Divine Principles of Money: Trust, Give, and Multiply
Summary
In my sermon, I discussed God's paradigm of money, which includes savings, thrift, wisdom, and the unusual concept of giving money away to have it multiply back to you. I emphasized that this is not a scheme, but a divine principle that leads to joy, prosperity, and freedom. I also highlighted the importance of sowing generously to reap generously, not out of greed, but as an incentive to do the right thing. I stressed that spiritual growth is hindered when we don't trust God with our money and our attitudes towards it. I also touched on the four results of this message: multiplication, betterment of oneself, helping others, and praising God.
Key takeaways:
- God's paradigm of money includes giving it away to have it multiply back to you. [ 02:35]
- Sowing generously leads to reaping generously, which is an incentive to do the right thing. [ 03:39]
- Spiritual growth is hindered when we don't trust God with our money and our attitudes towards it. [ 05:08]
- The four results of this message are multiplication, betterment of oneself, helping others, and praising God. [ 05:36]
- God does things in secret that we can't see or understand yet. [ 20:14]
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Corinthians 9:7 #!!11:16!!#
2. Corinthians 9:6 #!!09:03!!#
Observation Questions:
1. What does Corinthians 9:7 mean when it says to "decide in your heart" to give?
2. How does Corinthians 9:6 relate to the concept of being a giver rather than just giving?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of "deciding in your heart" to give reflect our relationship with God?
2. What does it mean to be a giver rather than just giving according to Corinthians 9:6?
Application Questions:
1. How can you deliberately decide in your heart to give more in your daily life?
2. Can you think of a time when you gave reluctantly or under compulsion? How can you change this attitude?
3. How can you cultivate a mindset of being a giver rather than just giving in your interactions with others?
4. What is one specific way you can practice being a giver in your community this week?
5. How can you resist the temptation of greed in your life through giving?
Devotional
Day 1: Cheerful Giving
God encourages us to give cheerfully, not out of obligation or pressure. Our giving doesn't pay off anything, it's not supposed to. It's an act of love and obedience to God, not a means to earn His favor. The act of giving should be a joyful response to God's grace, not a reluctant duty ([14:02]).
2 Corinthians 9:7 - "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."
Reflection: Reflect on your attitude towards giving. Is it cheerful and joyful, or reluctant and under pressure?
Day 2: Pray for a Right Heart
When we don't feel like doing what is right, we should pray for God to give us a new heart. We should ask Him to align our desires with His will, so that our actions can follow suit ([15:07]).
Ezekiel 36:26 - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need God to give you a new heart?
Day 3: God's Ability to Provide
God is able to provide for all our needs. We should trust in His ability and not limit Him by our lack of faith ([17:09]).
Ephesians 3:20 - "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to trust more in God's ability to provide?
Day 4: Giving Leads to Praise
When we give and it multiplies, people are helped and God is praised. Our giving should ultimately lead to the glorification of God ([25:49]).
Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Reflection: How can your giving lead to the praise and glorification of God?
Day 5: Becoming a Giver
God calls us to be givers, not just in our actions but in our identity. As we practice giving, it becomes easier and greed loses its hold on our hearts ([09:03]).
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.’"
Reflection: How can you cultivate a lifestyle of giving, not just occasional acts of generosity?
Quotes
1. "God's praise should be one of our agenda items and he says when you give and it multiplies and the Harvest goes and people are helped they will praise God just like the church in Jerusalem they received that gift man and they were praising and they sent those Praises every which way they shared it and God was praised and they were joyfully expressing their thanks to God." - 25:24
2. "Paul's saying guys all right don't don't like waffle back and forth don't think about this way one way and this way another day like you get with God and you just decide in your heart between you and God you don't have to have like a town meeting about it decide in your heart and decide commit to it be deliberate about it don't don't be like falling into guilt and uh manipulation like just decide this is what we've decided to do and do it because you've thought through the kindness of God shown to you in Christ." - 11:14
3. "Cheerfully give because it's all mine do it cheerfully do it with a spirit of joy and don't give reluctantly or under pressure which means you know guys every time like if we could do anything that is kind of like a payoff to God of like ah gosh I've been pretty bad lately I better do something better go to church today jeez maybe I'll crack open the Bible for 10 minutes or maybe maybe I'll give today just be really like this this gotta make up for something um it doesn't make up for anything and it's not supposed to Jesus Christ and his blood shed for you is the thing that brings you into relationship which is what God wants but your giving doesn't pay off anything." - 13:39
4. "There comes a point where you can't keep growing spiritually you can't if you don't put your money in God's hands and here's the next one and your attitude about your money in God's hands you can't and we're going to see right in Texas there's a there's a stopping place it's like I can't pull you any further with regard to this area until you trust me with this." - 04:29
5. "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 in your own heart how much to give and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure for God loves a person who gives cheerfully and God will generously provide all you need then you'll always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." - 04:29
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