Giving God Your Best

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham a little later in the program will tell you how you Rams booked man of God first hears the message giving God your best light.

You to join me in Mark chapter 12. Now I know people rarely request a sermon on money back is it is one of the most significant subjects in all of the Bible always had this sense of secretiveness regarding our money and privacy, and rightly so we get bombarded by solicitors either on the phone or at the door in the mall and of course we really have sort of reached a place where we just brace ourselves to say no when someone asks for something and yet Jesus and the word of God is constantly encouraging us to say yes to generosity to say yes to giving to have an attitude towards giving that has been transformed by our gracious God, your attitude and actions regarding your money. Say a whole lot about who you are what you really believe and what really matters in your life. So here in the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, with total beginning in verse 41, Jesus sat opposite the treasury saw how the people put money into the treasury.

Notice it does not say what the people put in to the treasury, but how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make the quadrant, so he called his disciples to himself and he said to them, here comes the less assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put more and that all of those you have given to the treasury, for they all put in out of their abundant, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had her whole livelihood. Jesus watched the offering. He carefully observed the way people were giving in the courtyard of the temple there were treasuries and they were actually shaped like large horn something like a old Victrola record player that you may have seen, and when people would come in they would put their coins in the treasury and it would make quite a bit of noise at certain if you throw it in there to certain way and so people would come in and no self-respecting dedicated Hebrew would ever come to the temple without an offering. And so Jesus sat there to observe and the word when it says that he watched as the word theater. It was as if it were a theater for Christ. He gazed at the way people were giving. Now it is a fact that God is watching our every move in line. That's a good thing God is watching over us there no secrets with God. He notes what we are. He knows what we make. He knows what we give and one day we will give a reckoning account for all of the resources in life, we will settle in eternity. So is important that we take a hard look at our faith, as it is related to our climate do we use our possessions for God's purposes are we investing in those things which really matter because just as Jesus was watching the treasury that day. We believe that Jesus is present in our lives every day and if Jesus watched in an age of poverty.

Certainly, Jesus is watching in an age of affluence when we had so much with which to do and to give. Now I know that your money is your business, but the fact is, while it is not of Jack Graham's business.

What you give the minute you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

It became God's best, because all that you have all that we've been given all that we possess belongs to him and it is required of stewards that we be found faithful and we are to excel. According to second Corinthians chapter 8 and verse seven that we are to excel in the grace of giving with the word, excel, describe your giving are you an excellent giver do you excel at the grace of giving. Many Christians do not excel in giving. Can you imagine the difference that could be made for the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we could begin elevating our excellence in the matter of giving yes the Bible tells us that we to make our money honestly that way to spend our money wisely and where to give our money generously so example of this woman so long ago, encourages us today because when we see this woman, we see faith. What does your money and what does Jesus see regarding your faith when you get Jesus told us that she gave everything that she had not. It was two mites, which might was less than a penny so she was very poor and yet she gave everything that she had, and as a result of her giving all that she had. She is a tremendous example of faith trusting God to supply her needs because she was willing to get everything to him. It's true isn't it.

You can tell the death of a person's faith by that person's attitude and actions with money the way we earn our money the way we make our money the way we give our money and while we may not give away our money, our money gives us a way every time, and it speaks volumes as to what we believe and what we truly believe it speaks regarding our priorities if we truly seek God first in our possessions and in our priorities. What about your faith in your giving your faith in your finances.

Do you believe God is trustworthy is God trustworthy yes he is. We believe God is trustworthy and yet many apparently practice economic atheism, or at least agnosticism living in giving as if God did not exist, separating, compartmentalizing their money from the master and yet God's word clearly challenges us in Malachi chapter 3 in verse 10, to bring all the ties into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house proved me in this God lays down the challenge prudently in this. He says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to contain it, or to receive now you have a question. The answer is that verse true or is it not true. God says prudently by your faith.

Do you believe this, that if you give of your ties, which is what what is a time knows not attempt is the first 10 is the principle of first things first, it is always the first 10 is not giving the last with the best not scraping off the bottom of what's left over but giving off the top are ties and then beyond that, growing in offerings and so when we are challenged here by the Lord of host time. He says prudently in this trust me on this one. If one really believes that God can be trusted. That means that individual will give as God has direct you believe God is adequate for every circumstance and situation of your life. He indeed is adequate. Many of us, however, say my God can do anything.

