes material things are nothing more than gift-wrapped garbage. There is a story about a man who had trouble getting his trash picked up. I don't know if it is a true story or not, but the story is that this man was frustrated that his garbage wasn't getting picked up, so one day he decided to put all of his trash into boxes and wrap them up like gifts. The man wrapped all the packages in pretty paper and bows. Then, he set them out where he usually placed his garbage. When he did that, his garbage was picked up. Let's be careful to not treasure things that look like pretty gifts, but inside are nothing more than garbage to be thrown out. Whatever has our hearts has our money. Money flows effortlessly to that which is its god. - Tim Keller If God has my heart, then I will treasure what He treasures. When we treasure what God treasures, then we have peace. May I have eyes to see God's grace and may I turn my gratefulness into giving. Pin Me! You may also like:
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2/10/2024 0 Comments Giving Principles*The following are my Bible study notes based on my pastor's sermon titled Giving Principles. Giving PrinciplesThe topic of giving sometimes makes people uncomfortable, but the first thing you should know today is that God wants to give to you. He wants to give you hope and life. Our Scripture passage for today is 2 Corinthians 9. For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints; for I know your willingness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I have sent the brothers, in order that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you will be prepared; otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to mention you—would be put to shame by this confidence. So I considered it necessary to urge the brothers that they go on ahead to you and arrange in advance your previously promised generous gift, that the same would be ready as a generous gift, and not as one grudgingly given due to greediness. In the life of the believer, giving is a step of discipleship just like church attendance, Bible Study, and serving our communities. We give out of a changed heart. Biblical giving contradicts the enemy's selfish desires. Satan tells us to keep everything for ourselves. God tells us to give freely. I'm reminded of a song lyric I heard many years ago. I don't recall the entire song, but two lines of it has stuck with me for over 35 years. Freely, freely you have received. When we give, we are sowing seeds.Giving to others is an investment in the eternity of others. When we give, we are sowing seeds. In our focal passage, 2 Corinthians 9, Paul was writing to farmers. Farmers understood the value of sowing seeds. When a farmer buys and sows seeds, he doesn't count the cost of the seeds as a loss. He knows they are an investment in which he will reap a plentiful harvest. In the same way, when we give to others, we are sowing seeds that will result in advancing the Gospel message which will result in the saving of lost souls. We reap what we sow. Let's give and pray for a plentiful harvesting of lost souls. If we give with the hope of receiving more for ourselves, we will end up in Spiritual famine. When God gives more, it is not for ourselves, but for others - for the growing of His Kingdom. The harvest is for Kingdom work, not a new truck. When we give, we need a plan.Let's ask ourselves two questions: 1. What have I already decided in my heart to give? 2. What have I already decided in my heart to do? When we give, attitude is everything.Attitude matters. We must not give reluctantly. God loves a cheerful give. We should give out of conviction, not manipulation. When we give, God is our source.God is able and He takes care of His believers. He will meet every need, not every greed. He will meet our needs so we can meet the needs of others. When we give, it results in worship.Our giving is meeting someone else's praying. When we give, we profess the gospel. This defies worldly logic. Jesus was the greatest giver. We should give because He gives to us. Let's ask ourselves two more questions: 1. What step of obedience do I need to take today? Give? Give more? Be baptized? Join a church? 2. What is my next step? PIN ME! You may also like:
2/7/2024 0 Comments The Greatest GiverThe following post is based on my Bible study notes taken from my pastor's sermon titled "The Greatest Giver." One of my pastor's opening statements was this and I think it's something we need to remember. "A church should not be known for its SEATING capacity, but for its SENDING capacity." Our churches should be sending people out to share the gospel of Jesus with others. We, as Christians, should be giving to others, because God first gave freely to us. The Greatest GiverLet's look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-9. Now, brothers and sisters, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. Giving ChristiansHow can we receive all God has for us if we haven't giving our all back to God? God loves to give, but He wants us to be open-handed. Let's ask ourselves these questions . . . What have I not given back to God today? What do I need to release into His hands? How is God about to move in my life? Am I willing to be a giving Christian? What is my vision of God? How we view God determines everything. Our vision of God influences all of our decisions in life. God is a gracious giver. When we give to others, we are reflecting God's grace. We know that times are hard today. Things are expensive. Have you noticed your grocery receipts lately? Grocery prices are skyrocketing. Other things are expensive too. Our budgets are tight, so talking about giving can make us feel guilty. On the flip-side, we can sometimes be stingy. When we are stingy with our finances, we also feel guilty when we hear a sermon preached on giving. It is normal for Christians to give. When we are not giving to others in some capacity, something might be wrong in our hearts. The Macedonians were in a test of affliction. They were being ostracized. They were being martyred, but they were still giving. They were in extreme poverty, yet they were still giving. (2 Corinthians 8:1-2) The Macedonians gave on their own accord. They were not forced. No one should be forcing you to give. Giving is a matter of the heart. Paul did not beg the Macedonians to give. They begged Paul to receive their gifts. (2 Corinthians 8:3-4) The Macedonians gave themselves first to the Lord. God had their hearts. When God has our hearts, He has all of us. (2 Corinthians 8:5) What are you struggling with today? Instead of wringing our hands in worry, let's lift up our open hands extended to God and be willing to receive His grace. Then, let's share that grace with others. We need to release to God the things that are holding us back. Resentment? Greed? Anger? Worry? Grief? Give it all to God. When we begin a relationship with gracious giving Jesus, we become gracious givers to others. Jesus was rich. Jesus came from Heaven, but He became poor. He had all the riches of Heaven, but He came to earth born to a poor family. The infinite became an infant. Of all the honor He had in Heaven, He had none here on earth. He gave up His divine attributes. He became sin for us so that we might know the righteousness of God. Put you name in this sentence. For ______________ sake, He became poor. Is our own identity in our stuff or is it in Jesus? Giving is an outflow of the grace of God in our lives. Giving is a matter of gratitude. A grateful Christian is a grateful giver. Giving is proof of love. Giving is the fruit of salvation. We are not saved by our giving, but being saved through a relationship with Jesus makes us gracious, loving, and giving. The order is this: Grace . . . Gratitude . . . Giving. The greatest gift from God is salvation through Jesus. To not receive such a beautiful gift is a great tragedy. Have you received the gift of salvation? If you haven't, learn how to receive that gift here. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 PIN ME! You may also like: |
AuthorWelcome to Abundant Family Living. I'm Tina. I write about faith and family and I offer products I think you will love. Learn more about me here. I hope you'll join me here often and I invite you to visit my other websites as well: Archives
February 2024
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