Becoming a Fully Devoted Follower of ChristSample

Congratulations! You are well on your way to building some life-changing habits to help you become a fully devoted follower of Christ. Today we are going to talk about the B of habits. The B stands for Being generous. Jesus actually talked more about money than anything else in scripture. 

KEY BIBLE WORDS

Believe: used 272 times in the Bible

Pray: used 371 times in the Bible

Love: used 714 times in the Bible

Give: used 2,162 times in the Bible

WHY DOES GOD WANT ME TO BE GENEROUS? 

1. Giving makes me MORE LIKE GOD.

God so loved the world that He GAVE His only Son…(John 3:16)

2. Giving draws me CLOSER TO GOD. 

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)

3. Giving is the REMEDY to materialism. 

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

4. Giving STRENGTHENS MY FAITH.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of your income, and He will fill your barns to overflowing. Proverbs 3:5,9

Give and it will be given to you…For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38

5. Giving is an INVESTMENT IN ETERNITY. 

…Give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! 1 Timothy 6:18-19

6. Giving blesses me IN RETURN.

A generous man himself will be blessed. Proverbs 22:9

The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. Proverbs 11:24

7. Giving makes me BLESSED.

…Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

I hope this gives you some understanding of the importance of giving. Another word for giving is the tithe. 

WHAT IS TITHING? “Tithe” means “a tenth part.” Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

This is the one area of life God tells us we can test Him. I want to encourage you to test Him over the next three months and begin to tithe through your local church. I know God will move in your life.

Next Steps

    1. Start tithing to your local church.

    2. Keep meeting with God daily.