Sacrificial giving does not mean you toss everything to the wind and have nothing. In fact, many sacrificial givers are quite wealthy – they just don’t live like it’s their goal. They have so much and know they are merely God’s stewards (managers) of it, and they delight in sharing it – spontaneously, strategically, and sacrificially. They love and trust God so much that they have no problem with letting go of what He has temporarily given them to take care of.

When you hear regular people in our culture say, “I don’t really have enough to give,” what they are actually saying is that they don’t feel like they have enough extra, enough left over, that they can give without adjusting their lifestyle. This is normal, of course. However, the truth is that you always have SOMETHING you can give. And the less you have, the more your sacrifice means. Jesus observed the widow who gave all she had as an offering at the temple and considered it so amazing that he shared its significance with His disciples (Mark 12:41-44).

The more we have, the greater the responsibility and opportunity – to be a blessing. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; ad for the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) The more we cultivate a generous life style the more clearly we can see ourselves, others, and God in the light of reality.

But don’t stop there. Start saving. Start cutting back so you will have more that you can give. Watch for opportunities. Pray, plan, and start giving strategically. Just as you now think about how to get the things you want (not need), consider how to look ahead so you can give in even more dramatic, life-impacting ways.

The first level of giving is spontaneous. There is nothing wrong with a spontaneous giver. When you see a need, you immediately want to pounce on it and fill it. Notice a homeless man at the busy intersection with a sign asking for food money? Then slip him a bill before the light changes. Hear about a family that doesn’t have transportation? Loan them your car for a week. All good impulses. However, if spontaneous giving is your only exercise, then it limits the impact that you can have – and the impact God’s blessing can have on you.

This first-level giving is not a deliberate lifestyle commitment, only a reaction, and often an emotional one at that – compassion for the homeless person, guilt over the unused car in the garage. Again, not  bad thing – but simply not enough to cultivate a consistent generous vision. The goal is to transform spontaneous giving into what is called strategic giving.

Strategic givers plan ahead so they can be really generous. They are intentional. They think it through. Isaiah 32:8 describes this kind of giver: “Generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.” Strategic givers actually contemplate questions like, “How can we be more generous?  How can we maximize the blessings we have so we can be a blessing to others?

Strategic givers are also tithers. They understand the biblical principle: I will give God my first and best, and He will bless the rest. They acknowledge that the first part of everything they make belongs to God and that they are only returning to Him (through His church and for His work) what is already His, and doing so out of obedience and love.

More on strategic givers tomorrow…

Years ago when I was first born again I heard a wonderful slogan or phrase – “I will give God my first and best, and He will bless the rest.” This means I will give Him 10% right off the top – 10% of everything I earn before taxes. This is the basic amount true disciples are to give to the Lord and forms the base for all other giving. Other giving includes what is called an “offering” and any finding going to “missions” or to help the poor (called “alms”). If you do not tithe then when you do give it immediately goes towards the tithe and is never an offering. If you don’t tithe and think you are giving an offering you are wrong – you are simply giving towards the basic tithe. Only after the 10% is reached are you then making an offering or giving to missions and alms.

This distinction is important. If you are giving $100.00 towards missions and you do not tithe; you really have not given to missions but simply given a part of your tithe. You have no right to designate where your giving is going (such-and-such a mission) because you are really giving a part of your tithe and it must come into the local church to help pay for the ministry of that church. Only after your tithe has been totally paid – 10% of your gross income – are you then free to give to missions or alms or other designated things.

Yesterday we spoke about all that the Lord wants to bless us with. If you are not tithing then God cannot and will not bless you with an abundance of anything. You are robbing Him and He takes that very seriously. If He is not first in the financial area of your life – He is not first. If He is not Lord of your finances – He is not Lord at all. To be Lord in your life He must be Lord of all aspects of your life. And, let’s admit it money is a real key area of daily life. When He is not seen as Lord and treated as Lord the blessings simply don’t flow. (see Malachi 3:8-10).

Tithing is not just an Old Testament requirement. Even Jesus spoke of tithing. In fact, His only complement to the Pharisees was that they upheld the tithe. It is basic to life as a believer and a disciple. It is New Testament. It is powerful and is the start of freedom from bondage to material things. It releases the hand of God in and on your life.

