WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:05.919 Hey, everyone, thanks for joining us today on Pastor Rick's 2 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.919 Daily Hope, the Bible teaching Ministry of Rick Warren. Today 3 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:13.279 we're bringing our series called the Habits of Happiness to 4 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:16.559 a close. In this series, Rick dives into the Book 5 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:20.519 of Philippians and helps you discover God's path to true 6 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.519 and lasting happiness. And now over to Rick with the 7 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:28.600 final part of a message called God's Promise to the generous. 8 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:32.359 Every time you're generous, what happens is a change takes 9 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.560 place in you. Every time in you your heart moves, 10 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:39.479 just another tweak up the dial toward God. You become 11 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:42.920 more like Jesus. You become more loving. Every time you give. 12 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:44.799 You the Bible says, you give a cup of cold 13 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.280 water in Jesus' name. He said that counts. Every time 14 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:54.840 I practice generosity, I become a little bit more like Jesus. Philippius, 15 00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:57.719 Chapter one, verse eleven says this your lives will be 16 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:03.759 filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ 17 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.879 can produce for the glory and praise of God. Now, 18 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:13.079 what we're talking about here is extremely counterculture, because everything 19 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:15.640 in our culture does not say give. Everything on our 20 00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:19.239 culture says get would you agree we're living in an 21 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.439 increasingly self centered culture. Ever, I agree with that narcissism 22 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.959 is on the ride. It's all about me, me, myself, I, 23 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:32.120 my stuff, my things, my needs II III. Now the 24 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:34.719 middle letter of crime is I, and the middle letter 25 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:37.000 of pride is I, and the middle letter of sin 26 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:41.719 is I. I have an eye problem. And when I'm generous, 27 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:43.959 what does it do? It gets the focus off me, 28 00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:47.799 and I stop thinking about me, and I start thinking 29 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:52.519 about others. Philippians two four and five says this, don't 30 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:55.480 just look out for your own interest. You realize how 31 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:59.439 counterculture that is, but look also to the interest of others. 32 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:04.120 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ. 33 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.280 Jesus the Bible says he became poor that we might 34 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:11.360 be enriched. Number four, The fourth reason our benefit of 35 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:16.360 generosity is every time I'm generous, I strengthen my faith. 36 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:22.759 I strengthen my faith. My faith gets stronger. Why is that? 37 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.280 Because when I give, when I take something that I've 38 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:28.840 got and instead of using it on me, and I 39 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:31.159 use it to help you, then I'm going to have 40 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:33.599 to depend on God to help me. Let's say, you know, 41 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:35.800 I've got some money that I want to. I need 42 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:38.039 to pay my bills with and I help you because 43 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:41.000 you're in a tough fix. Now, I've got to trust 44 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:44.680 God all I've only got a certain amount of time, 45 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:46.680 and I got to get all my stuff done, and 46 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.840 I stop and I help my neighbor with my time. Now, 47 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.479 I've got to trust God to help him that all 48 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:54.960 my little bit of time left, He'll expand it and 49 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:57.919 make it work so I can get stuff I need 50 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:00.360 to get done. When I only have a certain amount 51 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:03.520 of energy, and I go invest it in helping somebody 52 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:05.520 else when I go, I've got all the stuff on 53 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:08.879 my to do list to do. That's a statement of 54 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:12.439 faith because I'm going God, I'm gonna trust you that 55 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:15.280 I'm not gonna worry about it, but I'm going to 56 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:17.599 pray about it and expect you to take care of 57 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:22.520 my needs. Every time I give, my faith grows stronger. 58 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:24.719 Every time I give, it's like a muscle, it just 59 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:28.159 gets stronger. Philippians four to six says this, do not 60 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:32.240 worry about anything. Instead, pray and ask God for everything 61 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.879 you need, always giving thanks. In other words, I'm just 62 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.879 going to trust God to meet my needs. Number five, 63 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:44.400 the fifth benefit of generosity. Every time I'm generous, I 64 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:49.240 invest in my eternal home. The Bible says, every time 65 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:54.599 I invest, I'm generous when I give time, money, energy, 66 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.919 whatever I invest in my eternal home. Now, Jesus called 67 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:04.960 this principle quote storing up treasure in heaven. This phrase, 68 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:09.319 he says, store up for yourselves, not for God. It says, 69 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:13.199 store up for yourselves treasure in heaven. Now, you want 70 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:16.079 to know how many times Jesus used this phrase when 71 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:19.399 he says store up for yourselves treasure in heaven. He 72 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.680 didn't say it once in the Bible. He didn't say 73 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:26.399 it twice. He didn't say it three times. He didn't 74 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:29.040 say it four times. He didn't say it five times. 