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I have a giving project that I am working on right now that I will hopefully be rolling out early next week. So, as I have been working on it I have come across quite a few great giving quotes. These are some of the favorites that I have found so far… If you have some of your own giving quotes please share them in the comments below…
Quotes about Giving
“No person was ever honored for what he received. He was honored for what he gave.”
– Calvin Coolidge
“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
— Albert Einstein
“Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
— John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
“It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.”
— Richard Braunstein
“He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.”
— Lao-Tzu
“You can’t have a perfect day without doing something for someone who’ll never be able to repay you.”
— John Wooden
“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
— Zig Ziglar
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”
— Billy Graham
“Remember this—you can’t serve God and Money, but you can serve God with money.”
— Selwyn Hughes
“I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.”
— John Wesley (1703-91), English evangelist and founder of Methodism
“As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.”
— A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), American pastor and writer
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
— Jesus, in Acts 20:35
Giving Bible Verses
These are some of my favorite Bible verses about giving. There really are a ton of verses about giving in the Bible and these are just a select few of my favs. Again, if you have any that you want to share, please do so in the comments below…
Deuteronomy 15:10
Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
Proverbs 11:24-25
There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
Malachi 3:10
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.
Romans 12:8
…Or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
Philippians 4:15-17
And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you send a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.
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This is a reprint of an article I wrote for MinTheGap…
This world is backwards. Everyone loves to talk about using OPM (other people’s money) to purchase things or to gain wealth. I just don’t get it. Mathematically I understand the advantages of leveraging debt, but math cannot be used to understand every situation. As emotional creatures we were not designed to function as walking calculators making every decision based solely on the numbers.
While math plays a role in our financial lives, there are far more powerful truths, like discipline for example. The thing is that most of us know mathematically what we should do with our finances, yet because of a lack of discipline we don’t do it. So, what then needs fixing - the math or the discipline?
Another truth that really clarified to me why I needed to get out of debt is because the Bible says, “the borrower is slave to the lender.” Anyone who has been in deep debt can attest to the truth of this. Essentially, when you dig yourself in debt you give up control of your life. With each new debt you give more control to your lender and slowly become more of a slave.
You don’t have to be in debt
I always thought that debt was just a way of life. I accepted the fact that I would always have a car payment. Everyone has credit cards, so I just assumed if everyone was doing it, it was okay.
Then something changed. I decided that rather than always having a car payment, I wanted to never take out a loan on a car again. Sure, in the short term I might not be able to drive the car of my dreams, but what I found was that the little sacrifice has been and will continue to yield tremendous fruit.
Think about it - most of the companies advertising have some form of credit or financing they are offering. So, everything we hear from them is going to try to convince us that being in debt is normal, fun, and what the “cool kids are doing.”
It may be normal, but there is something so much better available to us.
Freedom
One of my greatest motivators for becoming debt-free has been the freedom. I just can not wait until I have every debt paid off and actually OWN my home. Paying bills will be so fun!
I just sit and smile when I think about the freedom of not living paycheck to paycheck. I used to live in fear knowing that if I was out of work for more than a week, I would be in big trouble financially. Personally, I don’t believe that God set us free in so many other areas, so that we could stay slaves in the area of debt.
Others are affected
As I have been on the journey to get out of debt I discovered that the reason for it is a lot larger than my freedom. While that has been a great motivator for me, I am now getting excited about the increased opportunity to give. Most everyone has experienced the joy of giving. The challenge is that we often want to give, but have all these other necessary expenses that have to be taken out first. If you are like most, it seems like there is never quite as much to give as you would like.
This is exactly why we need to get out from our debt. How can we expect to be big givers if we owe money to everyone else and don’t have anything ourselves?
Personally, I am not satisfied with how much I am currently giving. I have a feeling that I am not alone in this. I believe that a lot of the church has been limited in their ability to give because of debt. I believe that God is wanting something more from us. I believe that He is wanting us to become good stewards of our finances so that we will be able to better honor Him and others with our checkbooks.
