God in my Everything – Money
For some of us giving away our money to the work of God is a true joy, but many of us struggle with being genuinely generous. In this pre-Thanksgiving podcast, we dig into true generosity, we give practical tips on how to make this the best Thanksgiving ever, and (we actually do this), we reveal the secret to being happy! Join us as we discover how to live like an amazing person Jesus delighted in, rather than in the tight-fisted grumpiness of The Simpson’s Mr. Burns!
For some of us giving away our money to the work of God is a true joy, but many of us struggle with being genuinely generous. In this pre-Thanksgiving podcast, we dig into true generosity, we give practical tips on how to make this the best Thanksgiving ever, and (we actually do this), we reveal the secret to being happy! Join us as we discover how to live like an amazing person Jesus delighted in, rather than in the tight-fisted grumpiness of The Simpson’s Mr. Burns!
“We live in a world that screams, “Make lots of money and spend it on yourself, and you’ll be happy. That’s the good life!” There’s just one problem. It’s a lie… Generosity is the good life. If you want to be miserable, greed and stinginess are the perfect recipe. Psychologists attest that the debt-funded lifestyle leads to depression, anxiety, resentment, stress, denial, anger, frustration, regret, shame, embarrassment, and fear. “Living the “good life” (as our culture defines it) results in missing the best life. We buy into the devil’s lie that giving will rob us of the good life. Giving inevitably enlarges our hearts, lives, and capacity for joy… Jesus told his disciples that when they gave money away, their hearts would follow the treasures they were storing in Heaven.” – Randy Alcorn in “Giving is the Good Life”
When we are converted to Christ, we undergo three conversions:
- The conversion of our heart
- The conversion of our mind
- The conversion of our wallet
“Grace, as we’ve seen, works most effectively in us when we lay an active role. What we do with our money not only reveals the priorities of our hearts, but also determines the affections of our hearts… Whether we are making a little or a lot, it takes a work of grace for us to trust God with the first tenth of our income” – Ken Shigematusu in “God in my Everything”
PSALM 100
Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.
Mark 12:42-44
And [JESUS] sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 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.