75 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:31.959 Jesus said the phrase store up for yourselves treasure and 76 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:37.319 heaven six times. Now, I want you to listen very closely. 77 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:41.519 Anytime Jesus says anything six times, you better listen to it, 78 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.839 because if you don't, you're the one who's gonna get hurt. 79 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.519 In the long run, You're the one who's gonna miss 80 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:52.160 the blessing. You're gonna miss the benefit. Anytime Jesus says 81 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:57.560 anything six times, then I better figure out what that means, 82 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:01.199 because he's going get the message. This is really important. 83 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:04.600 Life is not about storing up things here on earth. 84 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:09.439 Life is about storing up things in heaven. It's like 85 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:12.439 banking in heaven. It's investing in heaven. Now. You can 86 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:15.279 store up things either here on Earth or in heaven. 87 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:18.079 The Bible says, don't store up a whole bunch of 88 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:21.000 stuff here on earth, where thieves can steal it, where 89 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.959 rust can rust it, where moths can eat the clothes away. 90 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:27.639 So it says, store up in heaven. Now that makes sense. Why, 91 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:29.959 because you're gonna spend a whole lot more time in 92 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:33.839 heaven than here, and you're gonna need the storage, the spoils, 93 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:37.079 the rewards in heaven far more than here. You're only 94 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:41.759 getting eighty years at the most one hundred on this planet. 95 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:46.759 That's not very long. Everything you store up here on 96 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:52.639 Earth you're leaving behind, but storing up treasure in heaven, 97 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:56.000 you're gonna get to enjoy that for trillions and trillions 98 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.199 and trillions and trillions and trillions of years. So it 99 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:02.480 obviously makes more sense that I should be investing more 100 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:05.399 in eternity than here and now, because I only get 101 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:08.480 to enjoyed here, and anything I've got here, I'm leaving here. 102 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:12.319 You can't take it with you. I've said many times, 103 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:14.480 you never see a hearst pull on a U haul truck. 104 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:19.040 You can't take it with you, But the Bible says 105 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:22.959 you can send it on ahead. Now look at what 106 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:25.600 Paul says here. He says, I invest in my internal home. 107 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:28.720 He says, I'm really glad you Philippians are being generous 108 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:30.639 because he said, you're actually storing up treasure in heaven. 109 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:32.959 You're you're gonna get the reward there. He said, you 110 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.000 will be rewarded for everything you've given away. You're given 111 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:39.399 away your time, You're going to be rewarded in heaven. 112 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:42.079 You're given away your energy. You're gonna be rewarded in heaven. 113 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:44.600 You're gonna give away your money. You're gonna be rewarded 114 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:48.519 in heaven. Philippians four seventeen. Paul says, though I appreciate 115 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.959 your gifts, you Philippian Church, I love you guys. Thank 116 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:55.000 you you helping me out. What really makes me happiest 117 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:59.959 is the well earned reward circle that the well earned 118 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:06.000 reward that you will receive because of your generosity. He says, 119 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.000 you're storing up treasure in heaven. I love it. The 120 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.959 New American Bible says, I want you to have the 121 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.839 profit that a cruise to your own account. That word 122 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:20.879 in Greek, the profit that a cruise is interest bearing account. Okay, 123 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:24.639 interest bearing account. I want to ask you are you investing? 124 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:28.439 How are you doing on your retirement account. I'm not 125 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:33.399 talking about the retirement account here, I'm talking about your ER, 126 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:40.279 your eternal retirement account, not your IRA, the individual retirement account. 127 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:43.480 How you have you sent anything on ahead? Is there 128 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:46.120 going to be anything in heaven there for you to 129 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:50.399 build on? Are you all piloting it up on this side? 130 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:54.199 That is a fatal mistake. That's why Jesus says six times. 