Spiritual Wellness - How Well Do You Give?

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                          "SPIRITUAL WELLNESS"

                         How Well Do You Give?

INTRODUCTION

1. In this series entitled "Spiritual Wellness"...
   a. We are examining our spiritual wellness in regards to serving God
   b. A checkup which has included hearing, reading, praying, singing
      and talking
   c. Now we shall examine the matter of giving

2. Jesus often taught on the subject of giving...
   a. In the course of a sermon - e.g., Lk 6:38
   b. When the occasion called for it - e.g., Lk 21:1-4

[He spoke of the blessedness of giving (Ac 20:35).  That we might
experience such blessedness, let us raise the question, "How Well Do You
Give?"  There are certainly...]

I. DIFFERENT TYPES OF GIVERS

   A. THOSE WHO GIVE RARELY...
      1. Because of greed and covetousness
      2. Who hurt themselves by their stinginess - Pr 14:21; 19:17
      -- Selfish in not giving, but hurting self by not giving

   B. THOSE WHO GIVE BEGRUDGINGLY...
      1. Only out of a sense of obligation or duty
      2. If done begrudgingly, it matters not how much one gives - 2Co
         9:7
      -- Such giving may benefit others, but it does not benefit oneself

   C. THOSE WHO GIVE GRACIOUSLY...
      1. Sacrificially - 2Co 8:1-3
      2. Joyfully - 2Co 8:2
      3. Freely - 2Co 8:3
      4. Persistently - 2Co 8:4
      5. Who first give themselves to the Lord - 2Co 8:5
      -- Such giving is indicative of God's grace at work in both giver
         and recipient

[As we consider the different types of givers, we can appreciate...]

II. IMPORTANCE OF PROPER GIVING

   A. GOD BLESSES THE GIVER...
      1. It is more blessed to give than to receive - Ac 20:35
      2. The Lord blesses those who give - Ps 41:1-3; Pr 19:17
      3. The grace of God is at work in those who give - 2Co 8:1-2,6-7;
         9:8,14
      -- Giving blesses the giver more than the recipient!

   B. GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER...
      1. As Paul reminded the Corinthians - 2Co 9:7
      2. A cheerful giver therefore need not worry - Mt 6:30-33
      3. For God watches over those whom He loves - cf. Lk 12:6-7
      -- Giving cheerfully makes one a recipient of God's care and love!

   C. GOD PROVIDES SEED FOR THE SOWER...
      1. Those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully - 2Co 9:6
      2. Not for personal consumption - 2Co 9:8-9
         a. But to have 'all sufficiency in all things'
         b. But to have 'an abundance for every good work'
         c. As confirmed by a quote from Psalms - cf. Ps 112:5-9
      3. To multiply the seed for even more good - 2Co 9:10-11a
         a. To 'increase the fruits of your righteousness'
         b. To be 'enriched for all liberality'
      -- Giving liberally will be blessed to give even more liberally!

   D. GOD IS PRAISED BY GIVING...
      1. Thanksgiving is offered by those whose needs are supplied - 2Co
         9:11-12
      2. Glory is given to God for His grace in the lives of the givers
         - 2Co 9:13-15
      -- Giving liberally leads to God being praised liberally!

   E. BROTHERLY LOVE IS INCREASED BY GIVING...
      1. By brethren who witness God's grace in the givers - 2Co 9:14
      2. Causing them to love and long for their brethren - e.g., Php
         1:3-8
      -- Giving liberally strengthens the bonds of brotherly love!

[We certainly have good reasons to give, and examples like the
Macedonians inspiring us to give.  Finally, some quick thoughts on...]

III. BECOMING BETTER GIVERS

   A. THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO GIVE...
      1. Giving is not limited to money
      2. God may empower us to give in other ways - 1Pe 4:10-11
         a. Our talents to teach or serve
         b. Our time can be a great gift
      3. Whatever our abilities and opportunities...
         a. We are stewards of the manifold grace of God
         b. We should minister our gifts to one another
         c. We should do so with the ability God supplies
      -- However you give, let it truly reflect God's grace in you!

   B. PLANNED GIVING LEADS TO CHEERFUL GIVING...
      1. Purposeful giving is the key to giving cheerfully - cf. 2Co 9:7
      2. One is less likely to give 'grudgingly or of necessity'
         a. Because they have already set aside what they want to give
         b. They are not caught off guard when someone asks them to give
      3. This is how Paul instructed the Corinthians in their giving
         a. To lay by in store on the first day of the week - cf. 1Co
            16:1-4
         b. To prepare their gift beforehand, so the resources were
            ready - cf. 2Co 9:5
      4. An early Christian apologist wrote of how slaves were able to
         give cheerfully through purposeful planning:  "And if there is
         any that is a slave or a poor man, they fast two or three days
         and what they were going to set before themselves they send to
         them (Christians in prison), considering themselves to give
         good cheer even as they were called to give good cheer."
         - Aristides, Apology 15
      -- So plan your giving if you wish to give cheerfully!

   C. SUGGESTIONS FOR GIVING...
      1. Plan your giving to help the needy
         a. We saw where Paul instructed planned giving to produce
            cheerful giving
         b. As you prosper, set so much aside for individual benevolence
         c. Start a separate account into which you put aside a certain
            amount each pay period
         d. Or send that amount to some charitable organization
      2. Plan the use of your talents and time
         a. Don't wait till someone asks you for help on the spur of the
            moment
         b. Look at your schedule, and budget your time to offer your
            abilities (e.g., teaching)
      3. Give to be seen of God, not man - Mt 6:1-4
         a. Like prayer and fasting, giving should be done to please
            God, not man
         b. Through planned, frequent giving, it soon becomes second
            nature to which we give little thought
      -- It is much easier and more blessed to give when you plan to
         give!

CONCLUSION

1. Giving can be an expression of true spirituality...
   a. As seen in the case of the Macedonians - 2Co 8:1
   b. As seen in the example of Jesus Himself - 2Co 8:9

2. As we give of our money, our time, our talents...
   a. Let us be careful that we be gracious givers
   b. Motivated by the grace of God in our lives

So that however we give, we might be able to say as did the apostle
Paul:

   ...by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me
   was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all,
   yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
                                                      - 1Co 15:10

Next in our "Spiritual Wellness" checkup, we shall ask "How Well Do You
Love?"...
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