07-29-12 AM - Se7en Series: Greed

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Acts 20:35b It is more blessed to give than to receive.”                                        
1. Generous with my time.

And every day God has given you 86,400 seconds, 1,440 minutes, or 24 hours in the day.            

“God, what’s the best use of my time right now.”
Luke 10, the Good Samaritan.
1. Priest.
2. Levite
3. Samaritan
Jesus asks, “Which of these should you be like?”
“Go and do likewise.”

Your time is your life,

I Corinthians 15:58, “So my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted.”


2. Generous with my talents.

“I have invested $5million in you.  You don’t have a choice but to use what I have given you to make a difference in the world.”

Look at your abilities, look at your personality, your health your strength, your analytical insights that you have.

Ephesians 2:10 “God has made us what we are, in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.”
ICor. 12:7 “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.                              

3. Generous with my treasure.

Being generous with money is the only antidote to materialism and greed.

Matthew 23:23 NLT “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

The tithe means the first tenth of what you earn.   10%    

1. consistent.
2. proportional.
3. sacrificial.
The goal in generous giving is to invest our treasure in something that is going to outlast us.

Matthew 6:19-21 He said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty and where thieves break in and steal.  Instead, store your treasures in Heaven.”

4. Generous with my testimony.

Acts 26:16, “I have appeared to you to appoint you as My servant and My witness.  You are to tell the world about this experience.”

-What was my life like before I became a Christian?
-And then what difference did it make?

Being ready, to give your treasure, your testimony or use your talents and pray—“God, what is the best use of my time, right now?”

Philemon 1:6 “You were generous because of your faith.  And I am praying that you will really put your generosity to work for in so doing, you will come to an understanding of all of the good things that we can do for Christ.”