A Giving God - a Giving Personنموونە

Prayer: God, show me what I have been blind to. Reveal ways in which my mind and heart do not look like yours. Amen. 

A Generous Person

A popular saying is “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” In order to change, you must first know your reality. Then you must humble yourself and accept that you do not like your reality. 

Awareness of how God provided for you can lead you to offer to provide for others. God encourages His followers to be generous because He is the ultimate gift giver. In order to give, you must know what you have. It is your responsibility to be a good steward of everything you have. To steward well means first you need to be aware of what you have and what you do not have. For example, you cannot buy your friend a coffee if you have used all your coffee budget. You probably should not give $1,000 if you do not even have $1,000 in your bank account. You cannot support missionaries if you have used all your money for the month on new clothes. 

Questions to Ask Yourself  

1. Where are the two places you can store your treasures? Where have you been storing your treasures?     
2. If someone would look at how you spend your finances, what do you think they would say your heart desires?      
3. Do you think you are good at taking care of your finances?

What’s Next?  

1. We must know what disposable income we have in order to use it wisely. Spend time looking at your finances. You can use apps to have a better understanding or you can create your own chart.      
2. Look back at last month's credit/debit card and divide your spending into 3 columns.      
3. As you work, ask yourself, "What does this say about my heart?"      
4. Label the first column "Essentials" (housing, electricity, WiFi, phone bill, insurance, food, school supplies). List what it was, how much you spent, and total spent in this category.     
5. In the next column, put "Non-essentials" (coffee shops, Starbucks, movies, clothes, eating out, gym memberships, electronic accessories). List what it was, how much you spent, and total spent in this category.     
6. Finally, record "Giving of your finances" (local church, organizations, missionaries, friends, family). List what it was, how much you spent, and total spent in this category.