Four Heart Attitudes for Giving

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Better Together

Four Heart Attitudes for Giving By Rick Warren — Jun 3, 2015 “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.’” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT, second edition) How do you have the attitude God wants you to have when you give? It starts with your heart. God is a lot more interested in your willingness to give than your wealth, because he’s interested in what’s happening in your heart when you decide to give. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “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’” (NLT, second edition). This verse talks specifically about four key heart attitudes you should have when you give. Give thoughtfully. Don’t give impulsively. The most spiritual kind of giving is when you think about it and pray about it and make up your mind about it. Why? Because we plan anything that’s important in our lives. God wants your giving to be important and meaningful in your life. Give enthusiastically. Don’t just say, “I have to give! If I don’t give God’s going to hit me with lightning or something.” Give because you know God’s going to do something big in your heart when you become a generous person. Give voluntarily. Any time you’re pressured by a person to give, don’t give. God’s not going to bless it anyway. But every time you feel challenged by God to give, you’d better give. Give cheerfully. Give with joy! One of the Greek words for offering is the word “hilarious.” God wants you to enjoy giving to him and to others. Sometimes it’s a challenge to be cheerful when God’s challenging you to give. Whenever you feel that way, just remind yourself of the benefits of what God wants to do in our heart. Why be generous? It creates community. It defeats materialism. It strengthens your faith. It’s an investment for eternity. It blesses you in return. And, it makes you more like God. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What is your plan for your giving? How do you know the difference between feeling pressured to give and being challenged by God to give? How can you model cheerful giving for your family? Our Gift: 40 Days of Community Devotional We all have a longing for belonging! In fact, many of the purposes God has for your life can only be fulfilled if you work together with other Christians. This is why Pastor Rick wants to help you develop deeper, more meaningful relationships and the reason he created the 40 Days of Community Devotional Book. If you devote just a few moments a day, this book will take you on a transformational 40 day journey that will help you take your relationships to the next level and enable you to fulfill all of God’s purposes for your life. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Better Together teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Why We Need Each Other Message 2: Reaching Out Together Message 3: What Destroys Relationships and What Builds Them Message 4: How We Help Each Other Message 5: Serving Together Message 6: Living a Generous Life PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe