Embracing God's Invitation: The Art of Giving
Summary
Today, we explored the profound concept of God's invitation to us, drawing parallels between a basketball coach's strategic play and Paul's guidance to the Corinthian church. Just as the coach inspired his team to victory, Paul provides a spiritual game plan for living a life that honors God. This plan involves giving gracefully, intentionally, generously, willingly, and excellently. As we embark on our church's "Touching Tomorrow" initiative, we are called to invest in our future with the same dedication and faithfulness.
Giving gracefully means recognizing that everything we have is a gift from God. We are merely stewards of His blessings, and our giving is an expression of gratitude for His grace in our lives. This perspective shifts our mindset from ownership to stewardship, reminding us that all we possess ultimately belongs to God.
Intentional giving requires us to be deliberate and thoughtful in our contributions. Despite the challenges we face, like the Macedonian church, we can find joy in giving. This joy is rooted in a deep-seated confidence that God will use our circumstances for our good and His glory. Our giving should reflect our priorities, placing God at the forefront of our financial decisions.
Generosity is a matter of the heart, not the size of our bank account. The Macedonian church gave beyond their means, empowered by the Holy Spirit. This teaches us that true generosity flows from a spirit-dependent life, where we trust God to do more with our resources than we could on our own.
Willing and eager giving is a sign of spiritual maturity. Like the Macedonian believers, we should be eager to participate in God's work, recognizing that we have the privilege to contribute to His kingdom. Our involvement is not a burden but a joyful opportunity to be part of something greater than ourselves.
Finally, we are called to give excellently. Just as we strive for excellence in other areas of our lives, our giving should reflect the same standard. Our God is not mediocre, and He deserves our best. By giving excellently, we honor Him and demonstrate our commitment to His work.
Key Takeaways:
- Graceful Giving: Recognize that all we have is a gift from God, and our giving is an expression of gratitude for His grace. We are stewards, not owners, of His blessings. This perspective shifts our mindset and reminds us that everything belongs to God. [05:18]
- Intentional Giving: Be deliberate and thoughtful in your contributions, placing God at the forefront of your financial decisions. Despite challenges, find joy in giving, knowing that God will use your circumstances for His glory. [12:20]
- Generous Giving: True generosity flows from a spirit-dependent life. Trust God to do more with your resources than you could on your own, and give beyond your means, empowered by the Holy Spirit. [15:58]
- Willing and Eager Giving: Spiritual maturity is reflected in our eagerness to participate in God's work. View your involvement as a joyful opportunity to contribute to His kingdom, not a burden. [22:43]
- Excellent Giving: Strive for excellence in your giving, just as you do in other areas of your life. Our God is not mediocre, and He deserves our best. By giving excellently, we honor Him and demonstrate our commitment to His work. [30:54]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction to God's Invitation
- [02:00] - The Basketball Analogy
- [03:30] - Paul's Game Plan for the Corinthians
- [05:18] - Giving Gracefully
- [07:00] - The McDonald's French Fry Story
- [09:00] - The Timeless Command of Giving
- [12:20] - Giving Intentionally
- [15:58] - Giving Generously
- [18:00] - Spirit-Filled Giving
- [20:00] - Giving Willingly and Eagerly
- [22:43] - Giving Exceedingly
- [25:00] - Creative Strategies for Giving
- [28:00] - Giving Excellently
- [30:54] - Prayer and Reflection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
- Deuteronomy 8:18
- Proverbs 3:9
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Observation Questions:
1. What does Paul highlight about the Macedonian churches' approach to giving in 2 Corinthians 8:1-7? How does this relate to the concept of giving gracefully? [05:18]
2. In the sermon, what analogy is used to describe God's invitation and how does it relate to Paul's guidance to the Corinthians? [00:30]
3. How does the pastor describe the Macedonian church's financial situation, and what was their response to it? [12:20]
4. What examples from the sermon illustrate the idea of giving intentionally despite personal challenges? [12:20]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of being a steward rather than an owner, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:18, change one's perspective on giving? [05:18]
2. What does it mean to give beyond one's means, and how does the Holy Spirit empower this kind of generosity according to the sermon? [15:58]
