In this series we’re examining four attributes of an amazing man who impressed Jesus. In Luke 7, we read of a Roman Centurion asking Jesus to miraculously heal his dying servant. The third attribute I noticed about this amazing leader was his generosity. This Roman solider was likely despised by most Jews. He had little reason to show them any ...
One day when I was visiting a pastor in the urban core of Kansas City, a person entered the church. He requested that the pastor give him money for food. The pastor handed this man a broom and simply said, “We need some work done. If you clean up our lobby, I’ll buy you lunch.” Leviticus 23:22 says, “When you ...
In this series, we’re talking about lessons we can learn from the character of Bezalel in the book of Exodus. Bezalel was responsible for building the furnishings inside the tabernacle. God gave Moses the design for what and how He wanted His tabernacle created. Bezalel co-labored with God to produce excellent results. The outcome was a tabernacle that met God’s ...
Bill Gates once stated at a TED conference that his most fulfilling act has been to establish The Giving Pledge. Mr. Gates has encouraged at least 120 of the wealthiest people in the world to give away at least half of their wealth. These wealthy philanthropists are discovering causes to which they are pledging large sums of money. True generosity ...
One of the unconventional concepts in the Bible is generosity. Imagine when the Israelites first learned of God’s requirement to give the first ten percent of their harvest to God. I can imagine one of these farmers saying, “Let me get this right. I planted seeds, cultivated the ground and worked hard to harvest my crops and, now, that I’ve ...
My friend, Pete, shared recently at an event that when he turned 40, he realized he had become financially successful, but wasn’t internally fulfilled. He craved significance. So, he pledged to give away $10 million in his lifetime. Years later, someone challenged him to add another "0" on the end of his financial pledge. Pete soon realized that this higher ...
As a teenager, I worked summers on my uncle’s farm. Some land my uncle farmed was owned by others. They shared the profits 50/50 after direct expenses like fertilizer and seed. With that context, I found Joseph’s profit-sharing arrangement in Genesis 47:24 as peculiar. Joseph said to the sharecropping tenants, “But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it ...
Recently, I met with a retired businessman. While discussing his future this man shared, “I’ve made enough money to care for my wife and I, my kids, and my grandkids for their lifetime.” He continued, “God’s made it clear that He wants me to give away my excess to advance God’s kingdom.” Jesus told a parable about a rich man ...
In the 90s I owned a consulting practice. I often stayed late on New Year’s Eve because I wanted to tally up our final profit and loss numbers! It wasn’t to greedily examine my profits. Instead, it was to determine how much extra I could give to charity before the tax year ended. Joy would fill my heart as I ...
According to Mobilecause.com, 12% of total annual giving is done in the last three days of the year and 30% is done in the month of December. This begs the question, “Why?” Taxes is certainly a part of the answer, but as I work with many generous business leaders, I have realized that December is much like the harvest season ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