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They are inevitable. Bad days happen to everyone. But, there are things you can do to make them better. Here are a few…
1. Play with kids.
I dare you.
2. Give someone a compliment.
Not a fake one, but take the time to see something that someone else is doing well.
3. Sing in your car.
And sing as loud as you can. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to frown while you are singing?
4. Read Philippians 4.
And while you are at it, just think about where Paul was while he was writing it.
5. Bake your favorite kind of cookies.
Then eat some.
6. Count your blessings.
I mean it. Start a list of all the things you are thankful for. Write until you can’t write anymore. Staple it to the wall.
7. Watch people.
Go find a crowded public area, sit down and watch. Allow yourself to wonder what he ate for breakfast, or what her name is, or where he bought that shirt.
8. Do something for someone you love.
Do the dishes for your wife, take your neice out for ice cream, take your mom to Starbucks for a coffee.
9. Pray.
It’s #9 because you expected it to be #1. What could be more encouraging that talking to the Creator of the universe?
10. Think of the most encouraging person you know and call them.
But don’t complain. Refrain from telling them how bad your day is and focus on making their day better.
11. Write a letter.
A good old-fashioned paper and ink letter. Bonus: write it to someone who has impacted your life and thank them and let them know how much you appreciate their role/impact in your life.
12. Remember the truth.
That God causes all things to work together for GOOD (Romans 8:28)
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Our greatest battles as Christians are in our minds.
I have noticed in my life that whenever I face a challenging situation (aka opportunity for growth) I almost always have to go through the same three steps…
- I have to open my mind to a new way of thinking or doing something
- I have to make a decision to do it
- Then I can take action
I have found that when I am challenged by something, I either open my mind to the possibility of it or I don’t. If I do open my mind to it, then I have to count the cost to decide if I want to do it. If so, the last and often easiest step is to just do it.
For example: Before I started walking with God and even a couple years after, if I thought about sharing the Gospel with someone, I would not have opened my mind to it, because that was something that, “I would not do.” My mind was completely closed to the possibility of it and I would not even entertain thoughts about it.
As I grew in my walk, God helped me open my mind to the possibility. I was still convinced that it was something I would hopefully never have to do, but if God really, really needed my to, I would.
Well, guess what? It wasn’t much longer before I was faced with the opportunity. Now I had to decide. My mind was telling me 50 reasons why I should not as I argued with myself trying to come to a decision. It was a very fierce battle, but the decision was made and it was all down hill from there. Actually taking action (talking to the person) was easy. None of the stuff I was afraid of happened (got mocked, spit on, etc.), The hardest part was actually DECIDING to do it.
It has been very difficult opening my mind to things that were different. It is easy to do things like you always have, but opening your mind to change is difficult. It can be a painful experience to realize that maybe you have been wrong about something all your life or that there was a better way that you didn’t know about. But what option do you have? We can either bury our head in the sand, or humble ourselves and open up to the possibility of changing.
The Parable of the Rich Young Ruler
This story provides a good example of someone who was not willing open his mind to changing his ways.
Matthew 19:16-22
And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
He probably had all of his identity tied up in his wealth, which is why when Jesus challenged his thinking by telling him to give his stuff away and follow him he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t open his mind to the possibility of not having all his wealth. He had been given specific instruction on what he needed to do to go to Heaven - yet his closed mind prevented him from following through.
He might have been thinking a lot of the same things we think when faced with the decision of whether or not to get out of debt. Like:
- Am I still going to be able to go buy new clothes once a week?
- Am I going to be able to go out to eat as much as I would like?
- Am I going to have to do things that don’t feel good?
For the Rich Young Ruler, the challenge was opening his mind to the possibility of not doing things the way he always had. He was probably raised having everything He wanted and couldn’t imagine the thought of giving it all up. It wasn’t the act of giving the money away that was the challenge, it was the fact that he couldn’t even open his mind to the possibility of not having his wealth.
