Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching!: Can't Love Without Giving

Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching! 3

Can't Love Without Giving

(Intimacy with God through Giving)

By Pastor Bong Saquing

GIVING. A progressive form of the verb GIVE.

The dictionary defines the word GIVE in such way: to make a present of.

Pause for a moment  and ask yourself: "What kind of a giver am I?"

A stubborn giver?

A hesitant giver?

In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul writes down God's idea of a giver:

⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully

Noted author Rick Warren created a survey of the number of times certain words were used in the Bible. He came up with quite surprising results. 

Believe/believes/believer= 275 times

Pray/prayer/prayed= 371 times

Love/lover/loves= 714 times

and the winner of the Word with the Most Verses is:

Give/giving= with a whopping 2,162 verses!

Why is this so? Why does the subject matter of GIVING have a lot to say compared to what we usually categorize as more important issues such as LOVE and PRAYER?

It's because by default, WE ARE NATURALLY SELFISH.

Think about it. When we were kids, we had this tendency not to share our toys. We usually fought with our siblings whenever they borrow our stuff. We hide that last piece of cookie by immediately stuffing it in our mouth.

Let's face it: we just don't like to share sometimes!

But it's vital for us to know that GIVING is one way of expressing our love for God! 

How?

⁶ Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”^[a] 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹ As the Scriptures say,

“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”^[b]

¹⁰ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity^[c] in you.

¹¹ Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. ¹² So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem^[d] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12

The idea of PARTNERSHIP enters the picture. How? As it is written in the verse, God is the Provider of the seeds. Our role, on the other hand, is to become the sowers of the seed He will give us. We are the ones responsible for the growth of the farm, the abundance of crops and such. You may ask: "What seeds? As in real seeds?"

This seeds can be MONEY, TIME, OPPORTUNITIES and the likes. Our job is to sow them properly or in non-farmer speak, to make use of them responsibly. For example, that excess allowance money from Mom and Dad need not be spent on things we don't actually need. If we have more than enough clothes, it's best to postpone that shopping spree and spend that money on things that matter. Why not treat Mom or Dad? Give it back to God? :)

If we are faithful as partners with God, there's a guarantee that He will lead us to the proper way. Giving our time to Him is basically an act of worship and thanksgiving. If we are willing to be His partners, we have to accept the fact that God knows what He's doing, even if we don't understand! If He tells us to give, then we should!

Sometimes, we are hesitant to give and surrender what we have to God. We're afraid that if we give it, we might run out. Our needs will become short and eventually, we will regret giving. But Jesus did say that we shouldn't store treasures here on Earth!

¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew   6:19-21

We are easily distracted with the things this world has to offer, especially when it comes to the power of money. When we are desperate to buy the coolest clothes or gadgets in order to please the people around us, we are surely focused on this world. We will always feel as if we don't have enough and we need to buy MORE!

Focus your eyes on God, instead! Believe that God will take care of you and that He has the best plans! Rather than worry ourselves silly with the petty things, we should believe that God will provide what we need when we need it!

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

Matthew 6:25-26

As it is written in Matthew 6:33, let us seek God! 

Unfortunately for us, we are sometimes faced with problems that can distract us from focusing on Him:

- We tend to forget that we are only stewards of his riches

- We struggle because our worries become bigger than God. If we don't care, who will? :<

- We give reluctantly instead of giving cheerfully

- We become clouded with absurd thoughts which eventually leads us to make wrong decisions

When these matters happen, we have to try to fight it off! Everyday, we have to remind ourselves that we are God's partners and that everything we have belongs to Him.. Our school, allowance, clothes-EVERYTHING! 

For a better partnership with God, we must understand three important things:

- We should lay treasures in heaven

- Be worry free! (Always GV, alright? = >)

-Seek God's kingdom and righteousness!

When you have God as your partner, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, rest assured, THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL BECOME POSSIBLE! ;D

Remember, it's not about the money! Ain't about the cha-ching! It's all about GOD!

Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching!: Stewardship (Handling Your Money, God's Way!)

Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching! 2

Stewardship:

Handling Your Money, God's Way!

By Pastor Joby Soriano

What do you want in life?

A new sports car with a built-in refrigerator already filled with food?

A walk-in closet bigger than your room, containing clothes from your favourite clothing brands?

Your personal library which holds all the most wanted books?

An Iphone? An Iphone 4S?

There’s no denying that there are times when we crave to own such things. We just want to be happy, right? And owning these can no doubt provide the satisfaction that we want.

But we have to admit that those mentioned above do not simply appear in thin air the moment we ask. How do we acquire such things?

By purchasing with MONEY.

Yes, money!