Try it – if you give God your first and best He will take care of the rest. Stop deceiving yourself and get right with God. Try it – and receive forgiveness and fresh life in your spirit. Then make tithing a way of life.

Of course, this is just the basic level and you are encouraged to given much over and above the first 10%.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:11, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” Notice that he did not say “rich in fiancé.” He said, “rich in every way.”

The Greek word of “every way” is pas (pronounced “pahss”), which means every, any, all, the whole, all things, or everything. Most people – even believers – seem to pursue only material or financial blessings. If this is our only definition of riches, however, we are missing out on 99.9 percent of what else God has to offer.

“Every way” includes relational, emotional, psychological, physical, and … well, all the ways that you can imagine. Financial and material are certainly included, but they are just two of the dozens of categories of riches. Don’t limit God by such a narrow focus.

The reason for blessing you in so many ways and in the different areas of your life is so that there will be “thanksgiving to God.” Your generosity with your money, your time, your emotions, your relationships, your family… as you give others will be blessed and give thanks to God because they will see God in you and in your generosity. This is the real reason you are going to be blessed. God wants people to be drawn to Him and come to know Him.

God says, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed.” Proverbs 22:9 NKJV

If you are a follower of Christ, consider for a moment the value of the incredible, undeserved gift He has given us. Mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. A new life. It is hard to fathom just how freely He has lavished us with all that He has. If we have received the heart riches and abundant life of a new life in Christ, we should be giving out of the deepest gratitude. And we should also realize that nothing else really matters if we have what God gives so freely. We can give away all that He entrusts to us in the same spirit of generosity.

We are to have a “generous eye.” It is not a special talent, skill or personality trait. And all of us can experience the consequence – being blessed – of such a generous attitude. What would you see if you looked at the world through generous eyes? Going through your daily life, you might notice needs that escape other people, or identify places where you alone are capable of giving what is needed. Seeing with generous eyes would color your thinking beyond yourself:

“God, who can I bless in this present situation?”

“What do I have that I could use to make a difference?”

“What is the need here – and what can I do to meet it?”

The more we give away the richer we become. That is what Jesus teaches and the Bible states. We are promised that a blessing when we have a generous eye. The blessing we receive in return may not be material at all. Jesus explains this promise another way: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  (Luke 6:38)

He too indicates that there is a cause-effect, reciprocal relationship between giving what we have and receiving God’s blessing. When you give, you will be blessed. When you give, it will be given back to you. And the blessings we receive are often more spiritual than physical or material; more a change in us than a change in our circumstances. Giving generously changes us. It frees us up, undermines the power that money and possessions can have over us, and makes us more like Him.

1>     Earn more

2>     Spend less

That’s it. The secret of getting out of debt, right there in a nutshell. You knew that, of course! So, if we know the solution, what keeps us from implementing it? There has to be a deeper issue, a root problem. To get rid of a spiritual problem (and debt is a spiritual issue – see the last few blogs), we need to pull it up by its spiritual roots. To pull up roots, we are going to have to be willing to get our hands dirty, to make some sacrifices that provide long-term benefits instead of short=term, refinanced gains. God is willing to help us, to provide the tools we need to week out those areas where are desire for money is spoiling our fruit of the Spirit.

Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil” (NLT). Better a little with God than a whole lot without Him. Better to have fewer houses, cars, appliances, clothes, toys, and bills than to have the whole world and lose your soul. Better something paid for that’s used and enjoyed and shared and worn out than something nice and shiny and new that won’t be paid for until 2019 and that you are too stressed to enjoy. Better a little with the fear of the Lord than more of what everyone else has.

Most people think, “If only I made just a little more money! It would not take much. Then I could fix everything going on in my life.” But it is not an income problem! It is a lifestyle problem. As your income goes up, your lifestyle trails along and catches up, gobbling up with it any chance you have at extra. At its root, it is actually more than just a lifestyle problem; it’s a spiritual problem.

In Matthew 6:19, Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” But most people’s lifetime ambition is the exact opposite of that: store and get more. More, more, more.  Jesus continues, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)

Where your money goes, there your heart follows.

