What Motivates You to Give? What are the Benefits of Giving?

1. What Motivates You to Give?What are the Benefits of Giving?

2. What Motivates You to Give? • Bring Hope and Healing to a Broken World • I give so that my heart does not become indifferent to the things that break God’s heart.

3. Effects / Benefits of Giving • "Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless.“(Psalm 119:37)It allows me to view life from an eternal perspective. • Reminds me that God has a bigger plan for my money than I could ever imagine. • I feel transformed, as if something good gets released within my heart.

4. Live Rich, Retire Richer!Where should I invest my money? • Many places to invest.Where do you invest your money?IRA, 401k, Real Estate, etc… • Have you ever considered investing in your spiritual portfolio?

5. Spiritual Portfolio • Matthew 6:19-20 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” • Two things in your spiritual portfolio have priority: • What did you do with my son Jesus? • What did you do with what I’ve given you to manage?

6. Focus on “What did you do with what I’ve given you to manage?” • How can I use my finances to store more treasures in heaven, my spiritual portfolio? • *Give* to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! Luke 12:32-33 *emphasis added*

7. What is one thing every person can do so they can give generously? • Commit to living a simple & modest lifestyle so that thousands, millions, and billions of dollars will be freed up to be given to God’s work (people in need). • **The more expenses we accumulate, the less we have to give**

8. What a simple modest lifestyle looks like • Arrange your lives so you can give more in the future • Modest Cars VS Expensive Cars • Maintain current standard of living regardless of increased cash flow.

9. Is it possible to live too“modestly” – Give too much? • Healthy life • Don’t become a burden to others • Undermining our ability to live and minister among those with whom we work

10. Should Christians live in Wealthy Areas? • We need Christians in every social class, every neighborhood, every circle • Christians should always aim for the bottom end of their particular income bracket with regard to how much they spend their money on themselves. • Should financially wealthy Christians buy expensive cars?

11. Road Blocks • What are the 4 most common reasons that keep people from living a simple modest lifestyle so that million$ can be freed up to help people in need?

12. We forget it’s God’s Money • Everything that you have is from God. Even the things and money you worked for because God gave you the energy. • What you think you own is actually on loan. It wasn’t yours before you were born and it won’t be yours when you die. • "100% belongs to God; the issue is, how much should I keep for myself?“

13. We forget we’re “rich”- God has given more than I need (1/5) • Car or House

14. We forget we’re “rich”- Clean Drinking Water (2/5)

15. We forget we’re “rich”- 800 million people won’t eat today (300 million of them are kids) (3/5)

16. We forget we’re “rich”- Billions of people live on less than $2 a day. (4/5)

17. We forget we’re “rich”- God has given more than I need (5/5) • Why does God give us more than we need? • 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” • We have more than we need in order that we might be generous on every occasion.

18. Mr. & Mrs. Jones – Envy 1/2 • Endless battle where you try to keep up with friends & people you know of that buy things you don’t need or can afford to pay with cash. • PROBLEM Someone else always has more money & nicer things.

19. Mr. & Mrs. Jones – Envy 2/2 • SOLUTION: Live within your income, you can always spend more than you can make. • Learn to admire without the need to acquire. ...for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. Philippians 4:11 (NLT) • How can I “learn” to be content with whatever I have? • “Stop looking at what you don’t have and thank God for what you do have. If you look hard enough, you will find reasons to be thankful.” • BENEFITS: Stay out of debt. Unsecured loans: automobile & credit card debtLess Stress. (Car illustration)

20. I won’t be happy until I have… 1/2 • The belief that they won’t be happy without _____ or until ________ happens. • Belief that I need it now, can’t live without it

21. I won’t be happy until I have… 2/2 • Enjoying life isn’t based on circumstances; it’s an attitude of the heart.(Financially poor people example) • “I’m not going to be so focused on the future (when I acquire this) that I don’t enjoy what I currently have.” This is the day the lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. • Thankful people are happy people. (calm delight) Make a list of 20 things to be thankful for.

22. Aside from my spiritual portfolio, does what I give make a difference? • $21,500 to put a student through 1 year of seminary (Twenty people giving $1075) • $3,151 to support a missionary for 1 month (Ten people giving $312.10) • $9 gives an Orphan 1 Week of Loving Care (iPod or 28 weeks) • *Video Clip*