ADULTING – MADE FOR THIS

ADULTING – MADE FOR THIS

“Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

Proverbs 2:11

TRUTH #1: Choices determine the distance between and .

TRUTH #2: The value of life isn’t determined by how much I or but by how much I .

“The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”

Proverbs 11:24 (MSG)

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

Proverbs 11:25

THE CHOICE: To live a generous .

“Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.”

I Timothy 6:17-19 (MSG)

“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Acts 20:35

Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. ² They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.

³ For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. ⁴ They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. ⁵ They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.

⁶ So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. ⁷ Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

⁸ I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.

⁹ You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

¹⁰ Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. ¹¹ Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. ¹² Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.

II Corinthians 8:1-12

HOW DO I LIVE A GENEROUS LIFE?

1. Give .

“…For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

II Corinthians 9:7

         2. Give .

“If one first to the Lord, all other giving is .” John Bonnell

“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

II Corinthians 9:15

        3. Give .

“Isn’t tithing an ?”

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

Matthew 5:17

       4. Give .

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.”

II Corinthians 9:7

• My .
• My .
• My .

        5. Give .

“What can I give back to God for the blessings he’s poured out on me?”

Psalm 116:12