He could have obeyed Jesus and used his wealth to greatly benefit the lives of others. His problem was that he was unwilling to open his mind to the possibility of giving it away. Without opening his mind to the possibility of it, he obviously would never be able to DECIDE to give it, so would also never be able to give it.
I have found that the greatest breakthroughs in my life came as a result of opening my mind to a new way of thinking. It requires humility to admit that something you have always done or always thought is not necessarily the only way or correct at all. These mindset changes can be very difficult, but they are absolutely essential to follow God and accomplish anything worth accomplishing in life.
Getting out of debt is not a one-time decision
I wish getting out of debt, losing weight, and exercising were one-time decisions, but they are not. They need to be decided over and over again. Every time you get tempted to buy something you don’t need, or have a potluck at work, or just feel like sitting on the couch - you have a decision to make. Are you going to do what you should do, or what you FEEL like doing?
You probably know what most people do most of the time - what they FEEL like doing. You are obviously different. You wouldn’t be reading this if you were like most people.
So, you may have “decided” to get out of debt, but as we go through the rest of this series you will probably be faced with some ideas that are challenging. You first need to open your mind to them, then if they are right for you, decide to do them and then of course, take action.
Next, in Part 3 we are going to look at the reasons for creating a balance sheet…
Click to go to the beginning of the Getting out of debt series.
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Sometimes when someone gives you a piece of advice, it just resonates and almost creates an imprint in your mind. I know I have gotten some advice that even though I didn’t want to hear or believe, I just couldn’t shake it because deep down I knew it was true.
The recent issue of Money has a great article with over 30 well known people contributing their best pieces of advice they’ve received. I really agree with a whole bunch that were listed. And these are my favorites….
The best advice
1. Live within your means.
The simple basic rule of personal finance: spend less than you earn. As Dave Ramsey says, “it isn’t rocket science.” It is such a simple thing, but yet so few people successfully pull it off. If you have successfully done this, you know the freedom that it brings. If you haven’t you are probably aware (or you will eventually become aware) of the struggle that results from it.
2. Be frugal, but not stingy.
John Wesley said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Practice developing your generosity.
3. Do what you love.
This is one that took me a little while to learn, but is worth learning. For everyone who trades hours for dollars in a job they don’t enjoy - you know how painful it can be going to work each day just to get a paycheck. There is more to life than money, I would take a job that pays less over one that paid more that I didn’t like any day. How about you?
4. Money doesn’t make you happy.
If your career is tied to what you love to do rather than how much you can make at it, you are probably a lot more likely to make more money at it. Ironic, isn’t it. I know that isn’t always the case, but life is too short to spend most of it doing something you do not enjoy!
5. To excel at something, immerse yourself.
Dabbling in somethings doesn’t make you an expert. In order to become truly great at something, you have to live, breath, think, and dream it. Find every book you can read about the subject, start doing what they say, and teach others about it. You retain the highest percentage of what you learn when you share it with others.
6. Don’t get too good at the wrong stuff.
I have done a lot of reading about people who have accomplished great things. This seems to be a common thread that runs in all of them. They focus. There are so many distractions, so many good things that you can do. Those who accomplish great things do not focus on the menial things that can suck up all their time, but they focus most of their time and energy on that which will produce the most and best results.
7. Take risks when you can.
Take calculated risks. Do everything reasonable you can to minimize the risk, but don’t be afraid to take a risk. It is okay to make mistakes. Human beings are designed for this. Life is just too dang boring without them.
8. Tap the power of compounding.
Albert Einstein said that compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe. This is a perfect reason to get started investing today and put it to work for you!
9. Don’t save too much.
Life is about balance. God gives us our daily bread and Joseph was instructed to save for the 7 years of famine. Saving should be part of your financial plan, but you shouldn’t put off all your living until you retire.
