WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:06.559 Hello, everybody, This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. If you're 2 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.640 joining us for the first time or you've been listening 3 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.240 every day for ten years, we just want to say welcome, 4 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:16.039 We love you, and we pray for you every day. 5 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:19.760 So we're continuing with this series called Daring Faith the 6 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.879 Key to Miracles. And in this series you're learning how 7 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:26.760 to have a bold, unshakable faith that gives you courage 8 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.519 to impact the world around you. And if you're like me, 9 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.520 you'd really like to be more bold and have more 10 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:36.039 courage to share your faith in Christ. All right, let's 11 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.119 jump right in with Pastor Red with a message called 12 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:41.159 Daring to be Generous. 13 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:45.280 If you want the blessing of God on your life, 14 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:49.079 if you want the power of God in your life, 15 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:54.079 if you want the anointing of God through your life, 16 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:59.920 you must build your life on three things to the 17 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:08.920 blessing of God. Integrity, humility, and generosity. Integrity, humility, and generosity. 18 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:12.519 These are the three great antidotes to the three great 19 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:15.200 temptations in life. I don't have time to get into 20 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:19.439 it today, but this, if you build your life an integrity, humility, 21 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:23.239 and generosity, you will set up for yourself a barrier 22 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.040 to the three greatest traps in life that cause people 23 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:29.879 to fail in life. Now, in the Bible, there are 24 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.680 about seven thousand promises of God. These are blank checks 25 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:36.359 for you, and God says, if you do this, I'll 26 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:40.359 do that. With every promise, there is a premise. God says, 27 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.879 there's a condition for every one of the promises of 28 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.000 God in your life. Promises for success, promises for satisfaction, 29 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:51.359 promises for fulfillment, promises of blessing. It's over seven thousand 30 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:55.760 promises of God to you, but every promise has a premise. 31 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:00.760 In the Bible, the number one thing that God has 32 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:05.560 promises about is connected to generosity. There are more promises 33 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:10.120 related to generosity in the Bible than any other subject. 34 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:12.759 And when I say generosity, I'm not just talking about money. 35 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:16.319 I'm talking about being generous with your time, being generous 36 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:20.280 with your energy, being generous with your praise, being generous 37 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:24.599 with your talent, being generous with every area of your life. 38 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.960 It is becoming an unselfish person, and more promises about 39 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.719 that than anything else. So what is generosity? Why is 40 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:35.319 God so interested in generosity? Why is He's so interested 41 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:37.919 in us learning how to be generous? That he gives 42 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:40.319 all these kind of rewards and promises more than any 43 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:44.840 other thing. And the answer is because generosity is love 44 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:49.599 in action. You can give without loving, but you cannot 45 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:54.680 love without giving. You cannot be loving without being generous. 46 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:56.960 If I tell my wife that I love her, but 47 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:01.520 I'm not generous with my wife, I don't really love her. 48 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:05.759 If I'm not generous with my kids, I don't really 49 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:10.439 love my kids. Because love gives. God so loved the 50 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.919 world that he gave. And as I said, it's all 51 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:19.199 about generosity is simply love in action. And if I'm 52 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:22.479 not a generous person, I'm not a loving person. I 53 00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:26.080 may think i am, but I'm not. Because love is 54 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:29.360 all about giving. It's not about getting a lot of 55 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:32.719 songs on the radio. They're not love songs. They're lust songs. 56 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.280 Lust is about getting you make me feel like a 57 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:44.000 natural woman. You know, you make me feel good. That's lust. 58 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:48.719 That's not love. Love is giving. Lust is about getting. 