My God is able and yet do not trust him to meet their daily needs.

Believing that God is adequate and trusting his adequacy is something altogether different. So many trust God with their eternal future, but not with their daily finances. Somehow they have the idea that if they did that God will not provide for their needs. Yet Jesus said in Matthew 633 seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things. That is all the material things that we need will be added unto you.

I love Philippians 419 and my God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Indeed God is adequate and the way that we live in the way that we give shows our belief, our trust in that adequacy.

Occasionally someone will say to me. I really can't afford to give.

I just don't have enough to get that person simply diluting themselves because they think if I ever had enough money if I really had something to give. I would give but the lesson of this little lady so long ago, is that she gave not out of affluence, not of what she had. She had very little, but she gave her livelihood. She gave her all because of her faith that God would take care of her.

We we might be tempted to say to this lady. Look, you need this money more than God does.

You certainly need this money more than the temple means that the temples got plenty of money to keep it for yourself. You see, she wasn't giving it to the temple per se. She wasn't giving it to a building, but rather she was giving God's expression of worship because giving is not an obligatory exercise of duty but rather it is a joyous expression of worship and faith you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message giving God your best our world desperately needs men of God strong man who model gentleness lead with humility and speak the truth in love, we want to help you identify the traits of a real man of God by sending you Dr. Jack Graham's insightful book and of God our thanks for your gift today in Dr. Graham gives you biblical insight to what a true man of God, looks like to espouse his family and the world to request your copy of man of God: 800-7954 627-1800 795-4627. You can also text PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Forgey now it's Québec. Today's message giving God your best.

You believe God is adequate, that if you give and begin tithing and beyond the ties move to sacrificial giving you believe that God will take care of you see somebody say I can't afford to tithe. The fact is, you can't afford not to tithe. If you want to be alone. God's miraculous economy for your life. Can God be trusted is God adequate and then you might even ask yourself the question is God's generous do you believe that God is generous. I have an idea that some people must believe that God is stingy that God is miserly, but somehow he wants to hold out on us and keep us from enjoying life and yet the Scripture says he's given us all things to enjoy richly in Jesus Christ our God is a good God, and he wants to lavish his love and his grace upon our lives and is promises and his provision are guaranteed in Luke chapter 6 verse 38, our Lord said give any will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over this lady could give because she had faith in God to believe that if she gave all that she had that God was adequate to take care of her needs that God was generous to provide for every necessity that God can be trusted with our very line God is not stingy by been a tither all my life and I'm grateful that my parents and grandparents taught me as a little boy when I had just a small allowance to take the 10th, the portion of that allowance and to give it as an act of faith and worship in my life and when Deb and I first got married we were college students and we did have a lot of money to live on and yet we realize that if we want to God to bless our lives, our marriage, our families that we needed to obey him in all things that as a young couple we continue to tithe. And God has blessed us through the years and I promise you I have never regretted a single sin a dollar that I've given to the work of the kingdom of God because it is been an opportunity for me to express my faith and worship in Jesus Christ. The people who make a difference. Dare to believe God dare to stretch out in faith and trust him with everything.

So when Jesus saw how this woman gave Jesus saw her faith when he watches you give this he see your faith. What kind of faith is a city and then when Jesus watch this woman give. He saw her hope her faith and then her hope this widow gave all that she had. How could she do that because she love beyond this world to the world to come. She was able to do what she did in giving her livelihood. These two lines because her heart was in heaven. Her treasure followed of all people. This woman needed to give. She had nothing of this world's goods, but she had a bank account in heaven that is still accruing interest when she gave she expressed that her heart was in heaven. She had a heavenly eternal perspective and vision turn in your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 6 of this woman was a poor woman but we are prosperous people. So this is a message to us in verse 17 command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. It's okay to have things as long as things don't have you recognize that what you have you received as a gift is a blessing from God.

So what is the challenge.

Verse 18. Let them lead us to good then that they may be rich in good works, ready to give willing to share why storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life now good works. Don't get us to heaven, but they do follow us and I want you to hear Jesus say I certainly don't want you to hear me say that in order to go to heaven. You have to give money because you can't buy eternal life.

You don't have that much money.

There's not enough money in all the world to buy eternal life is already been bought and paid for in the blood of Jesus Christ.

But while works don't get us to have in our works express our faith and then the Bible tells us that one day, as believers, we will give an account.