3. How does the pastor describe the relationship between joy and trials in the context of giving? What does this suggest about the nature of Christian joy? [12:20]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that giving is an expression of spiritual maturity and eagerness to participate in God's work? [22:43]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current financial priorities. How can you intentionally place God at the forefront of your financial decisions this week? [12:20]
2. The sermon mentions the idea of giving gracefully as an expression of gratitude. What are some practical ways you can express gratitude to God through your resources? [05:18]
3. Consider a time when you felt financially stretched. How did you respond, and what might it look like to trust God with your resources in a similar situation today? [15:58]
4. The pastor shared a story about a basketball coach's strategic play. How can you apply a similar strategic approach to your giving and involvement in church initiatives? [00:30]
5. Identify one area in your life where you can strive for excellence, as the sermon suggests, and how can this pursuit of excellence be reflected in your giving? [30:54]
6. The sermon encourages viewing giving as a joyful opportunity rather than a burden. How can you cultivate a mindset that sees giving as a privilege? [22:43]
7. What creative strategies can you implement to increase your giving, as suggested in the sermon, and how can you start this week? [25:00]
Devotional
Day 1: Stewardship Over Ownership
Recognizing that everything we have is a gift from God transforms our perspective from ownership to stewardship. This shift in mindset allows us to see our resources as blessings entrusted to us by God, meant to be used for His purposes. When we give gracefully, we express our gratitude for God's grace in our lives, acknowledging that all we possess ultimately belongs to Him. This understanding encourages us to manage our resources wisely and generously, as faithful stewards of God's abundant gifts. [05:18]
"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers." (Psalm 24:1-2, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you shift your mindset from ownership to stewardship in your daily life, and how might this change your approach to giving?
Day 2: Deliberate Generosity
Intentional giving requires us to be deliberate and thoughtful in our contributions, placing God at the forefront of our financial decisions. Despite the challenges we face, we can find joy in giving, much like the Macedonian church, whose joy was rooted in a deep-seated confidence that God would use their circumstances for His glory. By prioritizing God in our financial decisions, we align our actions with our faith, trusting that He will work through our generosity to accomplish His purposes. [12:20]
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)
Reflection: How can you be more intentional in your giving this week, ensuring that your financial decisions reflect your faith and priorities?
Day 3: Spirit-Dependent Generosity
True generosity flows from a spirit-dependent life, where we trust God to do more with our resources than we could on our own. The Macedonian church exemplified this by giving beyond their means, empowered by the Holy Spirit. This teaches us that generosity is not about the size of our bank account but the condition of our heart. When we rely on the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to give generously, trusting that God will multiply our efforts for His kingdom. [15:58]
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV)
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to rely more on the Holy Spirit to empower your generosity, and how can you take a step of faith in giving beyond your means?
Day 4: Joyful Participation in God's Work
Willing and eager giving is a sign of spiritual maturity, reflecting our eagerness to participate in God's work. Like the Macedonian believers, we should view our involvement as a joyful opportunity to contribute to His kingdom, not a burden. Recognizing that we have the privilege to be part of something greater than ourselves, we can approach our giving with enthusiasm and gratitude, knowing that our contributions make a difference in God's plan. [22:43]
"For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints." (2 Corinthians 8:3-4, ESV)
Reflection: How can you cultivate a spirit of eagerness and joy in your giving, viewing it as a privilege rather than an obligation?
Day 5: Excellence in Giving
We are called to give excellently, striving for the same standard of excellence in our giving as we do in other areas of our lives. Our God is not mediocre, and He deserves our best. By giving excellently, we honor Him and demonstrate our commitment to His work. This means being intentional, generous, and thoughtful in our contributions, ensuring that our giving reflects the excellence of the God we serve. [30:54]
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you strive for excellence in your giving, ensuring that it reflects the high standard of the God you serve?