59 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:52.000 Now interesting. I did a study of the major words 60 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.520 of the Bible. Keywords of the Bible. The word believe 61 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:57.199 we all know that's important is used two hundred and 62 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:00.360 seventy two times in the Bible. Believe to hundred and 63 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:04.400 seventy two times. Pray. That's an important word. We that 64 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:07.560 is used in the Bible three hundred and seventy one times, 65 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:12.039 three hundred and seventy one times. The word love obviously, 66 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:14.120 we know that's an important world where it is used 67 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:17.639 seven hundred and fourteen times in the Bible. But the 68 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:21.560 word give is used two thousand, one hundred and fifty 69 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:27.040 two times. Why Because God is a giver. Everything you 70 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:30.360 have in your life is a gift from God. If 71 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:34.959 God was not generous, you would have nothing. Your heart 72 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.160 would stop beating right now. God is a generous God. 73 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.879 He gives you air, sunshine, a mind to think, and 74 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:43.759 everything else in your life is a sheer gift from God. 75 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:47.000 Even the ability to earn is a gift from God, 76 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:49.720 and God wants us to learn to be like him. 77 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:54.160 This is what happens in you every time you are generous, okay, 78 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:59.519 number one. First thing that happens. Generosity honors God. Generosity 79 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.560 on the God giving as an act of worship, and 80 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:06.240 it's a recognition that everything you have is a gift 81 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:10.560 from God. The Bible says in the Second Corinthians chapter nine, 82 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:15.560 you will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. Your 83 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.759 generosity will prove that you are obedient to the good 84 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:24.040 news of Christ. Proverbs fourteen thirty one says, whoever is 85 00:05:24.199 --> 00:05:28.560 generous to the needy honors God. It honors God. Number two, 86 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:34.279 Generosity draws me closer to God. Generosity draws me closer 87 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:37.519 to God. Why because whatever I invest in is what 88 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:40.879 I'm interested in. If I invest my time in something, 89 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:44.079 I invest my money in something, I invest my energy 90 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.800 in something, whether it's golf or a new business plan. 91 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:50.600 Whatever I invest my time and money in shows what's 92 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:54.240 important to me. And when I invest in God and 93 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.600 his work, it not only honors God, it draws me 94 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:00.680 closer to because wherever my money in time is what 95 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:04.600 attracts me. The Bible says this proverb fourteen twenty three. 96 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:08.240 The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always 97 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:12.480 put God first in your lives. We give the first 98 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:14.639 part of our income first time percent on the first 99 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.079 day of the week. Say God, you're really number one. 100 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:19.639 It all came from you. Matthew six verse twenty one. 101 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:24.480 Jesus said, your heart will be wherever your treasure is. 102 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:27.639 So wherever you put your money, that's where your heart's 103 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:29.720 going to be. And if you want to be closer 104 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:33.199 to God, put some money there. It'll draw you closer 105 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:37.639 to God. Number three, Generosity makes me more like Jesus. 106 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:44.519 Generosity makes me more like Jesus, because the most generous 107 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:47.000 person who ever lived, of course, was Jesus Christ. He 108 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.399 sacrificed his own life. The Bible says, we have been 109 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:56.680 saved because of the generosity of Jesus. Every time you 110 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:01.519 give time, money, energy, anything, you become more like Jesus. 111 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:07.040 Every time you give, your heart grows bigger. Every time 112 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:12.000 you give, you become more like Christ. Now, the Bible 113 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:16.319 says this Proverbs twenty one, twenty six. The greedy always 114 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:22.279 want more, but the godly love to give. And the 115 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:25.800 more godly you become, the more generous you are. And 116 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.839 it also works in reverse. The more generous you are, 117 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:33.480 the more godly you're going to become, the more godly 118 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:36.279 you are. The more generous you be, the more generous 119 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:40.879 you are, the more godly you'll be Luke eleven forty one. 120 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:47.360 Purity is best demonstrated by generosity. In other words, to 121 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:50.439 live a holy life is to be a giver. It 122 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:53.199 makes me like Christ. You know when I see this 123 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:56.680 verse reminds me an old story Bob told me. One day, 124 00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.680 Bob took his young son, who's sitting in his car seat, 125 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:04.279 to McDonald's and to buy him some French fries. And 126 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:06.879 he takes him to the drive through and he gives 127 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:10.800 his son sitting there, the French fries, and he says, 128 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.279 as he was driving back home, it smelled so good. 129 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:16.000 He said, I just reached over and took one of 130 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:21.000 my son's French fries. He said. My little son said, Dad, 131 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:28.000 you can't have any These are my fries, Bob said. 132 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:34.440 I immediately had three thoughts, he said. Number one, I 133 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:38.720 realized that my child had forgotten that I am the 134 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:45.120 