Generosity Impacts Eternity

Posted on May 18, 2016 by dkoop

ThriveSo much of what our family spends money on does not last.  We spend money on expensive food, coffee or dessert just to flush it down the toilet after it passes through.  We spend money on pricey perfume or cologne, shampoos, conditioners and lotions just to wash them down the drain a few hours later.  We spend money on the latest must have Christmas and birthday presents to just put them on Craig’s List or a garage sale in a few months.  We clutter our lives, we clutter our closets.  We clutter our kids’ lives with stuff.   Most of what we spend money on is extremely temporary.   HOWEVER when we spend money on God’s purposes, it is never flushed, never washed away.  It never collects dust.  It grows.  It multiplies.  It keeps giving and giving.  Money given to God is ETERNAL.   Here’s a passage that is written to us as Americans.

 “Command those who are rich in this present world.” That’s here on earth and that’s all of us — if you live in America, you’re rich.  If you make 31,000 a year, you are in the top 1 percent of all wage earners on this planet! To find out how rich you are compared to the rest of the world, go to: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Most of the world would love to have our problems!  “Do we eat Chinese or Pizza? Our internet is slow As we sit in air conditioning the traffic is bad.”   Paul continues, “ …not to put your hope in wealth, but to put your hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  It’s not wrong to enjoy nice things.  But He does not make us prosper simply so that we can spend it all on ourselves.  He says “Command them to be generous and willing to share.  We have much so we can share and be generous)  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy  6:17-19

You build a firm foundation IN ETERNITY by giving to God.  You grow God’s family and experience a joy and a peace that is so rich.  It’s a  “life that is truly life” Some of us are not really living.   Are you really living?…….You make a life by giving.

Did you see the movie, “Behind Enemy Lines?”   It is based on a true story. Captain Scott O’Grady’s F-16 had been shot down, as he was flying over Serbia.  Had he been killed or captured? Was he seriously injured?  America waited anxiously. The hours ticked by. Five days passed. On the sixth day another pilot picked up a faint message from O’Grady’s radio. He was alive, managing somehow to hide from hostile soldiers.

Immediately all the resources needed for a daring rescue operation were set in motion. O’Grady was snatched up to safety by a helicopter–and the US rejoiced. Newsweek magazine reported that the weapons and machinery used for the rescue of that one pilot were valued at $6 billion.

$6 billon that Scott O Grady would always be grateful for!  We can’t estimate the value of one human soul–because we could never calculate the price God paid to rescue us. In grace, motivated by His love, He sent His Son to become our Savior. Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness.

When we give to The Ridge Fellowship, we are giving a gift that impacts eternity as we have been blessed to see over 880 commitments to Christ in the last 15 years.  Praise God as he has allowed us to impact lives, marriages, families, children and youth in our community for eternity.

Each Sunday in our services here we celebrate this life altering truth, Christ changes lives!  We join as a thankful community to worship, fellowship and serve in order to experience and grow in Christ’s love, we invite our community so that they can know and experience Christ’s love.  But we must also give to make Christ’s love a reality.

If you have given to The Ridge Fellowship you helped to make life change possible!  Thank you!  Whatever you support you’re a partner in.  Not all of us can teach or play music on stage, work with the children or work with the youth but we can all give something.  Those of you who are faithful in giving, you’re a partner in ministry here.

We have the chance during THIRVE emphasis to show the sincerity of our love for Christ, the sincerity of our love for His work through our church.  With us adding staff and improving our facilities we have the opportunity to impact our community for eternity, just as our own lives have been impacted.

As you consider your one time gift on June 5th and your thirteen month commitment may you give your lives as well as your resources in full commitment to the One who gave His all for us.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

https://www.facebook.com/RidgeFellowship

 

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Generosity Blesses Me and Others

Posted on May 18, 2016 by dkoop

ThriveI have learned a secret.  I’ve learned  that whatever I give out is what I’m going to get back in life.   Have you learned this?  When I give out criticism or negativity I get back criticism and negativity.   But when I give out smiles or encouragement, I  get smiles and encouragement back.  It is a law of life that we sow and we reap.  And we reap what we sow.

Jesus said it like this,

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38

The more we give away, the more we get back in blessings.