As teenagers, we too have our share of money management matters. When we want something, we try our very best to save up and even attempt to conjure reasons that will convince Mom and Dad to give us extra bucks. Some of us even take up part-time jobs in order to help out and also, be able to buy things that we want. Money management has become a part of our lives the moment we realize the value of those paper bills.

Several bookstores shelve books about money. Some of them are about how we can make more money and others tackle money management. But there is only one book that has all the answers to all monetary issues-

THE BIBLE!

Indeed, we may not know it, but the Bible is THE book with the most awesome answers to all our money matters!

A fun trivia about the Good Book: it holds about 500 verses for the subject of faith and 500 for prayer. But when it comes to money, there are 2,350 verses on how to handle it properly. Sixteen out of thirty-eight parables are centred on money! Can you believe it? Compared to topics such as faith and prayer, money has more verses than these two issues combined.

Why though?

Unfortunately for us, MONEY is the primary competitor with Christ for the Lordship of our lives. Our greed for money can sometimes cause us to place it on the throne of our hearts, pushing God away and failing to realize what matters most. When money becomes the center of our focus, we lose sight of Jesus.

“Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be...”

Matthew 6:21

Wherever we give our value the most, it is most likely that all our efforts and attention will be poured unto it. If money possesses the highest value in our life, then no doubt we will do anything and everything just to lay our hands on it. But God doesn’t want our relationship with money to overrule our relationship with Him. In fact, He wants to protect us from financial bondages (e.g. debts, bills, etc.)

Just stop for a moment and ask yourself:

Am I in control of my finances or a slave of it?

There are two types of economies we should learn about:

1.       MAN’S ECONOMY

In Man’s Economy, the motto is “BUY! BUY! BUY!” Buy anything that you can. In order to do so, this economy encourages us to use credit cards and even to borrow money from others. Get-Rich-Quick schemes are also highly promoted. The point is we should go to all lengths in order to get our hands on those crisp, high-value bills. If we have to trick our fellowmen in order to earn more, then we should.  BUY! BORROW! WORK! WORK! AND WORK!

2.       GOD’S ECONOMY

God’s economy has a different view. The money that we earn is not ours, in retrospect. Instead of buying, we should take the time to give back through tithing. As much as possible, God’s economy avoids borrowing from others and gaining credits. We should learn our limits when it comes to spending money. Get-Rich-Quick schemes are highly discouraged too. Money must be handled wisely. Also, we should be honest regarding monetary issues.

In the Bible, God has 250 names for Himself but when it comes to Him and the issue of money, there is one name that suits Him perfectly: MASTER. How we view God determines how we respond. Therefore, if we view God as the Master of our money, then we are most likely to heed His commands.

God has a part when it comes to our money matters and so do we!

God’s Part

1.       OWNER

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.”

Psalm 24:1

We have to acknowledge the fact that God owns everything in this world and He is simply lending it to us. There are times when we tell God that we dedicate everything-our all, in fact- to Him but when it comes to money, we have to admit that it’s hard!

Do you know Job? In the Bible, he is described as a lover of the Lord and righteous man. He was absolutely blameless and God favoured Him. But when he was tested for his faith, Job had to lose everything in a single day! When this happened, instead of cursing God and turning his back, this is what he said:

“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

Job 1:21

Job acknowledged God as the Master and Owner of his possessions.

CONTENTMENT is displayed when we admit that we do not own anything in this world and losing our possessions does not affect our attitude. It’s all about ATTITUDE!

2.       CONTROLLER OF OUR LIVES

“...so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I am the one who creates light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.”

Isaiah 45:6-7

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”

Romans 8:28

We should always keep in mind that God is the sole controller of our lives. Contentment arises when we believe that He is in control of every situation that we face.

3.       PROVIDER (JEHOVAH JIREH)

God’s provision has always been evident through stories we read in the Bible. In the Old Testament, manna fell from heaven for the starving Jews who escaped the clutches of their Egyptian captors. In the New Testament, Jesus managed to feed 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread and two fish.

God provides!

Anxiety distracts us from completely trusting in God. Hold unto God’s word and it will surely give you the hope that you need.

“...and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

Matthew 6:33

We should believe that our God is faithful in fulfilling His promises and that He will provide all our needs. Nothing is impossible with Him! He knows what we need and He will surely provide a way for us to receive it if we ask. The Lord didn’t design us to carry responsibilities only He is capable of fulfilling.

Our Part

We are STEWARDS of His money. Stewards are defined as individuals who manage the money. Money is not the solitary object we can be managers of. We are also stewards of the following:

·         Time

·         Talents

·         Treasures

·         Truth

As stewards, we should heed Paul’s reminder:

“Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.”