source of all fries. He would have no French fries 135 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:49.120 if it weren't for me. I brought him here, I 136 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:52.960 drove him here, I bought the fries, I paid for 137 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:56.080 the fries. I handed him the fries. He would have 138 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:59.200 no fries in life if it weren't for his father, 139 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:03.360 and the only reason he got any it was because 140 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:06.679 of me, he said. The second thing I realized is 141 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:09.240 that my child doesn't realize that I could take them 142 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:12.759 all away if I wanted to. I could take the 143 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:15.600 whole thing away, say no more until after supper, or 144 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:17.639 no more right now, that's all you can eat. I 145 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:21.159 could take him away instantly, or on the other hand, 146 00:09:21.320 --> 00:09:23.919 I could go back and buy him a truckload of 147 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:29.000 fries if I wanted to. I was totally in charge. 148 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:33.360 He was not, and he said Third, I realized that 149 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:37.360 I really didn't need his fries. That if I had 150 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:40.759 wanted fries, I could have bought him for myself. I 151 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:42.639 had plenty of money I could have taken. I could 152 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:44.399 have bought him for myself. I could easily get my own. 153 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:50.879 I just wanted my young son to learn unselfishness. I 154 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:55.159 wanted him to learn how to share. Those are the 155 00:09:55.240 --> 00:10:00.440 same three reasons God wants you to learn generosity. God 156 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:04.279 does not need your money. It all belongs to him anyway. 157 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:06.879 It wasn't yours before you're born, it's not going to 158 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:09.399 be yours after your diet. He just loaned it to 159 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:12.519 you while you're alive. It's all his. He is the 160 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:18.279 source of all fries, everything you have in your life. 161 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:22.000 If God didn't love you and be generous with you, you 162 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:25.200 would have zip not of nothing. He could take it 163 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:27.759 away from you instantly and he could give you ten 164 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:31.200 times that a mount instantly. He just wants you to 165 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:35.840 learn how to be unselfish. Why because God is a frygiver. 166 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:41.360 God is generous, and it makes me like Christ. Number four, 167 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:48.720 Generosity is the cure for materialism. Generosity is the cure 168 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:52.799 for materialism. Materialism is all about getting, get get, get, get, get, 169 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:54.679 get get get, get, get all you can and can 170 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:59.080 all you get. And materialism is about taking in and 171 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.159 acquiring and hoarding, and I gotta get more and more 172 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:05.799 and more and more. The only antidote, the only antidote 173 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:11.200 to materialism is giving. You may say I'm not materialistic, 174 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:15.600 but if you're not generous, you are. You are because 175 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:19.519 the only antidote. Every time you give, you break the 176 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:24.279 grip of materialism in your life. You break it. You 177 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:27.919 stop being a materialist. Now. The Bible says this. Jesus 178 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:32.440 said in Matthew six twenty four, you cannot serve both 179 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:35.399 God and money circle the word cannot. Notice. He didn't 180 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:38.120 say you should not serve both God and money. He 181 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:41.960 said you can't. It's impossible. You can't have two gods 182 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.399 in your life. You got to decide what's more important 183 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:48.879 to you being rich or serving God. What's more important 184 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:50.840 to me? Is God number one in my life? Or 185 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:54.200 is money number one in my life? He says, you 186 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.279 can't have two gods. You can't serve both in your 187 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:01.559 life and in a consumer driven call culture, and especially 188 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:05.440 in the good life of Orange County, it's pretty hard 189 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:09.720 to fight materialism. Everybody agree with that. It's very easy 190 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.679 to get caught up in being a consumer and thinking 191 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:16.440 that my life, that my net worth determines my self worth. 192 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:19.360 It does not. Your values are not your valuable and 193 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:22.200 your net worth and your self worth are not connected. 194 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:27.120 But daily you are bombarded by advertising. And Satan has 195 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:28.960 a little tool he likes to use to make you 196 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:34.240 a materialist. It's called catalogs. And when you look through 197 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:36.440 a catalog, man, I didn't even know they made that, 198 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:39.240 but I got to have it. Now. Where was I 199 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:43.799 without that? First Timothy, chapter six, verse seventeen and eighteen says, 200 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:47.320 this command those who are rich. By the way, everybody 201 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.720 listening right now, Hey tell you this. You're rich. You 202 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:53.799 may be unemployed, but you're rich. The poorest of the 203 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:56.399 poor in America are richer than most of the rest 204 00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:57.840 of the world. Most of the world would love to 205 00:12:57.879 --> 00:13:01.279 have the problems of people who or poor in America. 