In Israel the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea both receive their water from the surrounding Lebanon Mountains.   The Sea of Galilee is teeming with life, full of fish, bird life and animals for the water in it is fresh and flowing, taking in giving out flowing into the Jordan River.   There are cities, restaurants, its shores are booming with activity. The Dead Sea also receives water from the mountains and from the Jordan River.  But true to its name, it is dead, there is absolutely no life in it,  it is the saltiest body of water on the face of the earth.  Why? It does not give out. It only takes in.  Some people are like that, they are similar to a cess pool because they take take, take and never give out.  And it leads to a  miserable life.  The most miserable person is the person who only sees himself.

We don’t build statues or name buildings after those who have taken.  Remember in Iraq, when Saddam Hussein was removed from power, one of the first things the people did was to break down his statues? He was a taker not a giver.

What do you want to be remembered for?  We’re most honored for what we give.

On an actual tombstone in England,

“Here lies someone who only lived for himself

and cared for nothing but gathering wealth

Now where he is or how he fares

Nobody knows and nobody cares.”

Ouch!

If you interviewed my kids, Kaleb, Noel and Danielle, I would want them to say , “My dad is a generous man — with his time, his money and his life.”

I want my children to see me be generous to see me give.  They see us make money.  They see us spend money.  They see us enjoy our money.  But do they ever see us GIVE our money? That’s why I encourage you, before our THRIVE emphasis comes to an end, have a family conference.  Sit down and everybody join in.  “What do we want to give as a family?”  Every person should be involved.  I want my kids to learn to be unselfish.  I want my kids to learn to be generous.

There are two types of people in life:  takers and givers. The happy people in life are people that are generous with their lives.  Jesus said, ” Give and it will be given to you.” The word miserable comes from the root word “miser”.  The more I hold on to what I’ve got, the more miserable I become.  It’s the person who is generous in his lifestyle that is happy.  They bless others and give life.  They also receive life, joy and blessings in return.

 Here’s recent example for us.  When Niki started her own Physical Therapy business, she stopped working at Seton, which meant she stopped getting a paycheck and opened her own business.  She opened in September and by December she was already completely booked with patients and she didn’t have any openings until January.  We were talking about how great her business was doing and it dawned on us why.  While she stopped getting paid at Seton in August, the money didn’t come in from the insurance companies for her business until April BUT we kept giving the same amount we had been giving.  Our income was cut, but our giving stayed the same.  We were giving a percentage of what we do not presently have.  We could have said, “lets wait, let God bless, then we’ll give.”   Now God is pouring so much back into us, we will get even more than we were in the first place which gives us more to give!

Some people want to say, “God, You give to me and then I’ll give.”  But that’s not how it works  It’s like, “God, You bring in this big windfall and when it arrives then I’ll give some of it back to You.”  That may be gratitude but that certainly isn’t faith.  Giving generously out of faith is when you can’t even afford it, but you give in advance  anyway.  It’s like you’re planting the seed in advance, expecting it to grow and multiply.

Anybody can give when you’ve got excess funds flowing over.  Anybody can believe when it’s sitting there in front of you and anybody can obey when you already see the results.  It’s when it doesn’t feel like it and it doesn’t make sense, that you’re stepping out in faith.

There was a guy who saw an advertisement for a cruise. The sign in the travel agency window read “Cruise — $100 Cash.” I’ve got a hundred dollars, he thought. And I’d like to go on a cruise.”   So he entered the door and announced his desires. The fellow at the desk asked for the money, and the guy started counting it out. When he got to one hundred, he was whacked over the head and knocked out cold. He woke up in a barrel floating down a river.  “I’ve been ripped off,”  he thought.  As he floated he saw another sucker in another barrel floated past, (the guy had an Aggie sticker on his barrel) and asked , “Say, do they serve lunch on this cruise?”   The Aggie answered, “They didn’t last year”  It’s one thing not to know. It’s another to know and not learn!  For some of us its time to trust God  and don’t keep getting whacked on the head and put up the creek with out a paddle!  Its time to trust God with our finances!    Trust Him, Give Him what He asks and see what happens.

I know what happens, God blesses me and others!