131 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:57.439 You really need to consider this. You're not gonna live 132 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.160 very long here, but you're gonna live forever there. You 133 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.959 need to send it on ahead. This is a statement 134 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.720 of faith, and this is an investment in your eternal home. 135 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:09.360 The contemporary English version says, I want you to receive 136 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:13.600 the blessings that come from giving. Did you know that 137 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:15.839 there's a verse in the Bible and Proverbs that says 138 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.920 every time you give to the poor, God says I 139 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.279 consider it as a loan to God, and I will 140 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:26.000 repay it, says He who gives to the poor loans 141 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:30.000 to the Lord, and he will repay where in heaven. 142 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:32.799 In heaven, God says, when you give to help somebody else, 143 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:36.279 you are actually storing up in heaven. You're building your 144 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:40.080 eternal home. Now, how do I do that? Look at 145 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:44.080 this next verse verse Timothy six, verse eighteen and nineteen. 146 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:49.679 Give happily, Circle that and happily. Okay. Bible says, God 147 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:52.279 loves a cheerful giver. I saw bumper. Shicres say he 148 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:58.360 also accepts from the grouch. But actually, actually, if you're grouchy, 149 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:00.519 don't give. Why because you don't get any it for it? 150 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:03.919 Because God doesn't want the money. God wants your attitude. Okay, 151 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:06.480 he doesn't care. In fact, the Bible says very clearly, 152 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.120 you should never give out of guilt, and you should 153 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.159 never give or be generous out of pressure. If anybody 154 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.799 ever pressures you to give or makes you feel guilty 155 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:20.159 to get, you should not give. The Bible says it 156 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:23.639 very clearly why because God doesn't want it. God need it. 157 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:28.200 God doesn't want it. He wants your heart. Okay. If 158 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:30.320 my kids are forced to give me a gift. It's 159 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.159 not much of a gift, but if they come and 160 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:35.559 enjoy it, Daddy, I got this for you that really 161 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:40.919 warms my heart. Give happily to those in need, and 162 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:44.720 always be ready to share whatever God has given you. 163 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:47.519 Are you a giver or you take her? By doing this, 164 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:52.039 you will be storing up real treasures for yourself in heaven. 165 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:57.440 It is the only safe investment for eternity. So every 166 00:09:57.519 --> 00:09:59.960 time I'm generous, I are in the gratitude of other 167 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:04.000 I show what really matters. I become more like Jesus. 168 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:07.200 I strengthen my faith, and I invest in my eternal home. 169 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:10.200 Then number six, when you learn this from the Book 170 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:14.480 of Philippians, every time I'm generous, I make God smile. 171 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:22.440 Every time you are generous, you make God smile. You 172 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:26.519 make God happy. Generous giving is an act of worship 173 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:31.960 that honors God. And notice this Philippians four eighteen. Your 174 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:38.200 gifts are like a fragrant offering to God, a sacrifice 175 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:42.320 that God accepts and is pleasing to him, pleasing him. 176 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:45.559 It makes God smile, It makes God's happy. Now, those 177 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:50.200 of you are parents, are you happy when your kids 178 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:54.759 are selfish and won't share their toys. No, are you 179 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:57.440 happy when your kids learn to share their toys? Of 180 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:00.600 course you are. Are you happy when when your kids 181 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:05.440 are generous? Of course you are. So is God. God 182 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:09.200 loves it when his kids learn to be generous. Every 183 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:12.240 time you're generous, you're not selfish. You give away money, 184 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.519 you give away time, you give away energy, not for 185 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:18.879 your own benefit. God goes, that's my boy. That's my boy. 186 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.240 Do you see how generousy he was? Just in that's 187 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.600 my girl. Do you see how generous he was? They're 188 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:27.399 my kids. God takes pride why like father, like son. 189 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:30.639 God is the most generous person in the universe, and 190 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:34.000 he wants his kids to be the same way. This 191 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:37.159 is one of the habits of happiness. It's not the 192 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:40.360 only one, but it's the one Paul ends with. We've 193 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:45.120 looked at integrity, we've looked at humility, we've looked at reliability, 194 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.720 and we've looked at productivity, we looked at serenity. Now 195 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:53.159 he's talking about generosity. God is watching you every day 196 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.879 of your life to see what you do with what 197 00:11:55.960 --> 00:12:00.120 He's given you. He's watching to see how generous you are. 198 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:05.000 And this everything I just said, is the premise behind 199 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:10.799 the greatest promise in the Bible. Okay, this he's ending 200 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:14.559 the book with this promise. But when God says, are 201 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:19.600 like these Philippians who were noted for their generosity, He said, 202 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:25.039 when you give out of gratitude, when you give to 203 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:30.200 become more like Jesus, when you give to stretch your faith, 204 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:34.679 when you give to invest in your home in heaven, 205 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:38.840 when you give to show what really matters most, and 206 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:44.840 when you give to please God. Then God says this promise. 