November 19-20, 2005, Selected

HEART CHECK$!
MAINTAIN REGULAR EXERCISE!

*** Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." [NIV]
*** 1 Tim. 6:9-10 "People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain." [Contemporary English Version]

THREE INSTRUCTIONS FOR HEART HEALTH:
- REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVEL! – BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP!
- WATCH YOUR DIET! – LEARN CONTENTMENT!
- CARDIAC EXERCISE! – GENEROUS GIVING!

1. WHY EXERCISE OUR SPIRITUAL HEARTS BY GIVING!

A. GIVING TEACHES ME TO PUT GOD FIRST!
*** Deut. 14:23 "Bring this tithe to...the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives." [LB]
*** 2 Cor. 8:7-8 "You are rich in everything - in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us. In the same way, be strong also in the grace of giving. I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your love is true by comparing you with others that really want to help." [New Century Version]

YOUR GIVING GIVES YOU AWAY!

B. GIVING GIVES ME VICTORY OVER MATERIALISM!
*** 1 Tim. 6:17-19 "Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life." [New Living Bible]

C. GIVING STRENGTHENS MY FAITH!
*** Malachi 3:10-11 "Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord All-Powerful. "I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need. I will stop the insects so they won't eat your crops. The grapes won't fall from your vines before they are ready to pick," says the Lord All-Powerful." [NCV]

GIVING ISN'T A FINANCIAL ISSUE, IT'S A FAITH ISSUE!

*** Luke 6:38 "If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving - large or small - it will be used to measure what is given back to you." [NLT]

FAITH ISN'T LEARNED ACADEMICALLY, IT'S LEARNED EXPERIENTIALLY!

D. GIVING HELPS ME KEEP PERSPECITIVE!
*** Matthew 6:19-20 "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or - worse! - stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven...." [Message Bible]
*** Matthew 6:33 "The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you." [NCV]

E. GIVING MAKES ME MORE LIKE GOD!
*** 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." [NIV]

2. HOW TO EXERCISE OUR SPIRITUAL HEARTS BY GIVING!

A. BY GIVING WILLINGLY!
*** 2 Cor. 8:12 "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." [NIV]
*** 2 Cor. 9:7a "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion...." [NIV]

B. BY GIVING THANKFULLY!
*** 2 Cor. 8:2 "Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." [NIV]

GIVING WAS AN ACT OF APPRECIATION!

*** 2 Cor. 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."
*** 2 Cor. 9:7b "...for God loves a cheerful giver." [NIV]
*** Psalm 116:12 "What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me?" [MSG]

C. BY GIVING REGULARLY!
*** 1 Cor. 16:1-2 "Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made." [NIV]
*** Leviticus 27:30 "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord." [NIV]

D. BY GIVING GENEROUSLY!
*** 2 Cor. 8:2-3 "Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability." [NIV]
*** 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." [NIV]
*** 2 Cor. 9:6 "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." [NIV]