I hope and pray that you can be generous and experience the blessing of God in greater ways.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

https://www.facebook.com/RidgeFellowship

 

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Generosity Helps Me Grow Like Christ

Posted on May 17, 2016 by dkoop

ThriveHave you ever benefited from the generosity of someone else?   As I think about Christ, I can’t help but think about ALL that he gave for me.  He gave his life as a sacrifice on the cross that I might have forgiveness.

As I think about an American flag, it reminds me of how much others have given for me that I might have freedom.  Even the colors, the red reminds me of the blood of those who died to secure our freedom.  We live in a great country today because of the sacrifice of others.   It’s easy to forget the sacrifice of others. I know I take so much for granted.  It’s also difficult to develop an attitude that is willing to not only give but to sacrifice for others.

We just celebrated Mother’s Day, which reminds us of all that our moms have given!  We give cards and presents.   If you are have a mom or are married to a mom, for your own well-being, I hope you gave something to the one you love!  Maybe you have been like me and thought something crazy like, “What if I didn’t get anything for Niki on Mother’s Day?”  How would that go over?  You already know the answer.  Not well!

One thing about love that I have learned is, I cannot love and NOT give.  The most loving thing I do is give my time away, give my life away, give my money away, give myself away.  That’s what love is all about.  Life is not about just getting by with as little as possible.

Let’s say I come to Niki for her birthday and say, “Honey, I love you!  I love you so much!  I love you so much I’m going to buy you a gold necklace.  I understand there is a bargain basement sale down at Wal-Mart and I want you to go down there. They’re going to have a half off sale on factory rejects that were damaged by the fire and water.  I want you to go down there (I don’t want to spend too much!!) so I want you to pick up the cheapest one you can find. Do you understand? The cheapest!! And I want to show my love for you.” Do you think that would take the joy out of the gift?  How would Niki feel?  How does God feel when you treat him that same way?

How little can I give and still call myself married?  Wrong question to ask!  How little can I give to God and still claim to be a Christian?   Giving is not about how little you can give.  It is about how much.  This is generosity.  Generosity is what God is about.  Generosity proves the sincerity of my love.  And I will never be like Christ until I learn to be generous in every area of my life.  Christ gave it all for me and for you.

 Did you know?

  •      The word believe, or believer, or believing is used 285 times in the bible.
  •      The word pray, or prayer, or praying is used 375 times.
  •      The word love, or lover, loves, or loving is used 731 times.
  •      The word give, giver or giving is used 1,638 times in the bible!

 So my question is, where does the Bible put the most emphasis? Giving!  The Bible is a book about giving.  It’s not something that’s just tacked on to the Christian life.  It is the essence of Christian living.  Jesus was the ultimate giver.  We need to be givers.  We need to learn to not only give but to give generously and sacrificially.

 Why Should I Be Generous?  Generosity helps me grow like Christ

 Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians  5:2 (NIV)

 Our mission statement at The Ridge Fellowship is to “Know Christ and Grow to be like Him.”  One of the best ways to be like Christ is to give.  He gave.  God is a giver.  Everything you have is a gift from God.  God made everything and everything to give.  We have to learn it!

  •           God made the sun – it gives
  •           God made the moon – it gives
  •           God made the stars – they give
  •           God made the air– it gives
  •           God made the clouds – they give.
  •           God made the earth – it gives
  •           God made the ocean – it gives
  •           God made the fish – they give
  •           God made the trees  – they give
  •           God made the grass – it gives
  •           God made the flowers – they give
  •           God made the birds – they give
  •           God made the animals – they give
  •           God made you –  you….?  Do you give?

If we want to GROW as a Christ follower we have to learn how to give.   If someone says, “I am not growing as a Christian.”  A response I often have, “Are you giving?”

God uses dollars to test our faith and to strengthen our faith.  I believe that giving is the number one way we demonstrate our faith in our Christian life.   Sooner or later we’ve got to decide, “Can God be trusted with my finances?  Can He be counted on to keep His promises?”

There are lots of promises in the Bible and there are more promises regarding giving than anything else in the Bible.

We often say, “God, you bless me and then I’ll give.”  God says, “No, you first.”  Why? Because that requires faith.  Giving tests my faith and strengthens it.