The average Christian in the United States gives about 2 percent of his or her income towards helping people and advancing God’s Kingdom on the earth. That means that the remaining 98 percent goes to the world. Which means that 98 percent of our hearts go towards the world. If you catch yourself wondering why you want more of the world and you’re not satisfied with God, it’s because you have a spiritual problem. We think that more is going to make us happy when only Jesus can.

For most Christians this means they have a warning to heed and a choice to make.

The warning: (1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

The choice – determine where you want your heart … in the world or in God’s hands.

It is not surprising then that God wants you free from financial worry. He wants you to have money margins – more money than you need. Proverbs 21:20 states: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” Listen to what that said! The wise – not the rich – have more than enough in their house. They have extra. According to this verse, it’s a foolish person who lives paycheque to paycheque. Every time he gets more, he uses it all up.

The Bible does not say you have to be wealthy to have more than enough money! According to this verse, you don’t have to be a two-income family. You don’t need six figures annually. You only have to be wise. There is a wise way to manage the money God entrusts to you. And there’s a foolish way to (mis)manage what God entrusts to you. The choice is really yours.

Don’t be a fool. Recognize that money is a spiritual issue and become wise in the way that you handle it. And wisdom is found within the pages of your Bible. When I was first born again I read my Bible and underlined all the verses relating to money, finances, budgeting, tithing… and then applied them to my life and my finances. It was amazing what the Lord did as I began to use my money wisely and manage His blessings in a biblical manner. Try it – you will certainly like the results. And, so will your spirit.

It may be normal but it is not the biblical way to live and certainly not the way Jesus would have us live. It is not even close to the “abundant life” that He has promised us. Abundant worries and stress – yes; but that is not real life as He designed it to be. So, what is the root issue here. Well, there may be several…

First, your focus is on yourself and not on Jesus and His Kingdom. The Bible says, “Seek FIRST the Kingdom … and all these other things will be added unto you.”As long as we focus on ourselves we will continue to be consumers in our society and culture and not contributors to the Kingdom. We will spend on ourselves because we are selfish and self-centered and will always find another need or another want and then go about filling that need and fulfilling that want.

Secondly, we are trusting in credit cards and not trusting in the Lord Jesus. If we really need something and not just want it – Jesus promised to supply all of our needs. So, we need to wait on Him and trust in Him and not short-circuit His blessings by going out and purchasing it using credit just because we feel we REALLY need it NOW!

As disciples of the Lord we are called to live differently than the world. Yet, in many basic ways, we don’t Maybe in this realm of wants, needs, and finances we need to consider making some major changes so we have extra to invest into the Kingdom and the spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

I know many of you do not think that you are but we are – me included. We are seriously wealthy. If you earn $37,000 a year, you are in the top 4 percent of all wage earners alive today – certifiably rich by anyone’s definition. If you make $45,000 a year or more, you are in the top 1 percent of wage earners in the world. In order to honor God with your wealth, you first have to admit that you are rich. Most people won’t do that and thus the many things Jesus says in the gospels about rich people are just never considered let alone taken seriously.

We are called to be good stewards of what God has given to us. And, He is the One who planned that you be born here in this nation at this time – earning what you are earning. His purpose was so that you would live in such a way as to release funds so that His Kingdom could expand and the Gospel be heard in places where the people are living in spiritual and financial poverty. The trouble is we don’t feel rich.

How is this possible? It is all because of M&Ms – mass media and mass marketing. Some advertisers want us to feel rich if we can afford their products – they are often called luxury brands and include Mercedes automobiles, Cartier jewelry and Ralph Lauren clothing. Other marketers want us to feel proud of how cost conscious and value minded we are as smart shoppers. They want us to view their products not as a luxury but as the best quality for the lowest price – think Walmart, Hyundai, and Old Navy.

The end result is the same – we spend on ourselves and live beyond our means and have no margin or extra to enable the Kingdom to expand or even to help those who are not guaranteed that they will be able to feed their children tonight. We have become consumers and simply do not consider ourselves to be rich in any way. As a result we live selfishly and the Gospel is not spread and the love of God as found in Christ Jesus is often not heard in many corners of our world. I believe it is time for a change and I have begun to make a change in the way I think and live. I invite you to do the same.