Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship
    Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship
    Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship
    Ebook148 pages1 hour

    Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship

    By John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson and Judson Poling

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Jesus said more about money than just about any other topic. Clearly, it is an important issue--and a touchy one! Deep down, we know it is not a matter of what we earn but how we manage what we earn that shows our ultimate priorities.Giving demonstrates how good stewardship is more than a responsibility—it’s an adventure. As you study the connection between your wallet and your heart, you’ll learn how money management is a powerful tool for shaping your character. You’ll discover how giving is as much a part of spiritual growth as prayer and Bible study. And you’ll learn about the rewards of cultivating wise financial habits and a generous heart. Above all, you’ll find out how a lifestyle of giving reflects the heart of God, who freely gives his best to you.Leader’s guide included!Giving group sessions are:Money: Why Is It So Important to God?The Open Hands of GodTithing: A Training Exercise for the HeartBehind the Scenes of DebtWhat Is a Biblical Lifestyle?Cultivating a Heart of CompassionThe Chance of a Lifetime
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateDec 19, 2009
    ISBN9780310862208
    Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship
    Author

    John Ortberg

    John Ortberg is the senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) in the San Francisco Bay Area. His bestselling books include Soul Keeping, Who Is This Man?, and If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. John teaches around the world at conferences and churches, writes articles for Christianity Today and Leadership Journal, and is on the board of the Dallas Willard Center and Fuller Seminary. He has preached sermons on Abraham Lincoln, The LEGO Movie, and The Gospel According to Les Miserables. John and his wife Nancy enjoy spending time with their three adult children, dog Baxter, and surfing the Pacific. You can follow John on twitter @johnortberg or check out the latest news/blogs on his website at www.johnortberg.com.

    Read more from John Ortberg

    Related to Giving

    Titles in the series (100)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Kingdom In The Marketplace

      Apr 13, 2020

      There are so many Christians in the marketplace who remain hidden or silent, despite so much teaching available from the church, internet, TV, and other media. Why are these believers and their faith so hidden? Here are a few pointers to assist you i

      1 min read

    • Article

      Wednesday, January 9

      Dec 14, 2018

      DO YOU EVER DOUBT GOD? Wonder if any of this belief system you’ve structured your life around is even real? I do. The poet Christian Wiman said of his faith that sometimes he goes to bed a Christian and wakes up an atheist. I relate to that. I wish I

      1 min read

    • Article

      Tamela Mann

      Jan 28, 2022

      Tamela Mann
      1 min read

    • Article

      Reflect on Your Spiritual Life

      May 18, 2020

      Reflect on Your Spiritual Life
      1 min read

    • Article

      WHAT EXACTLY IS A believer?

      Oct 30, 2020

      WHAT EXACTLY IS A believer?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Pastors Need A Firm BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

      Dec 30, 2019

      The Gospel is the most powerful force on this earth. The transformative power of the Cross changes lives around the world daily. If the Gospel is not changing hearts, then it is not the full Gospel that is being preached. In Africa today we see a num

      4 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Sep 23, 2022

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Importance of Evangelism

      Jul 22, 2022

      “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded yo

      2 min read

    • Article

      Stir Up Your Gifts

      Mar 16, 2022

      Stir Up Your Gifts
      1 min read

    • Article

      From the EDITOR

      Dec 1, 2023

      “The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. TO OTHERS THE SAME SPIRIT GIVES FAITH. To others that

      2 min read

    • Article

      A New Day Of Pentecost The Breaking Of Bread

      Sep 29, 2023

      I’m going to share with you four guiding principles that the early church lived by, in accordance with Acts 2:42. They created a new culture for daily existence in the community of faith by consistently putting these four principles into practice. Ap

      2 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jul 22, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      9 min read

    • Article

      Getting to Know God

      Mar 16, 2020

      Getting to Know God
      3 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Mar 18, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • Article

      BOOKMARK THIS read…listen…stream

      Jan 26, 2021

      The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured World Sarah Wilson • Dey St. Anyone who read Sarah Wilson’s First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, her remarkable 2018 memoir about shifting our approach to anxiety and mental illness, will have high expectatio

      8 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jul 21, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      6 min read

    • Article

      Bookmark This

      Apr 19, 2022

      Cultivating Mindfulness to Lead Self and Others in a Changing World Latha Poonamallee, PhD • Routledge We live in a world that’s diverse, complex, and constantly changing, and with all those changes comes a call to shift our leadership styles. Expans

      9 min read

    • Article

      From The EDITOR Let God’s Word Sustain And Direct You!