Because God is watching how we give, how we invest our lives, how we live our lives, and therefore every time we give of our time of our talents of our testimonies and yes of our ties and offerings. It is an investment in our future.

This woman knew what really matter and that is the hope and the promise that is the future. This woman invested in eternity. She understood that the things worth living for and giving for are the things that last forever is why there's great joy in giving. That's why would we give we know we are making a difference. I heard a Romanian pastor who church and himself and gone through the persecution in Eastern Europe and he made the statement that 95% of believers who face the task of persecution, pass the test. 95% of believers he said to face the test of persecution pass the test but then he observed 95% of people who face the task of prosperity fail. So what is it with us.

What about you if Jesus were grading your paper today and he is when it comes to the test of prosperity do you pass or fail. Jesus saw her faith, he saw her hope and then he saw her love and when we give PCs our love.

When we give God's way. This woman gave her love. Just a few hours earlier.

Jesus had spoken of the first and greatest commandment, which is what to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind with all your soul and all your strength and then he said the second commandment is like the first like Intuit.

He said love your neighbor as yourself in this widow, who no doubt heard that he believed that said if I'm going to love God then I'm going to worship God with my giving and so when gifts were placed in the temple. They were divided they were divided between the priest and the work of the temple. The ministry of the temple and given to the poor. So when this woman gave her two nights to the temple treasury. She was in effect expressing her love for God and fulfilling the first commandment to love the Lord your God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and she was fulfilling the second commandment as well in caring about others and giving so that others could know the love and grace of God.

So it's a matter of love. When Jesus watches our worship in giving. He wants to know do you love me with all your heart, what does your money say about your love for your master.

If we love our families.

We are committed to give generously to take care of our families and certainly if we love God the way we ought to love God that love will be expressed in our worship and in our given and then because we love God we love others.

We are motivated by the love of God by the prospect of advancing the cause of Christ. The kingdom of God around the world.

We can exchange the coin of earth for the currency of heaven, we can give so that others can live in Christ that without a doubt the greatest sacrifice of all is not the sacrifice of this widow is great is her sacrifice is the greatest sacrifice of all is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who left the riches of eternity in the glorious heaven and descended down down down in the poverty of the person of his humanity. He came was born was laid in a manger and from the cradle, he emptied himself and live in poverty and went to the cross and poured out his life. All of it for us and love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my all. So if Jesus was watching you today and see if they see you. Hope to see you there listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message you back. Today's culture has so distorted the concept of masculinity that some even rejected as toxic better world doesn't need less manly men. We need more men of God, men who love Jesus make loving husbands and fathers and lead as servants would like to help you uncover what God says about true masculinity by sending you Dr. Graham's book man of God yielding difficult insight into how you more than that in your life can live with purpose and passion in Christ first in living radically for him. Men of God is our thanks for your gift to help proclaim God's word to PowerPoint to request your copy when you call today: 800-7954 62 761-800-7954 627 can also text PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop for E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie pastor.

What is your PowerPoint for today giving God your best not only means giving him the best of your time and your talents, but it means being a good steward of what he's already given you. You know how you think about it handle money says a lot about who you trust and where you really find your significant remember what we talked about in today's program the way you and I give to God is an expression of our faith, our hope and our love.

So often we say we trust God to meet our needs and yet were selfish with our money is easy to say when I make more money give to the Lord and his church or I just need to get another race that I can start contributing to the work of Christ around the world. No start giving to God's kingdom. God's work God's church today and didn't trust him to meet all your needs. Matthew 633 says it so well. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Remember as well that giving God your best financial he also expresses your hope regarding the future. What good does it do to store up things on this earth. You came into this world with nothing and you will leave this world with nothing but if you begin to invest in your future by investing in the kingdom of God than one day when you stand before God and give an account of what you've done with your life and your possessions you will hear the words of the Lord commending you say well done my good and faithful servant. Finally, remember that giving God your best also says a great deal about your love your love for him and your love for his church and your love for people.

God doesn't want you giving out of guilt or because someone is forcing you to give know he wants you to give out of your love for him and your love for his church because God knows your heart and he knows your motives and you can't really disguise a hard heart. The bottom line is that God really doesn't need our money does what he really wants is our heart. So today begin to look at giving to him as a way of expressing your faith, your hope and your love for him that yesterday's PowerPoint remember when you give a gift PowerPoint will send you Dr. Graham man of God is our thanks.

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