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by
Randy Alcorn
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November 25 - December 1, 2020
TREASURE PRINCIPLE KEY #5 Giving is the only antidote to materialism.
Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater Person and a greater agenda.
I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess. MARTIN LUTHER
Sam Houston, the colorful soldier and politician, came to Christ. After his baptism, Houston said he wanted to pay half the local minister’s salary. When someone asked why, he responded, “My pocketbook was baptized too.”19
Tithing is God’s historical method to get His people on the path of giving.
Tithing isn’t the ceiling of giving; it’s the floor. It’s not the finish line of giving; it’s the starting blocks. Tithes can launch us into the mind-set, skills, and habits of grace giving.
God doesn’t look just at what we give. He also looks at what we keep.
“You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Haggai 1:6).
How much of our harvest is blown away because we don’t make giving to God a priority?
Tithing is like a toddler’s first steps: They aren’t his last or best steps, but they’re a good start.
Sometimes giving will seem like it doesn’t make sense, but when we do it, God provides.
The Macedonian believers gave “as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability” (2 Corinthians 8:3).
God can produce far greater returns on money invested in Heaven today than Wall Street or real estate ever can.
I don’t believe it’s ever wrong to give now.
John Wesley said, “Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart.”24
Andrew Carnegie said, “The almighty dollar bequeathed to a child is an almighty curse. No man has the right to handicap his son with such a burden as great wealth.”
Carnegie wrote, “The thoughtful man must…admit to himself that it is not the welfare of children, but family pride, which inspires these enormous legacies.”26
The more you give, the more comes back to you, because God is the greatest giver in the universe, and He won’t let you outgive Him.
TREASURE PRINCIPLE KEY #6 God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving.
We don’t own the store. We just work here!
God entrusts me with this money not to build my kingdom on Earth but to build His kingdom in Heaven.
It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day. MATTHEW HENRY
John Wesley said, “I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.”
C. T. Studd wrote, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
When it comes to giving, churches operate under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Unless we learn how to humbly tell one another our giving stories, our churches will not learn to give.
It’s no accident that you live in this time and place in history.
Why has God sovereignly entrusted you with wealth? For such a time as this.
You’ve heard of prayer warriors. What about giving warriors?
How can you lead the way in the journey of generosity?
When there’s a choice, why not support organizations characterized by biblical standards and the supernatural work of God’s Spirit?
The Lord Jesus himself said: “There is more happiness in giving than receiving.” (Acts 20:35, GNT)
Let’s not be so absorbed with “getting what’s ours” that we miss what brings real happiness: giving God what’s His.
Giving boldly and joyfully affirms Chri...
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Giving is doing what we were made for: loving God and our neighbors.
Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.
God gives us more money than we need so we can give—generously.
[Josiah] defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me? (Jeremiah 22:16)
What I challenge in my books and in my teaching is the materialistic assumption that when God entrusts us with wealth, we should just spend it on ourselves, without considering God’s kingdom and other people’s needs.
I encourage all believers: let’s give generously for God’s glory, people’s good, and our gladness.