207 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:50.279 Look at the promise Philippians four nineteen. Then God will 208 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:55.960 meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in 209 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:59.000 Christ Jesus. God says, you are never never going to 210 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.639 outgive me. So God says, let's play this little game. 211 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:05.120 You give to others, you give to me, I'll give 212 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:08.080 to you, and we'll see who wins. Then God will 213 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:12.000 meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in 214 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:16.159 Christ Jesus. Now this is, as I said, the greatest 215 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:20.279 promise in the Bible. So I want us to memorize it, 216 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.519 and let's memorize it in the new International version. It's 217 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:27.279 easy to memorize it in that Philippians four nineteen. You 218 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.679 need to learn this one. Now, remember the hardest part 219 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:31.879 to remember the versus the address where it is in 220 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:35.320 the Bible. So you always say the verse before and 221 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:39.519 after the reference where it is the address. And you 222 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.679 memorize something, not by reading it. You memorize by saying it. 223 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:46.840 We learn we memorize with the ear, not with the eye. 224 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:49.720 So look up here on the screen and let's say 225 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:53.720 Philippians four nineteen, allowed together and say the reference at 226 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:58.120 the beginning of the end. Okay, ready, Philippians for nineteen. 227 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:03.600 God will meet all my needs according to his glorious 228 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:09.080 riches in Christ Jesus, Philippians for nineteen. By the way, 229 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:12.720 you guys, what is in Philippians for nineteen? God will 230 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:18.200 meet all my needs according to his glorious riches in 231 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:24.960 Christ Jesus Philippians for nineteen. Now, how many needs? Will 232 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.679 God meet all my needs? Why does he meet him? 233 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:32.240 In Christ Jesus? What does that mean? It means because 234 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:35.000 Jesus Christ died for you. He's already paid for everything 235 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.759 you need. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, 236 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:40.559 he made a way for you to be in harmony 237 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:42.480 with God, to be at peace with God, and He 238 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:45.120 paid for everything you need in your life. So let's 239 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:49.840 try it one more time. Philippians for nineteen. God will 240 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:54.480 meet all my needs according to his glorious riches in 241 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:59.320 Christ Jesus. Philippians for nineteen. Now that's a verse you 242 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:02.159 ought to dale card. Put it on your refrigerator, put 243 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:04.679 on your car visor, and you keep reading it because 244 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:08.279 it's a great antidote to worry this week. When you 245 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.039 go God, I don't have enough time to get all 246 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:13.399 is done. God will meet all my needs according does 247 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.720 glorious riches in Christ Jesus Philippins four nineteen. God, I 248 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:19.240 don't I'm not feeling good today. I need strength, I 249 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:22.480 need energy. God will meet all my needs according to 250 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:25.679 his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. God. I need a date. 251 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:31.639 God will meet all my needs a glory glorious riches 252 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:34.960 in Christ Jesus. God, I need peace of mind. I 253 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:38.360 am so stressed out. God will meet all my needs 254 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:42.120 according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. But you 255 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:46.519 got to remember the premise. Before the promise, God says, 256 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:50.120 I'm watching to see if you're generous. Now let me 257 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:53.039 close with this. There are two ways to be generous. 