Where the heart is....

At last weeks staff meeting Pastor Todd talked about living a generous life based on the 6 principles in the book Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. I took some notes on his presentation and added some more to it. Todd mentioned that he had had some really great examples of generous people in his life and then named a couple.The next two words out of his mouth were....Martin Howe. I am so glad to call this man of God and his wife, Sister Rose my close friends.

Here is what I put together, I hope you like it...

Where your heart is…..

Anyone can give, but you can’t truly love without giving.

Six Principles: (from the book;The Treasure Principle)

1.God owns everything and I’m his money manager

Stewardship: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

A steward manages assets for the owners benefit.

Deuteronomy 8:18-20 NIV

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

Do you have any Idols?

Anything that you might be putting before the Lord?
(Material things perhaps)

It is God who gives us the ability to do something, write something, build something, perform a job, talents, gifts…

John Wesley (co-founder of the Methodist Church) had his house burn down totally. When they came and told him, he said “ That’s OK it was God’s house not mine,” that means less responsibility for me to take care of it”.

2.Your heart always goes where your treasure is.

The more you give the more you will delight in it, the more God delights in it. Giving will bring you joy, it will please you, more importantly it will please God.
Ecclesiastes 5:12 NASB The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.
Jesus preached more about how to handle money than he did about prayer, heaven or anything else. He knew we would always struggle with this.
The wisdom of this world says: “Never put all your eggs in one basket.” That would be an enormous risk. If you drop the basket, you lose it all. And nobody wants to take that risk.
So we have learned to be masters of diversity. Farmers rotate their crops. People with extra money make a variety of investments. The best colleges offer a broad education. The best tradesmen also develop proficiency in several aspects of their trade, rather than just one. Corporations own several businesses, each with their own piece of the market. Cars have spare tires and planes have reserve fuel tanks and space shuttles have all kinds of backup computer systems so that if one part fails, the machine can keep going.
So it’s not unusual for people who truly understand the call of the gospel to be reluctant in crossing the line. It’s usually those who don’t understand who are quick to believe (and quick to fall away). Like seed sown on rocky places, they hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

But those who understand the Bible’s message of salvation know that Jesus Christ isn’t into diversification.

With God, it’s all or nothing. With him, it’s “put all your eggs in one basket.”

He says: “I am the Lord your God and you will have no other gods before me.”

Luke 12:32-34 (the Message)

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself. Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being”.

Your heart will ALWAYS go where your money is.

If you want to have a greater heart for missions, give to a mission or a missionary.
If you don’t care about the stock market because you have nothing invested in it, try becoming a day trader, put a couple thousand into a stock. You will find yourself watching it online daily and getting upset if it goes badly and your investment dwindles down.

3.Heaven not Earth is my home

In Hebrews 11 it starts out talking about some of the Saints of history; Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah…

Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV

“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. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. “

Philippians 3:20 NLT “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior”.

Why would you decorate a hotel room? (you’re just going to leave it after a while)

Hebrews 13:14-16 NKJV

For here we have no continuing city but we seek the one to come. Therefore by Him let us continually the sacrifice of our praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

“Your sacrifice is on a collision course with your miracle” Bishop Robert L. Banks Jr. ...or was it Bishop Bobby Banks, not sure

The old testament sacrifices are now obsolete, believers are to offer spiritual sacrifices, which include their praise, their possessions, and even their lives.
If you only offer praise with your lips when you are at church on Sunday, but do not watch what you speak the rest of the time, what then will be the result?

4. I should not live for the “Dot”, but for the “ Line”.

The Dot is Earth, the line …Eternity. We live on the Dot ( Earth ), but not for it, we should live for Eternity.

Hebrews 11:24-27 KJV

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Moses got it, Egypt was not his home, God’s nation and people were his home and family.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. “
Jim Elliot

Luke 17:33 NIV

Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

John Wesley commented, “The sense of this and the following verse is, Yet as great as the danger will be, do not seek to save your life by violating your conscience: if you do, you will surely lose it: whereas if you should lose it for my sake, you shall be paid with life everlasting. But the most probable way of preserving it now, is to be always ready to give it up: a peculiar Providence shall then watch over you, and put a difference between you and other men.”

Think about gain, Yes, eternal gain. Jesus is the most radical investment advisor.

5.Giving is the only antidote to materialism

Our giving is a reflexive response to the good Grace of God in our lives.
We live in an area of extreme materialism, it’s all around us. Take a ride around Palm Beach. You’ll see Bentley cars, huge mansions beyond what anyone could need. Your friends and maybe even you always have to have the newest technology cell phone, computer and other gadgets.

Proverbs 23:5 KJV

Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Giving loosens our grip on stuff in our life… Giving to a missionary makes us a part of what they are doing. I always feel compelled to describe what my brother Taylor is doing in Peru, because my wife and I give sacrificially to his cause, his mission. I feel like in some small way we are a part of what he is doing.

1 Timothy 6:10 God’s Word Translation

Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.

John D. Rockefeller was asked once, "How much money is enough money?" He replied, "Just a little bit more." …
When he died John D. Rockefeller he left all the money he stored up here, here on earth.
The greatest indictment against him- and the proof of his spiritual condition- is that he was rich towards himself, but not rich towards God.

Ecclesiastes 5:14 KJV But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

Ask someone who makes $25,000 a year how much they would need to be more comfortable, they might say “$45,000”. Ask someone who makes $50,000 a year…they would say $100,000…
Someone who makes $100,000 would say $200,000

Luke 12:20-21 NIV

But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.

6.God prospers me to raise my standard of giving, not my standard of living.

When you realize that you have too much, give some to someone who has too little…problem solved

2 Corinthians 9:10 (The Message)

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

1 Timothy 6:3-19 (New International Version)

Love of Money

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to Godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For, we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.

Paul's Charge to Timothy

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 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.

About 5 minutes after you die you will have a clear understanding of the value of things on Earth.

Pray to get a better understanding of it now!

We can give and not love, but we cannot love and not give!