Day 1 A Heart Like the Creator s For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) When we treasure Jesus Christ above all things, our heart will show it through the generosity of our giving. The starting point to grow in generosity begins with tithes, then offerings, and then on to sacrificial giving. In both the Old and New Testaments, God has taught us what He expects us to give. Nothing that comes into our possession comes with a transfer of title; it is still owned by the Creator who entrusts it to us. In order to become generous and gracious givers like the Father, we must understand that God owns everything. God s purpose is to conform your heart to His good, generous and gracious heart. God s goodness has been demonstrated through His Precious Son, Jesus Christ. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) His goodness is continuously revealed in each gracious gift and kind provision He sends our way: in every act of mercy toward the undeserving, every moment of patience with people with an attitude of entitlement. He wants to see His heart in us, coupled with an attitude of thankfulness and actions of generosity. Few followers of Christ would say they do not treasure Jesus above all things; that He is their greatest treasure would the most natural thing to assume. However, Jesus teaches that what we treasure reflects the condition of our hearts. In a simple, yet compelling way, He helps us to measure our spiritual maturity, to see if what we do matches what we say. Ask the Lord to reveal whether your heart matches what His heart desires for you, so that your attitude is filled with gratitude, and your actions reflect His generosity.
Day 2 What Your Heart Says The way we give tells the truth about what we treasure. In a simple, yet compelling way, Christ teaches that our heart is an indicator of our trust, and whether our commitment to giving reflects the reality of our faith. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) How we handle the gifts He entrusts to us demonstrates as clearly as any indicator that we belong to Him. How we love one another (John 16:34-35), and what we pray about, also serve as indicators of whether our trust in the Lord is genuine and complete. If you put your money on what matters most, your spending tells the story. Is it spent on a more expensive car than you need? Does your monthly bank statement show most of the money going toward clothes, gadgets, or maybe an on-going struggle to pay off a maxed out credit card? Lifestyle choices can drain our bank accounts and reveal that we love ourselves more than God. If you seldom, if ever, put your money toward God s causes, then your practices expose the truth. Many who say they love the Lord have eliminated discretionary funds because they spend more than they make, leaving no room whatsoever for any kind of giving to the Lord. Others who say He matters more than anything give nothing to Him or the work of His kingdom, but they will give their money to other causes like their alma maters, gifts to family members or to secular charities. What many followers of Christ fail to realize is that the only way to feel right is to do right! In order to find joy and contentment, satisfaction and peace, we must give gladly and gratefully, generously and graciously, like our Father. Ask the Lord to examine your heart and remove those practices that fail to reflect His goodness, graciousness and generosity.
Day 3 Where, Lord? Would you dare to ask the Lord how much He would like for you to give away? Are you willing to try it? Your answer reveals a lot about your faith, and how you express your love for or devotion to the Lord. Many of us are willing to trust God with our health, our jobs, and even our future, yet we are unwilling to ask Him what He would have us do with His money entrusted to us. God has a plan for each of us, and that includes our giving. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) God will never exaggerate, never steer you in the wrong direction, and will always make a way for you to be able to keep your commitments, if will just trust and obey Him. If we ask the Lord where to give, He will lead us to the best places that are committed to bearing much fruit for Christ. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4) A good starting point for believers is to identify the places that consistently devote themselves to seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that glorify God by introducing all peoples to Jesus Christian and growing them up to love and worship Him, that provide faithful accountability in how they invest kingdom dollar, and that bear much fruit in life and ministry, living godly lives and proclaiming a Christ-centered gospel of grace. Ask the Lord to help you overcome any unwillingness to trust Him, and to reveal His plan for your giving to His kingdom.
Day 4 A Place To Give Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Malachi 3:10) What would you think if I told you, the church does not need your money you need a place to give it! God works through you, to whom He has entrusted what is His. It s up to you to give it for His kingdom work. So, you need to ask yourself, am I mostly giving to myself, to secular causes, or am I giving to where God wants you to give? It has always been our prayer that the ministry of Providence would be a place where every penny given for the glory of God will be spent responsibly and wisely to fulfill the calling of Jesus Christ for His church. Praise God that we have been entrusted with millions of dollars in gifts over the years, allowing us to bear fruit well beyond the walls of Providence. By His goodness, graciousness and generosity, we have been supporting hundreds of missionaries around the world, building homes for street children, developing tools for evangelism, rebuilding communities devastated by storms, planting churches to advance the gospel, offering community ministry through Bible studies, job training addiction support groups, tutoring programs, and much more. God has blessed us over and over as we seek to be locally faithful and globally focused, because we see our ministry as a launch pad, not a destination. Ask yourself, where are the places I can count on so that my giving can accomplish so much? Don t be surprised if God leads you to a familiar place where His people seek to worship and glorify Him in all that we do. Ask the Lord, where you can give that which He has given you for the work of His kingdom and the glory of His Name.
Day 5 Investing in Lasting Treasure Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21) Does it not seem sensible for us to set up a spending plan for the top priorities in our lives? A spending plan, also called a budget, will enable us to fulfill our commitment to the Lord and focus on our priorities. With whatever income we receive, the first thing that we will take out will be that which we have committed to God, so that we are not tempted to spend it on something else. Then you can build your personal spending plan on what is left and not give what is left over to the Lord. As we practice consistent giving, we should ask the Lord for faith to trust Him to multiply our treasure and fill our hearts. For new believers, this may seem daunting, confusing or even frightening. As Paul quotes Jesus in Acts, we should watch for what God will do with what we commit to Him. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Act 20:35) The blessing will be yours when the giving is to Him and for His glory! Ask the Lord to help you grow your faith so that the measure of your faith shows you to be generous in the eyes of our good and gracious God.