“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
I am so thankful for a strong Christian heritage, but it is up to each of us to make Him Lord of our lives and not just Savior. I was blessed to have married an incredible woman of God 18 years ago, who knew the Word and also lived it. We had been married almost 15 years and I can openly share that we gave of our finances, but I was not a cheerful giver as is instructed in 2 Corinthians 9:7. I knew what the Word said, but I was not living it. In fact, we attended Life Changers with Pastor Gregory Dickow for several years and I always cringed when he talked about money and giving every week. I am so grateful now for that stewardship training.
“ ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’ ” Malachi 3:10
I believe that Malachi 3:10 is for us collectively as believers, as well as for us individually. When believers begin to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, ministries and families will not have room enough to contain it. God does not need your money so he can build another wing up in Heaven, but I believe it is a true test of what is in our hearts.
I invested the first 17 years in corporate America chasing the almighty dollar. Two years ago, I was faced with a decision where my wife and I spent time in prayer seeking His purpose. I was the president of a company that was all about the almighty dollar, with no Almighty in the equation. I needed God in our finances, my business and my daily walk. So after much prayer and an indescribable peace, I resigned from that secular corporate position to become a Christian entrepreneur and mentor. The Lord was directing me to be a difference maker and to lean on Him and the Word vs. the world.
The Lord has blessed me with gifts and talents in the marketplace, but He was waiting until I trusted Him and that He could trust me to pour out more blessings, not so I could hold tightly onto them, but so these finances could flow through me. I firmly believe He will get it to us, when He can get it through us. When we began to “live” His Word 3 years ago, the blessings have been amplified. That was a major shift for me. Taking the focus off of me and onto others was the key. Being a cheerful giver was truly an outward manifestation of getting my heart right. It started with our finances and it opened my heart to one of service. And as 2 Corinthians 8:7 states, “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38. Since we have been obedient with our finances and focused on serving Him first, He has opened up opportunities and supernatural favor in our finances entrusting us with a million dollar + income over the past three years. I give God all the glory, honor and praise. We are also able to reach more people with the Good News as finances are simply a tool to equip ministries globally.
When you seek Him first, your desires begin to change from worldly desires to desires that are aligned with the Word. We have been very blessed and prosperous with our business over the past two years and one lesson that I have learned is just because you can buy something, does not mean you should. Having grown up around wealth, but never experiencing it in my family while growing up, I had some worldly desires that I pursued. The more time we spend in the Word of God, in prayer and in praise, those desires begin to change and get in alignment with God's purpose in our lives.
During the months of January and February of 2007, I took a long hard look at those things that we have prioritized in our lives. We are in the process of seeking the Lord on all areas that need to be transformed from world to Word. It comes down to a matter of good stewardship. Don't get me wrong, things are not the issue, but it's when some of those things have us, that it is an issue. I realized that I am entrusted with assets that the Lord has simply given us the keys to for a time, and that time is temporary. We have made large financial commitments to three ministries and lives will be changed forever with this seed sown. We also understand that the enemy will have no authority in the lives of the Believer and the devourer is rebuked for the tither, but we have to walk in and exercise that authority, in Jesus’ name.
I turn 40 years old in a few weeks and I am so thankful for the wisdom and discernment that the Lord has given me. For many years, He was my Savior, but now He is Lord of my life. It is never too late to repent and seek Him first, beginning today. Wake every day saying, “here I am Lord, use me.” And be ready to do what the world will tell you cannot be done. Remember, you have to attempt the impossible to do the impossible. When you are willing to get out of the boat and go where God wants you to go, get ready to do the impossible. Give outrageously of your finances, time, gifts, talents and love. I believe it is our ulimate reflection of Christ in us.
I am going to share some scriptures and we will get the notes out here shortly on a 52-Week Stewardship Bible Memory Plan. I found this on http://generousliving.com.
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds ... For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Deuteronomy 11:18a; Romans 15:4). These verses from the Old and New Testaments teach that generosity is an expected and rewarding way of life for God’s redeemed people.
God Owns Everything, and I Am His Money Manager
- Week 1 — Psalm 24:1 — “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
- Week 2 — Leviticus 25:23 — “The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.”
- Week 3 — Haggai 2:8 — “ ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
- Week 4 — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
- Week 5 — John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
- Week 6 — Deuteronomy 8:18 — “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
- Week 7 — Romans 11:36a — “For from him and through him and to him are all things ...”
- Week 8 — 1 Corinthians 4:2 — “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
- Week 9 — Romans 14:10 — “... For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat ...”
- Week 10 — Romans 14:12 — “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
- Week 11 — Luke 6:38 — “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
My Heart Always Goes Where I Put God’s Money
- Week 12 — Ecclesiastes 5:12 — “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.”
- Week 13 — Proverbs 18:10-11 — “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.”
- Week 14 — Matthew 6:19 — “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
- Week 15 — Matthew 6:20 — “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
- Week 16 — Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 — “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This Present World Is Not My Permanent Home
- Week 17 — Philippians 3:20 — “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
- Week 18 — Luke 12:15 — “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ ”
- Week 19 — Proverbs 23:4-5 — “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”
- Week 20 — Psalm 90:10 — “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.”
- Week 21 — Psalm 39:5b — “Each man’s life is but a breath.”
- Week 22 — 1 Timothy 6:6-7 — “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
- Week 23 — 2 Corinthians 8:9 — “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
- Week 24 — Mark 12:43-44 — “Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’ ”
I Should Not Live Merely for the Moment but for Eternity
- Week 25 — Hebrews 11:25-26 — “[Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
- Week 26 — Matthew 25:21 — “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ”
- Week 27 — Matthew 19:27-28 — “Peter answered him, ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ ”
- Week 28 — Matthew 19:29 — “ ‘And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.’ ”
- Week 29 — Proverbs 19:17 — “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
- Week 30 — Revelation 19:7-8 — “ ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)”
- Week 31 — 2 Corinthians 9:6 — “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Giving Is the Only Antidote to Materialism
- Week 32 — Ecclesiastes 5:10 — “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.”
- Week 33 — Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 — “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.”
- Week 34 — Mark 10:21 — “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ ”
- Week 35 — 1 Timothy 6:9 — “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
- Week 36 — 1 Timothy 6:10 — “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
- Week 37 — 1 Timothy 6:17 — “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
- Week 38 — 1 Timothy 6:18-19 — “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
- Week 39 — Malachi 3:10 — “ ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’ ”
God Prospers Me to Raise Not My Standard of Living, but My Standard of Giving
- Week 40 — 2 Corinthians 9:10 — “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
- Week 41 — 2 Corinthians 9:11 — “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
- Week 42 — 2 Corinthians 9:12 — “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”
- Week 43 — 2 Corinthians 9:13 — “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.”
- Week 44 — Luke 12:33 — “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”
- Week 45 — Acts 20:35b — “[T]he Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
- Week 46 — 2 Corinthians 8:7 — “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
- Week 47 — 2 Corinthians 9:9 — “As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ ”
- Week 48 — 2 Corinthians 9:7b — “[F]or God loves a cheerful giver.”
- Week 49 — James 2:14-17 — “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
- Week 50 — 1 John 3:16 — “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
- Week 51 — 1 John 3:17 — “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
- Week 52 — 1 John 3:18 — “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
