1. The Secret of Abundance
Living with More than Enough—
All the Time

2. Eddy turned prosperity preacher?

3. What does it do to you if you feel like…
…you don’t have enough?
…you have more than enough?
What difference does it make
in how you relate to other people?

4. ABUNDANCE = Having more than enough

6. John D. Rockefeller 1839-1937 Asked: “How much is enough?”
First baron of the oil industry (Standard Oil)
At one point his personal wealth totaled $350 billion dollars (in adjusted dollars)
Compare this to the wealthiest person living today—Jeff Bezos—whose personal wealth is a measly $91 billion
Asked: “How much is enough?”

8. “Why I can’t be more generous.”

9. It’s all about perspective
Rich people can live in scarcity— an attitude of not having enough
Poor people can live in abundance— having more than enough

10. Poverty guidelines: 1963 Family of 4: $3130 Family of 5: $3685
“We don’t make half that much, and WE’RE not poor!”

12. Where do we get an attitude of ABUNDANCE?
“Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!”
Psalm 23:1 LB
“My cup overflows.”
Psalm 23:5 ESV
“My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19 ESV
Are these promises more true for rich people?

13. The secret of contentment
is something we learn.

14. What does it look like when we live out of ABUNDANCE?
Gratitude
Stewardship
3. Generosity

15. Gratitude
If I truly believe I have more than enough (abundance)… …instead of complaining …instead of worrying …I will be telling God my needs and thanking him for his answers (Phil. 4:6).

16. Stewardship
Steward: “A person who manages another's property or financial affairs.”
Dictionary.com
“The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it.”
Psalm 24:1 NLT
“It is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
1 Cor. 4:2 NASB
Everything we have belongs to God.
Our job is to manage every dollar of the Owner’s money to accomplish the Owner’s goals.

17. If I’ve truly given myself to God, he owns my wallet too.
generosity
“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NLT
If I’ve truly given myself to God, he owns my wallet too.

18. Firstfruits offering (Lev. 23:9-14)
generosity
Firstfruits offering (Lev. 23:9-14)
The Jews were not allowed to harvest their grain until they had given the firstfruits to God. The firstfruits offering—giving God the first and the best-was a way of giving thanks to God by giving back.
If I think, “I can’t afford to give to God,” it reveals that I am thinking that I am not giving my firstfruits, but my leftovers. If I give God the first part of every income, I can always afford to give to God. I may not afford everything else I want, but I can afford to give to God.

19. generosity Do you wish you could be more generous?
What is getting in your way?
For some, selfishness
--I would like to be more generous, but not if I have to go without something I want. (God doesn’t own your wallet.)
For many of us, fear.
--If I give the firstfruits to God, I won’t have enough to meet my needs.

20. generosity
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10 NIV
This isn’t giving to manipulate God into blessing us.
It is giving out of trust that God will meet our needs.
And, if we’re not so sure, God invites us to test him and let him show us.

21. generosity
6 But remember this—if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. 7 Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. 8 God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others. … 10 For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest. 11 Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, TLB

22. “ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
What happens when we give because we’re afraid of what will happen if we don’t, or out of a “need” to rescue someone else?

23. The Secret of Abundance
Gratitude
Give thanks for all God has given me.
Stewardship
All that I have belongs to God. As a manager of God’s resources, I use 100% of it for the purposes He intends.
Generosity
I cheerfully bring the firstfruits, not the leftovers, to God, and trust God to meet my needs—plus a surplus to share with others.

24. God’s Generosity Experiment
“Test me in this,” says the Lord. (Mal. 3:10)
Yes, I will put God to the test during December and January by bringing the firstfruits of all that God gives me.
10% of my income
___% of my income
 A dollar amount each pay period __________________