206 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:03.720 Command those who are rich, that's all of us in 207 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:07.679 this present world, not to be arrogant, nor to put 208 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:11.279 their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to 209 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:15.240 put their hope in God, who richly provides us with 210 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:19.519 everything for our What would you circle that word enjoyment? 211 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:23.440 Did you know that everything God created is for your enjoyment? 212 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:27.159 God wants you to enjoy life, not just endure it. 213 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:31.080 God created it for your enjoyment. That's the kind of 214 00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:35.879 generous God. He is everything provided for our enjoyment. Command them, 215 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:39.720 that's us, to be generous and willing to share, and 216 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:42.120 in this way they will take hold of the life 217 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:45.159 that is true life. You don't know what you're really 218 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.879 living for until you break the grip of materialism in 219 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:54.720 your life. Number five, Generosity demonstrates my faith. Generosity every 220 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:59.279 time you give, it demonstrates your faith because it shows 221 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:03.440 that you're trust in the promises of God. It shows 222 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.720 that what kind of what you believe. It shows that 223 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:10.600 you believe that God will take care of you if 224 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:15.240 you obey him. Tewod Corinthians says, this you're giving proves 225 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.200 the reality of your faith if I leave in one 226 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:24.600 six says you are generous because of your faith. By 227 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.360 the way, that's why I've been trying to build your 228 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:29.559 faith for the last nine weeks. You're generous because of 229 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:34.480 your faith. Stinginess is caused by unbelief. I don't really 230 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:36.320 believe that God can take care of me. I don't 231 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:38.480 believe that if I give this away, I'll have enough 232 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:41.919 for myself. That's a worry. That's anxiety, that's a fear, 233 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:45.879 that's an unbelief. Stinginess is caused by unbelief. You're generous 234 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:50.159 because of your faith. In Malachi three ten, God dares 235 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:53.600 you to trust his promises. He says, this, bring the 236 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:57.600 whole tie that's ten percent into my storehouse. What's the storehouse, 237 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:01.360 it's the temples wherever you worship. Test me in this 238 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:04.159 and see if I will not throw open the flood 239 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:09.639 gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that 240 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.279 you won't have room enough for it. God says, I 241 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.759 dare you. This is the Pepsi challenge test of the Bible. 242 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.679 I dare you. This, by the way, is the only 243 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:21.360 place in the Bible. It says, you can prove there's 244 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.559 a God. When I was in seminary working on my doctorate, 245 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:28.879 you know, we learned the philosophical arguments for the existence 246 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:33.440 of God, the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, the ontological argument, 247 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:36.919 cons moral argument, and all the others. But in the Bible, 248 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:38.879 it says, the way you prove that God exists by 249 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:42.639 tithing and see if He doesn't bless you more. It 250 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:50.120 demonstrates my faith. Number six, generosity reveals my character. In 251 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:54.679 other words, it shows what kind of heart you really have. 252 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:58.200 It shows do I have a selfish heart or do 253 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:01.200 I have an unselfish heart? Do I have a generous heart? 254 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:05.240 Do I have a stingy heart? Giving generosity shows what 255 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.600 my heart is really like. In fact, the Bible says 256 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:13.039 that God uses money to test what's really inside of you. 257 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:16.240 And he uses money to test and see if he 258 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:19.360 can trust you with more. And he says, if you're 259 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:22.559 faithful with little things, I'll give you more things. And 260 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.200 the Bible says, if you're faithful in that which is 261 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:27.519 not your own, what I loan you where on earth, 262 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:31.679 I will give you greater blessing in eternity. You may 263 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:35.879 not realize this, but the rewards and The responsibilities that 264 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.240 you have in heaven are going to be based on 265 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:42.120 how you manage your money. Huh. Look at this next verse. 