The last day of school before the Christmas holidays, children were bringing gifts to their teacher. The florist’s son brought the teacher a bouquet. The candy store owner’s son brought the teacher a pretty box of candy. Then the liquor store owner’s son brought a big, heavy box. The teacher lifted it up and noticed that it was leaking a little bit. She touched a drop of the liquid with her finger and tasted it. “Is it wine?” She guessed. “No,” said the boy. She tasted another drop and asked, “Champagne?” She tasted another drop and asked, “sour mash whiskey? “No,” said the little boy. “It’s a stray puppy we don’t want!”  Needless to say the teacher wasn’t very PLEASED!

What does it take to please God?  Some people think that the way you please God is through ritual, that you chant certain prayers, you light some candles, go to church and go through the motions, just do some religious stuff to please God.  That’s not what the Bible says pleases God.

He’s interested in a RELATIONSHIP with you.  He wants you to learn to trust Him.  The Bible says that it is impossible to please God unless you have one thing.

Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God

I believe that giving is the number one way we demonstrate our faith in our Christian life.   For us as Americans it is a test of who is really God.  Our God is materialism.  The first of the Ten Commandments is “Have no other God before me”   Giving is a faith test, God even says in Malachi 3:10, “test me in this”

An atheist can give what they think they can afford,  you don’t have to believe in God for that.   Many of us are practical atheists; we talk a good game, “I believe in God”  but practically in what we do it shows our faith.  We give only what we have left over.  I won’t even call it a tip!  A tip at a restaurant is 15% George Barna’s surveys reveal the average Christian gives only 2%!   That’s not faith.  And besides who wants to be average?  I want to be generous!

Twenty years ago when Niki and I got married one of the first things we decided on as a couple was God was always going to be first in our finances.  We said we’re going to practice tithing which is the Biblical concept of the first ten percent of everything we make we give back to God in gratitude for what He’s done in the past and as an example of faith saying, We know You’re going to provide for us in the future.  We said no matter if nobody else gets paid, God gets paid first.  The first check we write off our income is right back to God, ten percent back to Him.  There have been times in our lives when it was that financially tight.  But we’ve never missed a meal and God has provided for us all the time — many times in miraculous ways, unusual ways and God has seen us through.  I don’t say to brag but as your leader to encourage you.  We’ve seen so many blessings.   Niki and I have learned, we can’t out give God. And every time we make that commitment to give even beyond our 10% and we follow through on it, God always blesses us in return.  It’s exciting to see what He does.  We have a long way to go, but we’ve experienced God’s faithfulness.

I hope and pray that you can be generous and grow like Christ.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

https://www.facebook.com/RidgeFellowship

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Thriving Kids Family Devotion

Posted on May 14, 2016 by dkoop

thrive family devotion guideRidge family, don’t forget to have your family devotion this week!  If you didn’t already, you can pick up a hard copy of the Family Devotion Guide and tent fold Prayer Card at church this week (at any location).

Here’s this week’s devotion,

THRIVING KIDS

 3   I will pour out my spirit on your children and my blessing on your descendants.
4  They will THRIVE like well-watered grass, like willows by streams of running water.
Isaiah 44:3-4 (TEV)

Background Information and Explanation

 Isaiah is a prophet in the Old Testament. He writes to a people that had been in carried off from their homeland as prisoners of war.   They are now being released and God is using the prophet to tell the people that he will pour out His spirit on their children and blessing upon their descendants.  Though the parents had experienced hardship, God would now bless their children and their descendants.  God’s spirit and blessing would cause these children to thrive like green grass that gets plenty of water and like trees that are planted by streams.  God loves children and has plans to move in them spiritually and bless them.

 Discussion Questions:   

What would it look like for God to pour out His spirit on your family?   In what ways are kids are more open to God than adults?  At what age did you commit your life to Christ?  In what ways would we like to see our family thrive?  Relationally, Spiritually, Financially?

THRIVE CHALLENGE: Get outside with friends or family this week. “Take a breath” and explore God’s creation and enjoy cultivating THRIVING relationships with those you love.

THRIVE CHALLENGE: Disconnect from culture one day this week by avoiding technology (TV, computers, video games, etc.) and use that time to pray, listen to God and do something special with your friends or family.

 Prayer:

 

Until next week,

Darrell

https://www.facebook.com/RidgeFellowship

http://www.RidgeFellowship.com

 

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