258 00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:57.399 Write these down by reason or by revelation. I want 259 00:15:57.399 --> 00:15:59.720 to explain this to you. You can be generous by 260 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:03.720 rea or you can be generous by revelation. One of 261 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:08.360 them gets God's blessing and the other doesn't. One of 262 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:12.480 them requires faith and the other doesn't. Now, the Bible says, 263 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:14.240 according to your faith, that will be done to you. 264 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:17.080 So you want to do the one that requires faith, 265 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:21.120 and that is not by reason but by revelation. There's 266 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:24.679 two ways to give. For instance, if I see somebody, 267 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:28.000 let's see, let's just take the example of the Philippines, 268 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:32.879 not the Philippians, the Philippines. Okay, the Philippines had this 269 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:39.320 terrible tragedy, this tsunami, this typhoon that happened. Ten thousand 270 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:42.759 people died. We have Filipino families in our church who 271 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:47.759 lost loved ones in that typhoon. Now I say, I 272 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:49.320 read about that and go, man, I need to help 273 00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:51.879 these people. I want to be generous. Now there's two 274 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:54.039 ways I can figure out how to help those people. 275 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:57.799 I can go, okay, I can give by reason and 276 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:00.840 say what's a reasonable amount that I can give? And 277 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:02.240 what I do is I look at my check book 278 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:03.919 and I figure out what I got, I could give that, 279 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:07.119 and it's a reasonable amount. I don't have to pray 280 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:09.839 about it. It doesn't stretch my faith. I just go 281 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:14.039 that's what I can afford to give. That does not 282 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:16.200 get the blessing of God, but it's the way most 283 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:18.960 people give. Millions of dollars are given to charity and 284 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:22.000 philanthropy every year by reason. People look say, how can 285 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:24.759 I help this particular charity? And I'm going to write 286 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:27.599 out a check and it's a reasonable amount. It's what 287 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:31.799 can I afford to give. The other way is to 288 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:36.480 give by revelation. And this makes giving our generosity an adventure. 289 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:40.000 It stretches your faith. It's like we read on the 290 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.640 front side of this about the Philippians. It said they 291 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:45.960 gave more than they were able to give. How do 292 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.400 you do that? How do you give more than you're 293 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:52.400 able to give? You're not given by reason, you're given 294 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.559 by revelation. You say, instead of saying, what can I 295 00:17:55.599 --> 00:18:01.400 afford to give to help this need? You go, Lord, 296 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:05.319 what do you want to give? Through me? And God's 297 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:07.440 always going to give you an amount that is way 298 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:10.440 beyond what you think, so it forces you to trust him. 299 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.640 I have done this literally hundreds and hundreds of times 300 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:18.880 in my life, where I go, God, I have no 301 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:22.400 idea what I should give to help this person, to 302 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:24.880 help this cause, to help our church? What I have 303 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:29.000 no idea? So just put an idea, and it's always 304 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:31.079 something that I'm going There's no way I can do that. 305 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:35.480 There's just no way, no way, God, no way. It's 306 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:37.079 not reasonable. And God says, what you want to give 307 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:42.640 by reason or revelation? Oh, you know, you know me. 308 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.039 Of course. I want to stretch my faith. I want 309 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.480 to grow, I want to be challenged. I want to 310 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:51.640 go at the end, go, shoot, God did that one. 311 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.519 It's just a flat out miracle. There's no way I 312 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:57.319 could have done that on my own, And so I 313 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:01.440 give by revelation. I learned to be a generous person 314 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:05.000 from a little boy because my parents were the most 315 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.000 generous people I've ever met in my life. They lived 316 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.880 to give. I grew up I didn't have a problem 317 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:15.440 being a taker. I didn't have a problem being a 318 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.079 miser because I grew up in a family watching my 319 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.359 dad be incredibly generous, watching my mom being it wasn't 320 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:25.759 hard for me. It wasn't hard for me at all 321 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.720 to be generous because I grew up in a family 322 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:33.359 where my parents modeled it. If you have kids, you 323 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:37.000 need to model generosity for your children so they don't 324 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:41.200 learn it to be selfish little brats that they learned 325 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:45.039 to be givers in life. So you discuss now, some 326 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:46.720 of you say, Rick, I've never done this, for this 327 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:49.640 is a new experience for me. I've never given by revelation, 328 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:52.079 so I don't know how to do this. Let me 329 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:57.440 give you a couple suggestions. One would be, if you're 330 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:00.880 not tithing, that would start there just picking them out 331 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:04.759 and just start giving on a regular basis and say God, 332 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:07.279 we're gonna do this, and just picking them out and 333 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:08.640 set it up. I would encourage you to do that. 334 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:11.880 If you're not doing it, I do it. Second thing, 335 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:15.839 if you are tithing, you're already giving. Let me suggest 336 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:17.839 an idea. And I actually learned this from my parents. 