Quotes
"Truth of the matter, it was a couple years ago that one of our members of our church who coaches one of the local high school teams, I went to go watch him and his team play in the Texas playoffs. As him and the team were playing that particular day, it was a back-and-forth game. As a matter of fact, at the end of the game, there was one play left. I watched him as he began to coach the team, as he began to give them instructions. He called them to the sideline, pulled out his whiteboard, and began to draw up a play for the team. And then he kept repeating this to his team. We are going to win this game. He said it again. We are going to win this game. Over and over again, he kept saying, we are going to win this game. And then he looked at one player in particular and said, listen, you're going to take the final shot, and you're going to make the shot. All of that happened. And I watched as they would blow the whistle. The team would execute the play. And just like the coach said, that very player would get the ball, they would execute, and they would win the game to go on to the next level of the playoffs." [00:42:34] (60 seconds)
"In a very, very, very, very real sense, that's exactly what's happening in today's text. Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, and he's trying to help them to understand how to win in serving and honoring God. He writes to them and draws up a play that's laid out in those first seven verses. He is now calling the Corinthian church to live out their faith in a real and meaningful way. He is calling this church to give in a way that honors God faithfully. He gives them a whole strategy, a whole plan on how they can honor God well in their lives. Just like that Corinthian church, our church, is in this unique season called Touching Tomorrow, where we are investing strategically in the future of our church, where we are deciding that we, in our 50th year, when some churches can sometimes say that their best years are beyond them, but yet God in his faithfulness to our church is allowing us to go into our 50th year and say, God, we are dreaming about another tomorrow even greater than today." [00:105:06] (72 seconds)
"Grace means that we are managers, that we don't own anything, we are managers. The Bible puts it this way in Deuteronomy 8 and 18. Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Leviticus 25, 23 says, the land is mine, you are but aliens and my tenants. We are managers and it all belongs to God. That car, that house, those clothes, that iPhone, the iPad, the TV, the furniture, the purse that you carried in, the shoes on your feet, it all belongs to God. Amen. It belongs to Him. We give gracefully." [00:269:34] (49 seconds)
"I remember a time when me and one of my daughters were headed to McDonald's. While they're at McDonald's, we went up to the counter, began, I put in my order. Then I said to her, order whatever you want. And of course, she ordered her Happy Meal with a cheeseburger. And then when the Happy Meal came, we sat down there at that McDonald's and began to enjoy our food. And as we began to enjoy our food, I finished mine and I reached over to get a french fry. And upon reaching over to get a french fry, a wall was put up that blocked me from getting the french fry. And I thought to myself, little girl, you must not understand that I bought the whole meal. I bought the clothes on your back, the shoes on your feet. I didn't go all the way hard, but in my mind, I didn't want to break a little heart. But in my mind, I said, little girl, don't you know better than to block your french fries for me? I gave you everything that you had. We have to be careful because sometimes we try to block God in our giving. When we don't understand, don't you dare block God from your french fries? Because God gave us everything that we had. He got you through school. He helped you get a good job. He blessed your career. He kept your mind. He kept your health. He blessed your family. He blessed your company. He blessed your business. He blessed you over even when we made mistakes. It was the grace of God that allowed us to recover and allowed us to learn some tough lessons. But thanks be to God, we give gracefully." [00:318:27] (97 seconds)
"That in the midst of their trials, they've also got this joy and joy is a joy. Joy is a deep seated confidence that no matter what happens in my life, God will either use it for my good or for his glory. In other words, they got some situations, but they still got their joy. They got some trials, but they still got their joy. They've had some pain, but they still got some joy. They've had some questions, but they still have their joy. In other words, this joy that they have, the world didn't give it to them and the world can't take it away. Somebody in the room can testify because that's your story. You, you've got a joy on the inside that no matter what happens in the White House, you know, God's going to take care of your house. You, you've got a joy joy on the inside that no matter what the diagnosis is, no matter what happens in the start." [00:577:26] (61 seconds)
