50 Days to More: Day Seven
50 Days to More
A Seven Week Campaign to Begin 2018
Week 1: Knowing the True Source of all Increase in Your Life
Day Seven (1/13/18): Seven Reasons God Wants You to Have More
Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
We’re already at the last day of our first week of this devotional series! We have firmly established the fact that God himself is the one true source of increase in our lives. He truly desires for us to have more! But why? What are we supposed to do with our “more”? Pastor Coats has composed seven reasons to help us understand the answers these questions:
1. God wants you to have more to provide an uncommon income for your spiritual leaders.
There are some people who may be turned off by this point. However, a person who truly honors their pastors will understand the heart behind this. Pastors and other leaders in the church pour so much of themselves into their ministry. We may only see these leaders once or twice a week, but the time they put in to making sure that they can spiritually feed the congregation is happening almost daily. They work hard, and like any other hard worker they deserve to be blessed financially (see 1 Timothy 5:17-18).
2. God wants you to have more to send missionaries throughout the world to preach the gospel.
Missionaries have a vital role to play in the body of Christ: they introduce people to their Savior! When we support missionaries financially (and prayerfully), we are fueling the fire that will one day set the whole world ablaze for Jesus Christ. Not every Christian is called to global missions, but every Christian can have the opportunity to give missionaries the resources they need. In this way, we can be part of the mission and blessed by its fruit as well.
3. God wants you to have more so you can pay your taxes.
Very simply: our taxes belong to the United States. It is our duty to return them to where they belong. God gives us the finances we need in order to responsibly pay these taxes (See Matthew 22:17-21).
4. God wants you to have more so you can return the tithe back to Him with honor.
Giving is always about honor. Our motive behind our giving--in any capacity--should be to honor the receiver. Our tithe honor’s God’s position. By tithing as the bible instructs, we are acknowledging God as the Master and Lord of our lives.
5. God wants you to have more to give uncommon gifts to your children and those you love.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Who hasn’t heard that one before? These words are so true. Being generous to the people we love is a direct reflection of how God is generous in blessing his children.
6. God wants you to give more to the poor.
This is known as “alms”. Alms is God’s passion, simply because he is passionate about people. Giving to the poor--showing them that we see them, care about them, and desire to help them--is one of the greatest ways we can be an example of Jesus in our world.
7. God wants you to have more to solve any emergency of crisis that arises.
While our peace and comfort is found in Christ alone, having money put away for emergencies can definitely ease our minds. It is important to manage our finances in such a way that we can be prepared for most situations that may come our way.
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The most interesting thing about these points is that most of them don’t even have to do with us. God gives us more, but it’s not just for us to hoard. We are given more in order to give more in return. Having the means to be a blessing to others is a blessing in itself. Today, ask The Lord to show you how you can be a blessing to others. Ask him what you can do to be more generous to the world around you. As you give freely and lovingly to others, you will see that The Lord will bless and multiply areas in your life, too!
“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)
Compiled by Christine Thompson
Taken from the Sermon Series “7 Steps to One Thousand Times More”
By Pastor Timothy Coats
Family First Church - Spring Hill, Florida