10. Don’t follow the herd.
I used to think that there was some safety in doing what everyone else was doing. The more I learn, the more I find areas that I want to do the opposite of what the herd is doing.
11. Develop a healthy skepticism.
This has worked hand-in-hand with the previous piece of advice. You should never let your skepticism keep you from opening your mind to new possibilities, but you also should not be naive.
“The naive believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps.” Proverbs 14:15
12. Ignore short-term market swings.
The stock market, housing market, U.S. dollar, economy all goes up and down. Each time people are saying, “but this time it is different.” It’s not different. It might have a different mask, but it is the same underlying pattern. Just close your ears and wait and as you ride out the storm, you will be sitting pretty when it is all done.
This article was included in the carnival of personal finance
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Why get out of debt?
God didn’t create us so that we could seek our own satisfaction.
I believe that God put each person down here for a reason and that reason is to bless others. In doing so, we will be blessed.
I have found in my own life that my most joyful moments often revolved around me helping or doing something to benefit another person. Meanwhile, my most painful, sorrowful, and sad moments were taking place when I was thinking about myself. Often times one of the quickest remedies to a struggle that we are having is to get our minds off ourselves and go do something for someone else.
So what does this have to do with getting out of debt? A whole lot actually. Your motivation for wanting to get out of debt should go beyond yourself. Sure, it will be awesome when you get to break out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and when you can buy that car with cash, but that is just part of it. God wants to use you to financially bless others! This is a very good thing because:
- Giving is one of the most fun and self-fulfilling activities you can be a part of.
- You are storing up treasure in Heaven for eternity, rather than down here for a few more years (Matthew 6:20).
- Giving is a great way to burn selfishness out of your life.
- When you give, it will be given back to you in abundance (Luke 6:38)!
You must have something to give!
If you are like most Christians I have met, you want to be able to give more. You have a good heart and wish you could give more. You really want to be able to bless people and give more to your church. But again, if you are like most that I have met, you are thinking, “it is hard enough just to pay the bills each month, let alone give to others the way I would like to.”
This is exactly why you need to get out of debt!
Imagine how much easier it would be to give if you didn’t have any credit card payments, or car payments, or even (dare I say it) a mortgage payment—this has been my motivation over the last few years! This is where you and I are headed!
It is not actually our money
Our money is really not our own. We are merely stewards of what we have been given by God (read the Parable of the Talents for a refresher.) Even if you insist on saying that you worked hard to earn it, who gave you your brain, the hands you used, and even the air you put in your lungs?
We came into the world with nothing, we will leave with nothing. It is all God’s (Psalm 89:11). We have the priveledge of being stewards. When we are slack or wasteful with our money, it is not our money we are wasting, but Gods. It is not only ourselves that we hinder but others as well.
Yes the thought of being out of debt is fun to think about, but the main purpose for our getting out of debt is to benefit the Kingdom of God.
God didn’t set this thing up so that we just sit back as spectators, and it also isn’t just about what we can do with our strength. We have a part to play and so does God. The Bible says that we are co-laborers with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9). We need to be giving to fund and finance the Kingdom of God - how much more effective are we going to be if we are out of debt?
Psalm 67:7
“God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.”
In the Getting out of Debt series, there are going to be 6 more articles that will walk you through what you need to do to get out of debt. These are the things I am actually doing myself and found them to be the most helpful. Let me warn you upfront, working to be debt free is NOT easy. It requires sacrifices. It requires a fight. But anything in life that is worth having is going to require a fight. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!! Don’t grow weary in well doing!!
If you ever have any questions or need encouragement - shoot me an email and we can talk.
The other 6 Steps to getting out of debt
- Getting out of Debt (Step 2) - Open your mind
- Getting out of Debt (Step 3) - Create a balance sheet
- Getting out of Debt (Step 4) - Quit spending
- Getting out of Debt (Step 5) - Cut expenses
- Getting out of Debt (Step 6) - Make sacrifices
- Getting out of Debt (Step 7) - Snowball your debt
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