1 Corinthians 4:2

Our sole response is to be FAITHFUL to our God’s commands. We should be willing to obey His ways because He knows what is best.

In order for us to manage God’s wealth wisely, we should take note of three important principles:

-          Be faithful with what God has given you...little or a lot! (Matthew 25:15)

-          We must be faithful or He will take it away (Matthew 25:28-29)

-          Be faithful with the use of others’ possessions (Luke 16:12)

The money that we have is not ours, but God’s. We are His stewards and He is our master, not those crisp paper bills.

Remember, it’s not about the money! Ain’t about the cha-ching! It’s all about God!

                

Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching! : Who is Your Master?

Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Session 1

Who is Your Master?

By Kuya Daniel Carandang

Money makes the world go round.

It is a saying common to almost everyone.

We use money to purchase our basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing. Not only does money provide us with what we need, our wants are also bought using those crisp notes. That cool IPhone 5 can be yours for more than ten thousand grand. A VIP ticket to your favourite band’s concert is just a swipe away with your Mom or Dad’s credit card.

Money makes the world go round, huh?

What is the real deal with money anyway?

Are they more than just crisp bills that serve their purpose?

We should all be aware that money is first and foremost a spiritual issue and not just an economic issue. The issue of lordship hovers above these coins and bills and unfortunate enough, we are not aware of this. You may ask: “How can money be a lordship issue? It’s just money!”

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Matthew 6:24

Money is the spoken thing that covers our relationship with God. We sometimes deny the fact that sometimes our desire to own things we want via money distracts us from focusing from our Heavenly Father. Sadly, the drive to get our hands on more money can diver us from the real deal.

The question we are then faced is: Who is your master?

Is it God?

Or money?

Our heart is an idol factory. We are easily sidetracked. Rather than focusing on God, we value things and matters more than we value Him. Money then becomes our idol. Idols are defined as anything that we trust and focus on more than God. Whoever we worship dictates the direction in our lives.

How do I know if money has become an idol in my life?

-          Money makes the decision of my life

-          Money becomes my top priority

-          Money is my source of security

-          Money is my source of significance and identity.

Simply put, money becomes your EVERYTHING.  

When we put all our efforts to gain more money, when our thoughts merely focus on how we can attain something that we want using money, when we feel safe if we have loads of those paper bills...that is when we can claim that money has taken over our hearts. It has claimed our attention and focus, which should be laid out for our Father, God.

Ask yourself:

Have I made money an idol?

Always remember what Matthew 6:24 says: we cannot serve both God and money. Do not deceive yourself! What is the most important thing in your life?

The Bible laid our two warnings we should heed!

1.       The cost of serving money is never worth it

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thought will also be.”

Matthew 6:19-21

Unfortunately, there are still a number of people who would do anything and everything to earn more money than they should. When money becomes your top priority, you would search for ways to get more. Some beliefs even burn replicas of money during burials, believing that such rituals would send money to their deceased loved ones.

The honest truth is we can never bring our earthly money to heaven when we die. Earthly money is easily destroyed or even stolen by thieves. On the other hand, if we invest on treasures for heaven, it’s much worth it. How? By living every single day for God...by doing random acts of kindness because of Christ’s love overflowing in us. As the Bible says, such is much worth it, compared to wasting every single day to money.

2.       The love of money is the root of all kind of evil

“But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

1 Timothy 6:9-10

MONEY is sometimes the cause of all the evils occurring in this world. We are no stranger to reports of robberies within our areas, conflicts caused by greed and lives taken due to the constant want to possess more money. If we are not careful and we allow money to dictate our direction, our judgement may become clouded by greed and the Devil may overcome our attentions using money.

It’s no secret that we also need money. Our school fees must be paid, our food provided using those peso bills and the list goes on. There may be some of us experiencing financial problems and sometimes we become discouraged when we see that others have more than us. Maybe, we even fear for our tomorrows when we are so unsure of where we will get our funds for our needs.

Well, DO NOT WORRY! :>

Jesus promised in Matthew 6:25:

“So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life- whether you have enough food, drink and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing?”

God assures us that He will provide for all of our needs. We are His children and as our loving Father, He promises us that He will never let us go without. In Matthew 6:30, Jesus comments on how the flowers do not work or make anything, but they still live and continue surviving this world. If He cares for these flowers, surely He cares more for us! :>

So, don’t let money lord over your life. Money isn’t EVERYTHING! It won’t cry over us, it doesn’t care about us neither will it catch us when we fall. Unlike our God who will never leave us nor forsake us. We shouldn’t head ourselves with worry over money!

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Matthew 6:31-33

Remember, it’s not about the money! Ain’t about the cha-ching! It’s all about God!