October 15, 2013: Volume 2, Number 24
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MORE WITH
30 60 100 MINISTRIES |
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While we invest financial resources in order to accrue monetary gain, God's resources produce both tangible and intangible returns.
But how do you know if you're investing as God leads?
Today's feature, How to Know If You're Giving as God Leads, offers 3 questions you can use as a self-check to ensure you're maximizing your tangible and intangible investments in God's Kingdom.
We look forward to hearing from you about how this article impacts your giving and investing. Keep growing!
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EL CULTIVADOR: Introduce Us to Your Spanish-Speaking Friends
| We would love to send our Spanish edition of El Cultivador to Spanish-speaking friends you know who are looking for practical help in their walk with Jesus in ministry, the workplace, or at home. There is no cost.
Please invite Spanish speakers you know to send us their email address and we will subscribe them to this publication in their mother tongue!
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Spiritually Healthy Leader� in Simplified English
| 30 60 100 MINISTRIES is working to create a version of our Spiritually Healthy Leader� workshop series in simplified English as a Second Language (ESL) , both for clients in the US and in western countries.
Learn more about partnering with us to bring SHL to leaders in remote parts of the world.
Our stateside Spiritually Healthy Leader� workshop series concludes with the sixth workshop on October 18, "Finishing Well," identifying the pitfalls that can undermine leaders and ways to combat them. Learn more about this exciting series here.
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 Feature: GOD's ROI (RETURN ON INVESTMENT), PART 2
How To Know If You're Giving As God Leads |
"Past performance does not guarantee future returns." You've seen that disclaimer on a financial prospectus. Market fluctuations, economic conditions, worldwide crises - unlimited number of factors can impact the return on your investment (ROI).
While we invest financial resources in order to accrue monetary gain, God's resources produce both tangible and intangible returns. His resources have a guaranteed ROI - with just one caveat. They must be invested with obedience.
Therein lies the rub. You may long to give your time, your finances, and yourself to Kingdom work. Yet with so many choices and causes, how can you know whether you're giving as God leads ... or if you're following the whims of your heart?
You can know when you ask yourself these three questions.
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Image: UPMC
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Question #1: Am I open and available?
As Jon and Samantha set up their conference display, they struck up a conversation with Dan, who also represented a missions-minded ministry. At the end of the day, the young couple asked to spend more time with Dan. The three arranged a Skype call for the following week.
Dan, a senior citizen, knows his time on earth is shorter than it used to be and has become careful about how he spends it. He could have been too busy to talk to Jon and Samantha, keeping his years of hard-earned experience to himself. Yet Dan was willing to accept the "chance" meeting with the young couple as a "God appointment": an opportunity to be used by God to invest his time, experience, and heart in them. His availability made him open to God's leading. God led him to invest in the young couple.
One way to know that you're giving as God leads is your willingness to identify opportunities He places in your path.
Question #2: Is there eternal value in this opportunity?
Opportunities present themselves each day. Because we live in the natural world, we may not always recognize an opportunity's spiritual value. Introducing another person to Christ ... helping her to identify God's call on her life ... leading him to grow deeper with God ... these opportunities, when taken, can produce spiritual results that extend beyond time, money, or personal effort invested. And because eternal consequences have far-reaching implications, giving wholeheartedly becomes significantly more meaningful.
You can know you're giving as God leads when you can look beyond the immediate and see the eternal value in your investment.
Question #3: Do I trust God to produce an increase?
A heart motivated by quantifiable results - a human measuring stick - is a red flag, as David learned when he took Israel's census as a way to assess his authority and assure himself of power (2 Samuel 24). Effective kingdom giving is not always measured in countable or immediate results. Instead, you might water, prepare the soil, fertilize, dig ... and once in awhile, you may be around for the harvest. God allows us to occasionally glimpse numerical results from our ministry so we don't get discouraged.
You can know if you're giving as God leads when you're able to leave the results of your investment in His hands, trusting Him for the increase.
After all, His past performance does guarantee future returns.
Part 1 explains what to expect when investing in God.
Growth Point
Examine your heart to know if you're giving as God leads.
Scripture
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! (Psalm 139:23, ESV)
Prayer Points - Ask God to make your heart open and aware of opportunities where you can invest your time and expertise.
- Name a time when you saw a person's investments take on eternal consequences.
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is it for you to leave the results of your giving to God?
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| What People Are Saying ... |
 "We look forward to your Cultivator articles and want to assure both of you that we pray for you and 30 60 100 Ministries here in the US and in the world. I am cc'ing the leaders of our church so they can read this article. Thank you for this outstanding reminder of how we complete each other and not compete with each other. We truly need to see that the people in our church body are working TOGETHER in our mission to do His Kingdom work. God bless you, dear friends!" Kathy S., church leader
Hear more testimonies from Christians in remote areas served by 30 60 100 MINISTRIES staff here.
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