Chap 13-14

Chapter 13: Giving with Your Head,
Your Hand, and Your Heart

“I want to think about how our giving can move from paralysis to joy, from secrecy to transparency, from private embarrassment to shared pleasure.”

Paul uses three arguments to when he was urging the Corinthians to give.

  1. He appeals to their pride.
  2. He holds up a mirror to their faithfulness and holiness.
  3. He nudges their self-interest.

“Everything we do, we do for a dozen or more reasons. If you waited for every one of those reasons to be good you’d never do anything. If one of those reasons is good, God can work with that, don’t you worry.”

Three dimension to giving.

  1. With your head. Three Rs for giving with your head.
    1. Routine. Give regularly.
    2. Realism. Be realistic and stick to it.
    3. Relationships. Sometime money is not the answer.
  2. With your hand. Combine money with action.
  3. With your heart. “But the real reason God wants us to give to others is to change our lives. Fundamentally that’s the difference between giving with your head and hand, and giving with your heart. Giving with your head and hand changes others. Giving with your heart changes you.”

Chapter 14: Is There a Gospel for the Rich?

The answer in the gospel appears to be maybe. Being rich can make us forget God and forget others. There are ways to be rich and use those riches for investment in God’s kingdom.

Excerpt From: Samuel Wells. “Be Not Afraid.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/_CksC.l

Charles Eklund 2018