"market, no matter what happens with your boss, no matter what happens in the dock, you've got a joy on the inside that you say everything is going to be all right. I'm holding on to God because God is holding on to me. The text says they got an overflowing joy. I like that because overflowing means it can't be contained. It means you've got so much joy that when you try to put a top on it, it just bubbles out the outside. It just comes over the edges. It just flows out of the container. You can't contain it because what God has done in your life don't make sense. You can't contain it because every time you start counting God's blessings in your life, even with your trial, your good days outweigh your bad days, and you made up in your mind, I won't complain because the joy of the the Lord is my strength. The Lord is my strength." [00:637:09]
"That God is not waiting on you to have the perfect situation and then say, okay, now I can be generous to God. Yes, but you learn how to honor God where you are, and when you honor God where you are, God can bless and guide us from there. If you wait and say, well, you know, if I win the lottery, I'm going to bless the Lord. And when I win that lottery, I promise you, I'm going to give something to God. That's not how we think. How we ought to think is, God, help me to honor you where I am. Help me to be generous where I am because I know, God, that you deserve all of it. I love this text. Look at what it says. They gave beyond their means. That's the word dynamis. It's the word power, ability. It means they gave beyond their own ability. They couldn't do it in their own. So if they couldn't do it under their own power, what power were they giving out of?" [00:893:90] (64 seconds)
"if their power was not enough, if they had to give beyond their own ability, beyond their whole power, I want to suggest to you that it was the Holy Spirit power that allowed them to give the way that they gave. Friends, the Holy Spirit just doesn't show up to make you talk a certain way, to make you act a certain way. No, the Holy Spirit empowers your whole Christian life. It gives you power to give beyond what you thought you could do because you know God is moving in every aspect of your life. Spirit -filled giving. Spirit -filled living." [00:958:28] (44 seconds)
"On their own is a growing evolution that the more mature and responsible one becomes, the more they can do stuff on their own. And when this text, this church in the text is a church that does it on their own, they are willing, they are so mature that they are not having to be asked, no, the text will actually say this, they begged to be a part of what God was doing. They were so aware of God's work in their lives that they did not want to be left out of this effort because they said, listen, we want to be a part of what God is doing. I love that word. They are eager. They begged to be a part of what God is. They said, listen, we're not sitting this out. We're not going to miss this out. We want to be a part of what God is going to do." [00:1171:29] (51 seconds)
"You've been locked up in sin, and you've been locked up in some bad habits and locked up in some bad ways and locked up in some bad relationships. And when Jesus has set you free, you can't help. You jump in two. You want to give, too, because you've seen how good God has been to you. You are eager to give because you've seen how God has worked in your own life, friends. Here is the reality. We don't have to. We get to. We get to. We get to invest in the kingdom of God. We get to invest in the next season of life of this church. We get to get to be a part of God as he changes life in the life of our church. We get to be a part of 800 people being baptized in the last 26 months. We get to be a part of our church impacting our city and community. We get to." [00:1271:45]
"Notice what he says to them. He says, I've looked at your life and I've seen how excellent you are. He says, I've looked at your life and I've seen how your faith is excellent and your speech, how you communicate is excellence. And your knowledge, you've got degrees and advanced degrees, you're excellent. And how earnest you are, your effort and your diligence in life. He said, I've seen how you love each other. He says, excellence is written all over you. He says, now I want to call you up to be excellent in your giving. He said, I know you can do it because I've seen how you've done it in other parts of your life. He says, I've seen you how you show up on your job. I've seen you how you try to put your kids in the best situations so they can grow in their faith. I've seen you as you've coached your kids on little league teams. I've seen you of how you tried to take care of everything God has put in your hands. But he says, now I'm trying to call you to excellence in giving. He said, I want you to go." [00:1637:62] (64 seconds)
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