Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
November 30, 2014 - W1448

We are going to begin a new series called Living the Generous Life, and God really wants to give to the world through a certain group of people---us. But I wonder if we become a clogged pipe rather than a free-flowing conduit of God’s blessing.  Maybe we spend too much time getting our own act together, keeping sane with our family, figuring out our own problems because we mess up again and again.

 So today we're going to take a look at how to keep our lives in balance so that we'll be a people of God's wealth so that we can give away wealth because it's not for us, it's for us to pass on.  But much of it has to keep us afloat so that we can be a buoy for those that are drowning.  But if we're drowning, how are we going to help anybody else? 

 Which brings us to the topic of wealth: For a lot of years I thought wealth meant money. It’s not.  That’s only one little part of wealth. If all you have is money and nothing else, you are poor.

 Now wealth comes in so many forms. And so we’re going to talk about the six wells of wealth so that you can do what God’s called you to do.

 Similarly, the Bible says that,

You will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither ?? whatever they do prospers.  (Psalms 1: 3)

 All six Wells of Wealth are important. That’s because God wants us to be able to give to the world, to our children, to our offspring; but you can't if you're using all of that on yourself just to stay alive. 

 But remember this:

 “Wealth in one area will not make up for poverty in another.”

 Consequently,

 “You’re only as wealthy as where you are the poorest.”

1. FINANCES.

 What is wealth? It is having all the resources you need to fulfill God’s purpose in your life.

 Phil. 4: 19 says, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

 Yeah, money can't buy happiness, but there's stuff happiness can’t buy.  You better steward money in order for you to be faithful when God's called you to go to the bank.  And when your mortgage comes due, say to the teller, “I don't have money, but I have love.  Now, could I have a receipt for my mortgage having been paid?”  You see, those are two different things.  Money can't buy happiness.  But there is stuff that happiness can't buy. You better be a good steward in finances and you better understand for what purposes God will supply resources.

 You say, “But how come I’m short on this and short on that, not always but a lot of times?” What happens is the money that God provides is for a certain thing, might be for your career or for what God’s called you to do, but you look at the Joneses, and you say, oh, they’ve got a bigger car or they got a nicer house, etc. And so we use the money for the wrong purposes and then we ask God to provide. But He did provide. You just did not steward your money correctly.

 That’s why in 2^nd Cor. 10:12-13 it says,

“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.  We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits.  Now watch this.  He's saying there's a strategy here because I've called you to a certain thing.  Now read this next portion, you'll see, go.  But confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us. “

 Being controlled by money is bad, but being controlled by the lack of money is equally as bad.

 The Bible says,

“His power has given to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness.”  (2 Pet. 1:3)

1. INTELLECT.

 Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh, so is he.”

 Have you been tuning up your mind lately?  When was the last time you intentionally fed your mind to increase its ability to think better?  See, when it comes to our bodies, we feed it like crazy. 

 Let me encourage you to read a book, take a class, attend a clinic, ask someone to coach you, take a music lesson.  You've always wanted to play a certain instrument, start it.  Just do it little by little.  But make it something that teaches your mind to grow. 

1. HEALTH & FITNESS.

 Cor. 6:19 says, “Don't you realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God?”

 You do not belong to yourself so be a good steward of your body.

 Moreover, you need health and fitness by eating healthy and exercising so that you can last the day and complete your tasks at work with energy left over for your family at the end of the day.

1. SPIRITUAL MATURITY.

 Your faith is what keeps you resilient because in reality, you're going to bounce off of walls.  You're going to have setbacks.  You're going to have crashes.  But faith doesn't keep you from falling down.  See, sometimes you've got the wrong theology thinking “if I've got faith, I'll be immune from my knees buckling or having a setback.”  Wrong.  If that were true, Jesus' life would have been lived down on Rodeo Drive in Hollywood, but His life was fraught with crises and struggles.

 If we are willing to live the generous life every time someone asks for help, there's wholeness and redemption.  That's the people of God. And if we can continue to develop our faith, then we’ll be able to live a generous life that each time God opens the door, there’s something that’s given away. That’s what Jesus did. That’s going to require us to build our faith here.

 That’s why Cor. 2:7 says,

 Let your roots grow down deep into Him and draw nourishment from Him so you will grow strong in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.  So let your lives overflow with Thanksgiving for all He has done.

1. RELATIONSHIPS.

    

   How are you doing in relationships? You see, if that's way down, you're only as rich as where you are the poorest. When Aaron and I were with all of the cousins and things, I thought we are so rich. It's wonderful to have healthy relationships.  

    

   The Bible says,

“Be diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace because there is one body and one spirit.”  (Eph. 4:3)

1. TIME MANAGEMENT.

Everybody has 24 hours.  Bill Gates has 24 hours, and someone out on the street has 24 hours.  What makes the difference?  It's not that he has more time than this guy.  It's that he invested in it far more strategically and turned it into billions of dollars verses this person over here.  How do you use your time?

Eph. 5:16-17 says,

“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” 

And when you are doing too many things and becoming depleted of time, you’re left completely exhausted. It doesn’t matter if you got great faith and relationships.

 And so God is saying it's time for us to be able to know what God's called us to do.  This is mine and it’s very simple.  It was to raise a Godly family and to influence people towards Christ through my life example, because I'm not perfect, but if I fall, I want them to see the example of how it is to get back up and trust God, not stay down or blame the world, but learn how to work through it.  It might take a year or two, but work through it, and be better because of it.  So it's through my example and through my preaching and teaching and resources that I influence people to Christ.  That's it. 

 Everything else is icing on the cake. And I keep myself fit for that.  I keep myself strong for that, emotionally healthy for that, so that when it's all said and done, I'll meet up with Jesus who richly supplied what I needed, not more than I needed or less, but just what I needed.  So I got to steward that correctly; and when He looks at you and me, He'll say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the master.”

 Questions:

1. What are the six keys for living a generous life?

2. Why is money important?

3. Why are you only as wealthy as where you are the poorest?

4. What are some intellectual things that you can do?

5. Why is it important to follow the six keys of living a generous life?