What is generosity?
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Generosity is the practice of using money to align our hearts with our eternal treasure.
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“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” – Matthew 6:21.
Do our hearts follow after our treasures, or do our treasures follow after our hearts? The answer is yes and yes. Our hearts and our treasures work off each other. Our money spent displays to us where our heart is set. And our heart’s desires lead us in the way we spend our money. If we want all of life to be all for Jesus, our money and possessions play a large factor. “Our approach to money and possessions is central to our spiritual lives.” – Randy Alcorn.
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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” – John 3:16.
We give because God first gave to us. Money is a very powerful tool and can either bless or deceive. We must use money to display our hope in an eternal kingdom. Generosity looks like Christians intentionally using their money to bless others over just blessing themselves. It looks like followers of Jesus living below their means to benefit others. It looks like believers sacrificing their desires for other’s needs.
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God owns everything – Generosity exposes the façade of our perceived control and power. It is a physical confession that God owns everything, that we cannot take anything with us from this world, and that we are called to be servants, stewards, and managers for this God who owns all.
The path to happiness – “It is more blessed to give than to receive” – Acts 20:35. Generosity gets scripture into our lives. The blessings of giving are only known through experience.
Contentment – The more we learn how to give, the more we learn to be content with our current reality.
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The dangers of being rich – “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” – Matthew 19:24. Riches are dangerous. They can easily lead people to trust in their power over the power of God. And many of us are richer than we know compared to others worldwide.
Greed – One of the most difficult sins to confess is greed because of how present it is in the culture. We need action and practice to free us from the greed in our flesh. Generosity leads us away from greed and toward compassion and selflessness.
The current of the culture – Our money and possessions help us keep up with others and build a particular reputation. The world’s culture says that accumulation leads to a good reputation. Jesus says submission to God and sacrifice for others leads to good character.
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Learn – We find resources and environments to teach us how to use our money wisely.
Plan – We pray and decide a particular percentage to consistently and rhythmically give to the church, to the poor, to others, and to the expansion of the Gospel.
Commit – We commit to this plan to watch God use us and provide for us.
Respond – On top of our continuous giving we pray for God to display to us moments and opportunities to give above and beyond.
financial peace university
To learn more about stewarding your finances well, sign up for our Financial Peace University group. We will be meeting on Mondays from 6:30-8pm for 9 weeks starting on January 6th.
before you begin
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Spend time in a simple prayer to God. Ask God to expose current realities, to give grace where we have put too much emphasis or not enough emphasis on money, and to give freedom where we are attached to things we should let go.
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Remember the “the point is making space for treasuring God's own self (Mt 6:19-21).” We must align our lives, time, money, and possessions with the life God has called us to more than the life the world has called us to.
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Before you begin, be prepared to notice things you might not have before. The revelation of our spending habits and possessions can bring shame. We must be ready to face reality without shame. Before stepping in, release any shame to the grace of Jesus.
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Part of the problem is our cultural norm of comparing to those around us. Remember that this is not about what you have in comparison to those around you. It is mostly about the love of God and those whom God has put around you.
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We all have habits that need to be exposed. Be ready for them to be revealed and permit yourself to accept your current reality as it is. Jesus’ love is not found on the other side of any of these practices. It is found here and now.
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This practice will take much time to initiate. Give yourself plenty of time. But start somewhere. Starting small is better than not starting at all.
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Remember that this practice is not here for you to prove anything to God or others. Rather it is to open yourself up to Jesus’ invitation to a life of contentment.
reflecting on money
Spend time in prayer and reflection to sense your current ties to money.
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Spend a moment asking God to encourage you, lovingly convict you, and patiently lead you as you reflect on money and how to align your heart with His.
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If you had absolute assurance that God would provide enough for you, how would that change your relationship to money and generosity?
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What false ideas do you believe and what bad habits are present that are preventing you from living with more generosity?
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How could embracing generosity change your current life? Imagine what could be.
learning and budgeting
Generosity takes intentionality and preparation. We need to take time to look at our financial reality to take steps to live more generous lives. Here are some simple steps and ideas that can help give guidance.
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Set a time to do a money audit.
Look back at the last month, three months, half year or year. Take note on how much income you made vs. how much you spent. Numbers don’t lie. This is a good way of revealing what you really spend money on.
Make sure you account for everything and then write down the reflections. Where did I spend most money? How much money did I keep? How much money did I give? Does my money align with my heart for God?
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If you need education on finances and what steps to take a great resource to use is Financial Peace University. You can go through this alone or with a group.
This is good if you want to learn how to budget. // Want to learn how to get out of debt. // Want to learn how to give. // Want to learn how to save.
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Reflect on a few ideas before you budget
God owns all my money. I am simply a servant // manager // steward.
How much should I keep? And how much is God inviting me to give?
Where I spend my money will lead my heart. How can I lead my heart towards God?
Pray and decide how much money you will designate for giving each paycheck.
Get out a calculator and your pay stubs and a place to organize your budget.
A great system is “Every Dollar”
What will you give? What will you save? What will you spend?
Do everything you can to live under your means – and continue to find ways for your money to match your values.
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Commit to your budget for a set time. (ex: 30 days, 2 months, etc.)
Share your budget with a friend, roommate, spouse, or somebody you trust to hold you to your commitment. Accountability for how you intend to spend, save, and give your money, and how you actually spend your money is very wise and helpful.
Adjust as necessary along the way.
making a generous commitment
We should make a giving goal as a sign of trust for God’s provision. As we commit to give, we display the love of God to others and we display the unique lifestyle of those who follow Jesus. Use this guide to make goals and dream of how to bless others. Some giving targets are:
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We commit to give to our local body of believers. Through giving to the church we support those leading ministry, we support our local ministry partners, we support those in the community that are in need, and we support the financial obligations of the church.
Giving Areas at Redemption North Mountain:
General Fund – Giving for all the financial obligations of the ministry of the church.
Benevolence – Giving to the fund that supports those in need in our church community.
Camp Scholarship – Giving to the fund that supports Youth students for camp.
Building Fund – Giving to the fund that supports future building opportunities.
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On top of our giving to our local body of believers, we find ways to give to the poor, to the expansion of the gospel, to others in need, and to simply bless others. Pray about an amount God wants you to give above and beyond.
Giving Areas:
Another Ministry – Giving to a ministry you are passionate about and/or are connected to.
A Giving Fund – Giving to a personal fund saved only for giving to others and then praying for God to open doors for you to bless others.
A Person in Need – Giving to a particular person that you know is in need of financial support.
generosity worksheet
We created a Generosity Worksheet to help you work through how to practically practice Generosity in your life. The goal of this worksheet is to give a practical framework to plan continuous generosity. For generosity to impact us, we must implement and practice it.
additional resources
If you want to know more about the practice of generosity and be inspired to give, here is a compiled list of helpful resources. Because this list has many options, it can feel intimidating on where to start. Our encouragement is to just start somewhere. Pick one that seems appealing and start there.
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The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
Giving is the Good Life by Randy Alcorn
God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School by John Cortines + Gregory Baumer
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Forrest Gump
A story of an optimistic man who goes through life filled with selflessness and care for others.
A Christmas Carol
A miserable man is taken on a reflective journey to give him a new perspective on life.
The Dark Knight
A man who inherited an abundance from his parents finds creative ways to bring justice and peace to his city.
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Sermon: Here and Now by Jeff Manion
Financial Course: Financial Peace University
Sermon: Watch Out for Greed by John Mark Comer
(part of a 4 part series on generosity)
2,350 Verses on Money
Practicing the Way: Generosity Resources
(A good resource if you and a group want to do a deep dive into generosity)