Give Generously

Brooklake

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Give Generously

Week 3

January 21, 2018

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Hebrews 11:1,6,13 ESV

5 Biblical Financial Principles

1. Spend less than you earn.

2. Avoid the use of debt.

3. Build Margin (Save).

4. Give generously.

5. Set long term goals.

Set Long Term Goals

January 28, 2018 • Nathan Golden

5 Biblical Financial Principles 1. Spend less than you earn. 2. Avoid the use of debt. 3. Build Margin (Save). 4. Give generously. 5. Set long term goals. 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:19-34 ESV

Stages Towards Financial Freedom

January 14, 2018

5 Stages Towards Financial Freedom 1. Struggling 2. Surviving 3. Stable 4. Secure 5. Surplus When Struggling we are behind; Surviving is pay-check to pay-check; when Stable we are able to save a little; when Secure we are able to perhaps have the house paid down; and with Surplus we have more than enough. What if every dollar you earned had an opportunity for the future, not an obligation to the past? 5 Biblical Financial Principles 1. Spend less than you earn. 2. Avoid the use of debt. 3. Build Margin (Save). 4. Set long term goals. 5. Give generously. Spend less than you earn, avoid the use of debt and build margin. Ever notice how we quickly we become creatures of our culture? One of the creatures of our culture today is that we have redefined “being able to afford it.” Now it means being able to make the minimum payment. The problem with greed is that it masks itself as need. Francis of Assisi: “People have confessed to me every known sin except the sin of greed.” Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21 ESV Protect… 1. …from impulse. 2. …from impatience. 3. …your savings.

Be The One

January 7, 2018

Generosity begins with gratitude, is sustained by gratitude, and ends with gratitude. Gratitude is a state of being not a state of having. I will not allow when I want will not rob me of what I have. Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 NLT 2. Gratitude honors the God of all that is good. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 NLT Gratitude trains our brains to trust that God is good. Honest and active generosity flows from a heart of gratitude for a God whom is completely, constantly and unchangeably good. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things…. Psalm 103:2-5 NLT As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:11-18 NLT Nothing teaches character better than gratitude. Group Discussion Questions 1. What’s the most gratitude you can remember feeling? 2. If someone offered you a million dollars with the guarantee that your heart would be ungrateful, would you accept it? Why? 3. In the story that Luke tells in Luke 17 about the leper that returned to thank Jesus, other than the obvious, he returned, what distinguishes him from the others? 4. What’s the connection between gratitude and generosity?