How To Live Generously
(Acts 20:35 - In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive.'")
Key Bible Words: Believe, Pray, Love, Give
Luke 6:38 - "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
I. How giving benefits your life
1. Giving makes us more like God
(John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.")
2. Giving draws me closer to God
(Matthew 6:21 - "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.")
3. Giving is a victory over materialism
(1 Timothy 6:17-19 - Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.")
(Deuteronomy 14:23 - Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.)
4. Giving strengthens my faith
(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.")
(Proverbs 3:5&9 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops)
5. Giving is an investment for eternity
(1 Timothy 6:18-19 - Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.)
6. Giving it blesses me in return
(Proverbs 22:9 - A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.)
(Psalm 112:5 - Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.)
7. Giving makes me happy
(1 Chronicles 29:9 - The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.)
II. How to get the most out of giving
1. Learn to give willingly
(2 Corinthians 9:12 - 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. Give generously
(2 Corinthians 8:3-4 - For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.)
3. Give joyfully
(2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.)
4. Give thankfully
(1 Chronicles 29:13-14 - Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.")
5. Give expectantly
(2 Corinthians 9:6 - Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.)
(2 Corinthians 8:5 - And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.)
