Pete Thompson spoke to us from 1 Corinthians 15:56-16:4. God has given us victory over death through Jesus – the most obvious response to this gift is to give ourselves – all we have – including our money, in service of the Lord Jesus and his gospel.
Key Verse
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord…”
Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:56-16:4
Outline:
1. the desire to give
2. the discipline to give
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Thanks for the talk Pete. I have to admit that I found your introduction quiet confronting, but I think you did a good job in reminding us of the truths about us and money. I personally find it hard to think biblically about money just from being in an environment at work and at tennis where money and pleasure from consumerism is pursued openly. It seems to often generate sub-conscious feeling of resentment and envy. It seems to take a deliberate effort to renew my mind to stop ungodly attitudes and to remember to serve only one master, our wonderful Savior.
Hey thanks for a great talk Pete – i felt particularly kicked up the behind about my giving.
Just wondering – what sort of criteria do you use when deciding how much to give, and how much to save? I find it hard to know whether or not to hold on to a bit of cash for the ‘just in case’ scenarios – like the potential car bill, or whatever unforeseen expense pops up – as they always have the habit of doing.
Any ideas?
Thanks for the feedback guys. It’s always good to hear about the impact that god’s word is having as his people hear it – I’m glad that you were “confronted” and “kicked up the behind” about money and what you’re doing with it.
As for your question Yocky, I have so many thoughts and I’m trying to work out which ones are the most important…
If your main question is about the particular issue of having a “buffer” for unexpected (and yet, as you say, often regular) bills etc. – I think that one is easy. That’s just commonsense and helps you not to get caught in a financial bind – i.e. credit card debt that incurrs interest etc and means that there’s less money available for “the work of the Lord” in the long-run. For many people, doing something like buying a house could fit in this category too – especially if repayments are less than rent would be! But each person/family has to work out for themselves what is right for them in their particular situation.
As for how much that “savings buffer” should be… that all depends on your particular needs, BUT can I put in a plug for including in it money for “spontaneous generosity” – ie. meeting the unexpected needs of OTHERS as well as your own.
It’s important to remember too that what we normally call “giving” (whether that’s to our church or to other Christian ministry, or even non-Christian compassionate work) is only part of what we can do with our money “for the work of the Lord”. As long as we’re not being indulgent (and careful who you compare yourself to in that regard), buying food and clothes and the other things that we NEED are all part of our work for the Lord, provided we do it all in thanksgiving for his generosity to us – in Jesus, and in providing the money in the first place.
That’s a long answer and I don’t know if its as practical as you’d like but I’ll leave it there for now. If you’d like to know more about what Suz and I do in particular I’d be happy to chat about that.