Back to the Basics: the Offering Which Pleases God!

Back to the Basics: The Offering Which Pleases God! Scary thought: God may consider my offering as an act of ______on my part! (Malachi 3:8-9) THE OFFERING WHICH PLEASES GOD . . . 1. Is given with a ______heart. I’m so grateful that He has saved me, not because I earned it or deserved it, but because of His undeserved love, and because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. My financial offering becomes one way of expressing my thanks to Him! (II Cor. 8:9; Rom. 12:1)

2. Is given with ______. I’m so happy that my financial offering is a way to say thanks to my God and Savior. (II Cor. 9:7)

3. Is given remembering that ______belongs to Him! When I give my financial offering, I’m not giving my money to Him. I’m giving His money back to Him. I’m just a care- taker, steward or administrator of what He lends me. I want to administrate it well! (Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8)

4. Is given in a ______way. If I earn more, I should give more. If I earn less, I can give less. God will be happy. In Old Testament times, God’s law was to tithe, or give 10%. But in the New Testament, we see that God doesn’t set a percentage. But He does give us guidelines.

5. Is ______. How could we be stingy with a God who has blessed us so richly? (II Cor. 9:5b; II Cor. 8:2)

6. Is given with a ______heart. Don’t be afraid that your offering will mean that you won’t have enough money for your needs. God promises to provide your needs after your offering. Do you trust Him? “Worry-wart offerings” do not please God! (Malachi 3:10; Prov. 3:9-10)

7. Is ______. It’s so generous that there may be some risk involved! It means stepping out in trust. And yet, no matter the amount, we agree with the song lyrics, “Such a tiny offering, compared to Calvary!” (II Cor. 8:3; Mark 12:43-44)

8. Is given ______. This probably means each time I get paid. It may be weekly, twice a month, or monthly. But is should be regular. (I Cor. 16:2)

9. Is given from the ______part of your budget. We don’t want to give Him the “leftovers!” The first line in our budget, the slice that comes out first, should be for the One who saved us in the life, death and resurrection of His Son! We say He’s the most important thing in our lives. We want to put our money where our mouth is!

Name: ______Date: ______