Gifts: Financial Generosity
October
6, 2016
Opening Prayers
Opening Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:17-18
Day 1: It’s All God’s!
There is a
direct connection between our relationship with money and possessions and our
relationship with God.
1. God created
everything
2. God owns
everything
3. As
disciples of Jesus, we are not owners of our possessions but trustees of things
that belong to God.
What is your
relationship to God? How is that
manifested in your relationship to money?
Day 2:
The Tithe
Tithing comes
from the Old Testament: Numbers and Deuteronomy
Jesus was used
to the custom of tithing – it was something everyone did. But he stressed that giving was about the
condition of the heart. We should give
from desire first and not from the legalistic requirement of the law.
Tithing should
be a response to our abundance from God.
Tithing is a
spiritual discipline – it is tied into good stewardship of your own money.
Day 3: Cheerful Giver
What is our
motivation to give? We give more when we
feel good about giving, or safe about giving (UMCOR), or responding to a
definite need.
Day 4: It’s the Heart, Not the Size
What is the
impact of you giving on yourself and on others?
The Left Hand
and the Right Hand might have been a reference to person or estate managers of
the rich. The idea is that the two
managers didn’t need to know how much you were giving to the poor to manage the
accounts. If the two managers knew they
might assume that there was more money to exploit off of the people or off of
the wealthy person. Even back then
wealth was a private matter – but it is always manifested publically.
Day 5: 10-10-80: Budgeting as a spiritual
practice
10 % to God 10% Savings 80% Live on income
How can we:
Assess where we are; Review our income, expenses, and priorities; Pick a
percentage; Make our gifts a first fruits offering?