337 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:22.880 My parents developed the habit of at Christmas time giving 338 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:26.880 a gift to God equal to the mount that they 339 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:31.200 were going to spend on Christmas on everybody else. Now, 340 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:33.920 think about this. Can you imagine going to a birthday party, 341 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:37.440 by the way, whose birthday is Christmas. It's not yours, 342 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:42.759 it's Jesus' birthday. What are you giving the birthday boy 343 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:47.240 for Christmas? Can you imagine going to a birthday party 344 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:50.359 and everybody gives the gifts to everybody else except the 345 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:54.599 person whose birthday it is. What's wrong with this picture? 346 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:57.720 By the way, you know where we got the idea 347 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:00.519 of giving Christmas gifts to each other. It's from the 348 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:04.559 wise men. The wise men brought the first gifts at 349 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:09.279 Christmas to the baby Jesus. So you might want to say, 350 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.240 I don't want to give more to other people than 351 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:13.519 I'm given to the Lord who saved me, created me, 352 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:18.440 and made me. Now we've been in this series on 353 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:21.640 the habits of happiness. We've looked at all these different habits. 354 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:24.279 I want to end the series with the words of 355 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:27.480 Jesus Christ himself. Look at there the last verse on 356 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:31.160 your outline talking about the habits of happiness. Jesus said this. 357 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:36.799 Remember the words that Jesus himself said, there's more happiness 358 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:44.160 in giving than in receiving. You guys, if I had time, 359 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:47.319 I would give you my life as an example of 360 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:51.680 this verse. Because God taught me how to be generous 361 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:54.960 at a young age. To the point now you know 362 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:57.119 my story that Kay and I give away ninety one 363 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:00.480 percent of our income and live on nine raised it 364 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:04.319 every year for thirty eight years, and I am the 365 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:08.039 happiest guy on the planet. Why Because there's so much 366 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:12.759 more fun in giving than in receiving. That's the habit 367 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:19.160 of happiness. That's power heads for prayer. Lord, I want 368 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.079 to thank you. I want to thank you for all 369 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:23.960 the things you've given to me. Thank you that you 370 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:27.960 made me, thank you that you created me, thank you 371 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:30.039 that you gifted me. Thank you that you've saved me. 372 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:34.119 Thank you for freedom, thank you for help, thank you 373 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:37.880 for eyes to see, you in ears to hear. If 374 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:40.079 you've never invited Jesus Christ in your heart, the first 375 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:41.319 thing you need to do is you need to give 376 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:45.079 yourself to God. That's what the Philippians did. They gave 377 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.079 themselves to God. First, you need to say this, Jesus Christ, 378 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:52.240 thank you for all that you've given me. I want 379 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:56.400 to give myself to you. I want my life to 380 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.400 be in the center of your plan. I want to 381 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:02.559 live for the per that you made me. I want 382 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:05.160 to trust you, I want to follow you. I want 383 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:07.839 to learn to love you. I want to give myself 384 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:12.720 to you, and I pray this in your name. Amen. 385 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:21.319 You know, if you just prayed that prayer for the 386 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:25.559 very first time, or you just recommitted your life to 387 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:28.200 Jesus again today, would you let me know about it. 388 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:31.920 There's something real about sharing your commitment. So write me 389 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:35.039 Rick at pastor Rick dot com and say, Rick, I 390 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.440 prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life to Christ. 391 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:41.160 And I'll send you some material that will help you 392 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:44.440 on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also pray for you. 393 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:45.440 God bless you. 394 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:52.400 What a moving message from Rick, and I'm also so 395 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:55.359 moved when we hear from you. In fact, here's Rick 396 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:57.319 with a letter from one of our listeners. 397 00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:59.279 Have you ever taken a step of faith with no 398 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:02.960 idea what's next? Well, with the help of Daily Hope, 399 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:07.519 Nicole did just that. She wrote this note to me, Hello, 400 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:10.440 Pastor Rick. A close friend of mine suggested I listened 401 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:12.799