266 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:47.080 Jesus Christ said it. If you are untrustworthy with worldly wealth, 267 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:49.919 you don't manage your money, well, you're not generous with it. 268 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:53.639 If you're untrustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you 269 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:58.519 with the true riches of heaven? And the answer is nobody, 270 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.320 God won't. Your responsibility and rewards in heaven are going 271 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:06.519 to be built on how you handled what God gave you. 272 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.559 Right now, what did you do with what you were given? 273 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:12.119 All right, let's look at some promises. Number seven, Giving 274 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:18.160 our generosity brings God's blessing. I could give you one 275 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:23.079 hundred verses on this in the Bible. Generosity brings God's blessing. 276 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:26.319 If you want God's blessing on your life, you must 277 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:28.880 learn to not be a miser. You must learn to 278 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:31.720 not be stingy. You must learn to be open handed 279 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.359 with what God has given you, helping other people with 280 00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:37.319 everything you've got. And the more you give away your time, 281 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:39.920 your talent, your treasure, the more God will give you. 282 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.839 Giving brings God's blessing. Look at these verses Proverbs twenty two. 283 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:48.440 Nine generous people will be blessed. Now. You either believe 284 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:51.720 that or you don't. But God said it and it's true. 285 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:59.200 Deuteronomy fifteen ten. Give generously, then, because of this, God 286 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:03.720 will bless you in all your work. You want God 287 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:06.920 to bless all your work and in everything you put 288 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:08.480 your hand to. You want God to bless everything you 289 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:11.400 put your hand to. There's the answer right there. Give generously. 290 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:14.960 That's one of those seven thousand promises. Here's another one, 291 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:19.279 Tewod Corinthians nine, seven and eight. God loves the one 292 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:22.519 who gives gladly, and God will make it up to 293 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:28.920 you by giving you everything you need and more so 294 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.319 that there will not only be enough for your own needs, 295 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:36.559 but plenty leftover to give joyfully to others. It brings 296 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:44.279 God's blessing. Number eight Generosity increases my happiness. Generosity increases 297 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:50.640 my happiness. Everybody knows this, that generosity increases your happiness. 298 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:53.920 The only people who don't know it people who aren't generous. 299 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:57.960 Jesus said it like this in Acts twenty. There's more 300 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:02.000 happiness in giving than in receiving. Now, I will admit 301 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:05.640 to you when I was a child at Christmas it 302 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:09.000 wasn't all about what I bought everybody else. When I 303 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:10.920 was a child, it was all about what I got. 304 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:14.240 And as a child, all my joy came from the 305 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:17.960 presence I got, not from the presence I gave to 306 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:22.079 other people. But that was a long time ago. I 307 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:26.000 was immature and I was self centered. Today I'm a grandfather. 308 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:29.640 Today at Christmas, it's not about the presence I get. 309 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.880 My joy comes from watching other people unwrap the gifts 310 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.960 that I've given to them. Why. Because I grew up, 311 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:40.880 I stopped being self centered. It stopped being about me. 312 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:47.160 That's called maturity. Unfortunately, some people never grow up, and 313 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:49.759 at eighty years old, it's still all about them. What 314 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:53.240 am I getting out of this? And they've never learned 315 00:19:53.480 --> 00:20:00.240 the joy of generosity. Generosity increases my happiness Number nine generosity, 316 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:05.680 This will blow your mind. Generosity expands my influence. The 317 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:11.079 more generous you become, the more influential you will become. 318 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:16.119 Influence comes not from what you get in life. Influence 319 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:18.839 comes from what you give away in life. And the 320 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:21.440 more you give away, the more influential you'll be. Now, 321 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:24.559 there's difference when you being famous and being influential. There 322 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:25.920 are a lot of people who are famous who have 323 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.279 no influence, A lot of selfish people who are famous 324 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.119 but don't have real influence. When you want to help 325 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:37.079 other people, influence comes from generosity. Here's what the Bible 326 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:40.480 says Proverbs eleven twenty four. The world of the generous 327 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:44.880 gets larger and larger, and the world of the stingy 328 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:50.440 gets smaller and smaller. Some one twelve says this verse nine. 329 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:54.240 Those who give generously to those in need, you're helping 330 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:58.440 the poor. You're helping the unfortunate, will never be forgotten. 331 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:02.240 You want a legacy. Help the poor will never be forgotten. 