Treasure Giving! Series

* We can never out give the Lord.

1.) Jesus saw the circumstances behind their giving. 2.) Jesus sees the content of our giving.

3. Jesus does the CALCULATIONS, using heavens

standards.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."

* Jesus says this woman gave more than all the rich people who were giving.

* Jesus does the calculations, He adds the interest and is keeping the totals.

V44 says the rich gave out of their abundance - it never cost them anything, dollar here, dollar there.

* God looks at what you have left over - that’s His calculations. That’s where the rewards will be.

* The gift that matters is the gift that costs the giver to give. Give sacrificially.

Robert N. Rodenmayer says, "There are three kinds of giving: grudge giving, duty giving, and thanksgiving. Grudge giving says, "I hate to," duty giving says, "I ought to," thanksgiving says, "I want to." The first comes from constraint, the second from a sense of obligation, the third from a full heart. Nothing much is conveyed in grudge giving since "the gift without the giver is bare." Something more happens in duty giving, but there is no song in it. Thanksgiving is an open gate into the love of God."

"Thanks-Giving"

Giving is an attitude of the heart. - 2Co. 9:7 "Each man should decide in his heart to give"

* If God has our heart, He also has our wallet. The Lord wants us to give from our heart.

* What you have after you give goes into God’s calculations.

**CAUTION** Money can be a downfall.

God blesses - become satisfied - become proud - forgets God

Hosea 13:6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. 1 Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Money is like manure:

If you spread it around, it does a world of good; but if you pile it up, it stinks to high heaven".

4. Jesus REWARDS our faithfulness in giving, now and throughout eternity.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

* We are responsible to use wisely the finances we have. It is a tremendous weight of responsibility, we will be held accountable.

* It’s been estimated 95% of the believers today, fails to tithe to the Lord.

* We need to endeavor to find ways to give back to the Lord or His blessings will stop and our lives will be impacted in a dramatic way - both presently and in eternity.

* The more money we have the greater the responsibility and the greater its hold is on us.

* Like any possession - the more we have, the more we desire and the less we want to let go of it.

* The grip of our fingers grow tighter and tighter. God can’t give us any more, our hands are closed.