God gives first.

How Can We Give?Is it ever possible to give selflessly, generously, without any hope of getting something good back in return?

2COR 96 But I will say this to encourage your generosity: the one who plants little harvests little, and the one who plants plenty harvests plenty. 7 Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.”

God gives to us first so that we too can be givers, not just recipients.

Given the obvious poverty in the world, what’s primarily at issue is not why God doesn’t give more to the needy, but why we don’t give more to them from what God has already given to us.

2COR98 God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. 9 Remember what is written about the One who trusts in the Lord: He scattered abroad; He gave freely to the poor; His righteousness endures throughout the ages.

Means that God is able to give abundantly to everyone, not that God already has.

Enough AlreadyIf just American Christians alone gave 10% of their net incomes, everyone in the world would have enough to eat.

Miracles of MultiplicationWe’d be able to feed the hungry multitudes if we’d let God change how we think about the loaves and fish God has already given to us.

2COR 910 The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources you invest and produce an abundant harvest from your righteous actions. 11 You will be made rich in everything so that your generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us your generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God.

-Miraslov Volf, Free of Charge, (107)

“Wealth doesn’t make us givers; poverty can’t prevent us from being givers.”

“The poor can give a kind word, a sympa-thetic ear, or a help-ing hand. But they can also share food, cloth-ing, shelter, and money—and they generally do it in greater proportion to their means than the wealthy do.” (Volf)

Giving depends on having the proper attitude toward 3 things:

toward things we possess

toward others

toward ourselves

POSSESSIONS

What we have is ours because we’ve earned it.

Everybody else should earn their stuff like us.

Occasional, not cheerful givers.

Everything is from God, including earning and

possessing.

Earning and possessing are the midpoint in the

flow of gifts.

God gives gifts to us, God gives gifts through

us to others.

OTHERS

We are competing with OTHERS for the possession of goods.

Only give if we’re way ahead of them. If it’s close, we won’t give.

We see OTHERS as beneficiaries of God’s gifts; God gives to them

through us, so we give too.

Since God gives to all and gives thru each, cooperation can replace

competition; gifts can circulate.

OURSELVES

2COR89 You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we

became rich.

Wealth isn’t primarily a matter of “having” but of “being.”

OURSELVES

Possible to have an abundance of riches, yet operate from a place of

inner scarcity. “Not-enough.”

We can lack possessions, yet operate from a place of inner

abundance. “More-than-enough.”

If the Christ who became poor so that we could be rich lives inside us, we will become “rich inside” people.

No Loans, No Debt, No ClueThe miracle that remained a mystery until years later.

A rich self has a distinct attitude towards the past, present, and future:

Reflects on the past with GRATITUDE for what you’ve received.

Lives in the present with CONTENTMENT.

Looks toward the future with TRUST.