332 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:06.759 They will have influence and honor. I have found this 333 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:10.279 one to be true in my own personal life. But 334 00:21:10.359 --> 00:21:13.559 the more generous I became, the more influential I became. 335 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:17.359 You know my story. You know my story. Forty years ago, 336 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:20.119 when can I got married, we started tithing our income 337 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:22.319 ten percent. The end of our first year marriage, we 338 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:25.279 raised our giving to the Lord and to charity to 339 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.200 eleven percent. In the second year, we raised it to 340 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:30.200 twelve percent. Third year we raised it three percent, and 341 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:33.279 fourth year we keep adding, and even in tough times, 342 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.039 we would always raise our giving a little bit why 343 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.799 Because I wanted my heart to grow bigger every year. 344 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:42.000 I wanted to be more like Jesus. I wanted to 345 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:44.960 be godly. I wanted to be like God. I wanted 346 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:48.039 to be holy. Now we weren't doing this to show off, 347 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:50.480 because as you know, I didn't tell anybody about this. 348 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:53.240 For over twenty five years, we just quietly did it, 349 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:57.160 raising our giving from twenty percent to thirty to forty percent, 350 00:21:57.319 --> 00:22:00.440 to fifty percent to sixty to seventy of You know 351 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:02.640 that for the last ten years, Can and I have 352 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:05.720 given away ninety one percent of our income and we 353 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:10.640 live on nine. Now. We do that because you cannot 354 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:15.160 outgive God. And God says, you give to me, and 355 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.079 I'll give to you. And you know, what I've learned 356 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:22.519 is that while my giving went up, so did my influence. 357 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:27.480 When I was testifying at the A d C. At 358 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:31.240 the Congress, I was testifying before Senate, one of the 359 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:33.359 guys took me sid a senator and he asked me 360 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:35.839 a question. He says, you know, Rick, I know this 361 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:38.480 thing about purpose driven life sold the gazillion copies, best 362 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.160 selling book in the world. You know, for four years 363 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:43.559 it was the best It's the best selling nonfiction book 364 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:47.480 in American history. It's in one hundred and thirty seven languages, 365 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.599 It's in Guinness. It's the most translated book in the 366 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:53.079 world except for the Bible, has two Guinness Records. And 367 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:55.799 he goes, why do you think God shows you to 368 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:58.440 write the best selling nonfiction hardback in all the time? 369 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:02.119 I said, Oh, I know, I know why. He said why. 370 00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:04.240 I said, because God knew he could trust me with 371 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:08.759 the money. God knew that I would not spend it 372 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:10.720 on my stuff. I wouldn't go buy a bigger house. 373 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:16.400 I wouldn't go buy a bigger car. You know I 374 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:18.480 wear a watch from Walmart. You know I live I 375 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:20.519 drive a fifteen year old Forward truck. God knew I 376 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:23.359 wouldn't spend the money on myself. I would use it 377 00:23:23.400 --> 00:23:26.039 to help more other people. Now, I know a lot 378 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.519 of people say, well, shoot, if I wrote a gazillion cellar, 379 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:34.359 i'd give away millions. Ste No, you wouldn't. No, you wouldn't. 380 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:37.119 I guarantee you wouldn't. Why Because you're not being generous 381 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:40.200 right now? And I was generous when we were out 382 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:42.759 of work, and I was generous when I had no money, 383 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:45.480 and I was generous when the cupboard was bear and 384 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:47.319 I was generous when Kay was holding the job and 385 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.680 I was trying to put me through school, and I 386 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:52.880 had a forty year track record of being generous, and 387 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.519 God knew he could trust me. And with that generosity 388 00:23:56.759 --> 00:24:03.519 came additional influence. Number ten, generosity. This is a big one. 389 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:08.759 Generosity multiplies my money. This is a big one. Now 390 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:10.880 I give you a lot of verses on this generosity 391 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:14.720 actually multiplies my money. God has worked out the universe 392 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:16.519 in such a way that when I give God ten 393 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:19.119 percent of my income that's called tithing, that he makes 394 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:21.720 the ninety percent go further than if I had one 395 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:26.000 hundred percent on my own. The Bible says this Proverbs 396 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:29.759 eleven twenty five, A generous man will prosper. You want 397 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:33.119 to prosper? There it is a generous man will that's 398 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:38.960 God talking. And he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 399 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:43.160 And the Bible says the second Corinthians nine, you will 400 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:46.400 be enriched circle that word that means you're gonna have 401 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.000