365 CHALLENGE - Pray, Give, Serve

In January we began the challenge of spending time with God every day in PRAYER and BIBLE READING in 2011! Now we look to the next step...

February Emphasis- GIVING

The heart of God is GIVING not getting. The life of a GIVER is completely different from the life of a taker. GIVERS take control of their life, become conduits of God’s blessings and are motivate by eternal rewards.
Matt 6:24
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. - NIV

GIVING breaks the tyranny of things off our life. How serious is Jesus about setting us FREE from the tyranny of money? 16 out of 38 of Jesus’ parables involved our use of money, over 2,000 verses of scriptures deal with money and 2 out of the 10 commandments deal with greed

Our heart in 2011 is to get serious about what God says in His Word! Reject the American Dream mentality that enslaves and experience the FREEDOM that Christ offers!!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT MONEY?

EVERYTHING IS GOD’S
Ps 24:1
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
-We are stewards NOT owners. Stewardship is the principle behind the TITHE (10%), obeying God to return back to Him what is HIS.
*We RETURN the tithe to God, we GIVE offerings

GOD USES MONEY AS A TEST
Luke 16:11
11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
-Faithfulness in the area of finances opens up our spiritual life to TRUE Blessings.
*Many believers struggle with heaven and eternal values because all their treasures are
stored up on earth and temporal things

GOD BLESSES THOSE HE CAN TRUST
2 Cor 9:10-11
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed…You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,
-God looks for people who will SOW seeds of giving not hoard His blessings

Get serious about GIVING this year and EXPERIENCE FREEDOM. Freedom from this world and its standards in exchange for RADICALLY VALUING God’s Kingdom above all things!

HOW?
1. Make a decision to begin faithfully and consistently GIVING to God’s Kingdom with the goal of returning back to God a full TITHE
2. Take control of the other 90% - reduce debt, set a budget, seek help…BREAK FREE from bondage
3. Ask God where you can SOW seeds above the tithe to bring Him glory and build His Kingdom…this is where the real FUN begins!

JOIN the Challenge…YOU will never regret it!

Blessings,
Darren