I recently began attending a class called The Blessed Life at a local church in Elkhart about finances and giving. Here are some of my notes, thoughts regarding what I am learning.
Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not and you won’t be judged. With the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:36-38 is a parallel passage. Luke says, You (s) Give (v) It (obj pro) – You give and whatever you give will be given back only more so. He says, “pressed down, shaken together and running over.” (In that day, the people would go and gather grain from the fields. Usually the workers would just quickly fill their baskets. But when the people would go gather the stuff that was left, they would push the grain down, shake it and top it off ’til their baskets were running over – as much as they could carry, pretty much!) Many people use this verse as the motive for giving rather than the reward. Our position should be: GIVE to GIVR … not to GET! It comes down to a heart position. This has nothing at all to do with prosperity theology.
Deuteronomy 15 talks about how God set things up for people to help each other and live a lifestyle of giving.
- Deal with a selfish heart – vs 9 “Don’t listen to that selfish voice saying, “It’s almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled,” and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him. He’ll call God’s attention to you and your blatant sin.” God calls selfishness …. wickedness.
- Deal with a grieving or stingy heart – vs 10 “Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you.” The reason we often grieve over our money is because we think it is ours to begin with. All we have is the Lord’s.
- Develop a generous heart – vs 11 “So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.” It is exciting to fill a need. It really is. I love it! Matthew 6:21 says, where your treasure is, that is where your heart is. You heart follows your treasure… If you want your heart to be in the kingdom, put your treasure there!
- Develop a grateful heart – vs 15 “Don’t for a minute forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God, your God, redeemed you from that slave world.” Gratitude is what produces generosity!