      Jul 21, 2023

      JOY! Magazine seeks to glorify God by educating and informing Christians of a biblical worldview and applying the Lordship of Jesus Christ to all areas of life. Strive for excellence and integrity in all things • Provide interesting, accurate, and

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Rosary In My Pocket

      May 23, 2023

      A Rosary In My Pocket
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Giving

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Giving - John Ortberg

      PURSUING SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION BIBLE STUDY SERIES

      Fully Devoted: Living Each Day in Jesus’ Name

      Grace: An Invitation to a Way of Life

      Growth: Training vs. Trying

      Groups: The Life-Giving Power of Community

      Gifts: The Joy of Serving God

      Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship

      ZONDERVAN

      Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship

      Copyright © 2000 by the Willow Creek Association

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

      ePub Edition June 2009 ISBN 978-0-310-86220-8

      Requests for information should be addressed to:

      Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

      ISBN 0-310-22078-5

      All Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

      We are grateful for permission given by a number of gifted teachers to use excerpts from their books and messages for the opening readings in the sessions. These authors and speakers are acknowledged throughout this guide.

      Interior design by Laura Klynstra Blost

      Contents

      Title Page

      Copyright Page

      PURSUING SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

      TEN CORE VALUES FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION

      GIVING: UNLOCKING THE HEART OF GOOD STEWARDSHIP

      session one

      MONEY: WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GOD?

      session two

      THE OPEN HANDS OF GOD

      session three

      TITHING: A TRAINING EXERCISE FOR THE HEART

      session four

      BEHIND THE SCENES OF DEBT

      session five

      WHAT IS A BIBLICAL LIFESTYLE

      session six

      CULTIVATING A HEART OF COMPASSION

      session seven

      THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

      LEADER’S GUIDE

      About the Publisher

      Share Your Thoughts

      Pursuing Spiritual Transformation

      The Pursuing Spiritual Transformation series is all about being spiritual. But that may not mean what you think!

      Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? What does that mean? Does spiritual growth seem like an impossible amount of work? Do you have a clear picture of the kind of life you’d live if you were to be more spiritual?

      Each guide in the Pursuing Spiritual Transformation series is dedicated to one thing—helping you pursue authentic spiritual transformation. In this guide the focus is growing through the biblical stewardship of your money and possessions. (Certainly, good stewardship also extends to our time, talents, and spiritual gifts. Those aspects are explored in another book of this series, Gifts: The Joy of Serving God.)

      You may find this study different from others you have done in the past. Each week in preparation for your group meeting, you will be completing a Bible study and experimenting with a variety of spiritual exercises. These elements are designed to enhance your private times with God and, in turn, to help you invite him into all aspects of your life, even the everyday routines. After all, spiritual life is just life—the one you live moment by moment.

      It is very important that you complete this work before going to each meeting because the discussion is based on what you’ve learned from the study and what you’ve observed as a result of the spiritual exercise. The Bible study and exercise are not meant to be done an hour before the meeting, quickly filling in the blanks. Instead, we suggest you thoughtfully and prayerfully complete them over the course of several days as part of your regular devotional time with God.

      A good modern Bible translation, such as the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, or the New Revised Standard Version, will give you the most help in your study. You might also consider keeping a Bible dictionary handy to look up unfamiliar words, names, or places. Write your responses in the spaces provided in the study guide or use your personal journal if you need more space. This will help you participate more fully in the discussion, and will also help you personalize what you are learning.

      When your group meets, be willing to join in the discussion. The leader of the group will not be lecturing but will encourage people to discuss what they have learned from the study and exercise. Plan to share what God has taught you. Try to be sensitive to the other members of the group. Listen attentively when they speak, and be affirming whenever you can. This will encourage more hesitant members of the group to participate. Be careful not to dominate the discussion. By all means participate, but allow others to have equal time. If you are a group leader or a participant who wants further insights, you will find additional commments in the Leader’s Guide at the back of the study.

      We believe that your ongoing journey through this material will place you on an exciting path of spiritual adventure. Through your individual study time and group discussions, we trust you will enter into a fresh concept of spiritual life that will delight the heart of God … and your heart too!

      Ten Core Values for Spiritual Formation

      Spiritual transformation …

      … is essential, not optional, for Christ-followers.

      … is a process, not an event.

      … is God’s work, but requires my participation.

      … involves those practices, experiences, and relationships that help me live intimately with Christ and walk as if he were in my place.

      … is not a compartmentalized pursuit. God is not interested in my spiritual life; he’s interested in my life—all of it.

      … can happen in every moment. It is not restricted to certain times or practices.

      … is not individualistic, but takes place in community and finds expression in serving others.

      … is not impeded by a person’s background, temperament, life situation, or season of life. It is available right now to all who desire it.

      … and the means of pursuing it will vary from one individual to another. Fully devoted followers are handcrafted, not mass-produced.

      … is ultimately gauged by an increased capacity to love God and people. Superficial or external checklists cannot measure it.

      Giving: Unlocking the Heart of Good Stewardship

      While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

      Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor. And they rebuked her harshly.

      Leave her alone, said Jesus. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

      —Mark 14:3–9

      Of all the acts of servanthood he witnessed, one touched Jesus’ heart so deeply that he memorialized it forever. One would expect the spotlight of his attention to fall on some grand sacrifice, something of high impact. But what left Christ’s heart pierced was a woman named Mary and her alabaster jar.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1