Abraham's School of Finance : Stewardship, Tithing and Generosity

I just finished the VCF November series last Sunday! I'm happy I was able to attend and hear the entire lessons from Week 1 to Week 4. I'm proud to say I finished Abraham's School of Finance and now ready to face the next stage. I feel so excited about it! 


After my blog/notes on COVENANT last November 11 http://karlenesebastian.blogspot.com/2011/11/abrahams-school-of-finance.html, it's time to blog about STEWARDSHIP, TITHING and GENEROSITY :)


A) STEWARDSHIP


Q : What is steward? 
A : A steward is someone who manages other's financial affairs; an asset manager;


Stewardship is more than just managing God's money, it is actually managing God's purpose.  


*Don't chase the blessings




Proverbs 21: 20

   The wise store up choice food and olive oil, 
   but fools gulp theirs down.



FORMULA
10% - Tithes
10% - Generosity
20-30% - Savings
50% - Expenditures


*Promise is tied with the stewardship. Start moving in faith, start moving in stewardship.


Hebrews 11:8-9
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.


*Tied wealth with a promise
*Learn to be a good steward.




B) TITHING


Genesis 14:17-24

17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).


 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,


   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, 
   Creator of heaven and earth. 
20 And praise be to God Most High, 
   who delivered your enemies into your hand.”


   Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.


 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”


 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”




1. What is a tither?
2. Is it biblical?
3. Is it still relevant for us today?


1. A TITHE  is a tenth


Genesis 28: 20-22
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”


2. TITHE belongs to the LORD.


Leviticus 27:30
 30 “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.




Malachi 3:8-9

 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.


   “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’


   “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.


Proverbs 3:9-10

9 HONOR the LORD with your wealth, 
   with the firstfruits of all your crops; 
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, 
   and your vats will brim over with new wine.




3. A TITHE is HOLY to the LORD. 



Leviticus 27:30
 30 “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.



HOLY  - it set apart
*Giving is an act of worship.  It is HOLY to God. We give the best to the Lord.


*You give one away, the Lord will bless you more.
*It is an issue of the heart.


Matthew 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


FAITH or FEAR? What will you choose?
- It is an issue of trust and faith. 
-Our God will give you more if you trust Him.


HE is our SOURCE!


Malachi 3:10
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.


* If you are in a covenant of blessing with God, the Lord will bless you wherever you go.
* God could bless you anytime, if you're just gonna obey Him.






C) GENEROSITY


What is generosity? (Dictionary meaning)
- the quality of being generous
- a disposition to give liberally or to bestow favors


Genesis 13 

Abram and Lot Separate


 1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
 3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.


 5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.


 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”


 10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.


 14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring[a] forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”


 18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD.


1. GENEROSITY springs from an understanding of what is valuable


Genesis 13:8
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 


*Anything that can hinder your relationship, I'm gonna remove
*The value of the relationship is more important than money




2. GENEROSITY springs from a heart full of faith


Genesis 13:9
 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”


*Abraham remembered his covenant with God.  


Genesis 13:10
LOT looked up and saw
LOT took a long look


*Do not be ahead of God, wait on God.
* Don't just look at the greener pasture, look at where God wants you to be.




3. GENEROSITY remembers the source of the blessings.


Genesis 13:14-17

*Raise the standard of GIVING, not just the standard of LIVING.
* We are blessed so that we could be a blessing.


2 Corinthians 9:11
11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.




God has given us two hands - one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for giving. - Billy Graham

Top 10 Reasons Not To Date Him

There are certain qualities found in some guys that can reveal a lot about their character. Fortunately, these particular qualities or habits prove helpful to a woman when she is debating whether to go out with him or stay home to wash and condition her hair.

1. He has a habit of lying. Whether a guy is a bold liar or just hedges the truth, it's hard for a woman to build a relationship when she's mentally questioning everything he says. A dating relationship is supposed to be fun and exciting, but with this guy it will be plagued with doubtful thoughts and suspicion.

2. He regularly borrows money from the woman he's dating. This is a sign that he has trouble handling his finances. Traditionally, a guy who's serious about establishing a relationship with a woman offers to pay for the date. For a woman, nothing drains the romance out of a dating relationship quicker than constantly digging in her purse to lend a guy a few extra bucks.

3. He disappears for periods of time without a reasonable explanation. A guy isn't required to reveal his whereabouts to the woman he's dating, however if he wants to establish a trust with her he'll willingly answer any questions. If he hesitates or becomes angry and resentful when an innocent question is asked, that is reason to suspect that he is hiding something. An honest guy has no problem with revealing his activities to a woman he is serious about.

4. He tells a woman he'll call at a certain time and he doesn't. There are many reasons why a guy doesn't call a woman, but someone who's interested in a dating relationship doesn't let the call slip his mind. Unless the guy encountered an emergency, a forgotten phone call is a sign that he doesn't have much respect for the woman's time.

5. He drives after drinking alcohol. A guy that does this has little respect for himself, his date, or anyone else on the road. The accident that is bound to happen is reason enough to stay clear of a guy who behaves this irresponsibly.

6. He talks rudely about his ex-girlfriends. This sort of behavior is an indication that a guy has a lack of class. Even if he was dumped and all of his criticisms are true, a gentleman chooses not to talk that way about a girl he cared for at one time.

7. He is unfaithful. A guy who cheats is clearly displaying the lack of respect he has for the woman he is dating. If he displays this behavior once, it's likely that he'll do it again. A woman who has been cheated on by a guy has to search her heart when it comes to giving him another chance. In most cases, when a guy truly cares for a woman he does not cheat on her.

8. He dismisses his dating partner's concerns about their relationship. A guy who is seriously interested in pursuing a relationship with a woman will listen closely to her concerns. Alternatively, a guy who shrugs off a woman's concerns is not treating her with the respect she deserves.

9. He never asks his date's opinion. If a guy is too busy stating his opinions to ask for his date's, he's not interested in learning more about her. A guy who wants to get to know a woman will freely ask for her thoughts and opinions.

10. He constantly talks about his last girlfriend. A guy who talks about his previous girlfriend when he's on a date with a woman, is not ready for a new relationship. He hasn't closed the book on his last dating relationship. It's definitely not an effective use of a woman's dating time to listen to stories about another girl.

Source : http://www.datehookup.com

The Six Steps of Goal Setting

With God's help, here are six important steps to help you create your desired future.


STEP ONE : Focus your thinking.  Determine the specific goals you want to achieve in the next six to twelve months.  Be specific.  If you can't measure it, how will you ever know if you get there?  If you've never set goals before, it might be best to set just one or two to start out.  Break all your goals down into small, manageable pieces.  Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, so don't try to change your whole life overnight.  Take it one day at a time.


STEP TWO : Develop a written plan for achieving each goal and deadline for the attainment of each.  Get together with God and pray over each goal.  You can use the scriptures and prayers following this essay as a starting point.  Set deadlines that are reasonable and achievable.  This will keep you from becoming discouraged.


STEP THREE : Develop a sincere desire to accomplish the things God has called you to do.  A burning desire is the greatest motivator of every human action.  Again, remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:14, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Get excited about your own high calling and press toward it.


STEP FOUR : Continue to develop an unshakable confidence in God.  You are what the Bible says you are, you have what the Bible says you have, and you can do what the Bible says you can do!  Find those scriptures that fit your need and stand on them. Speak them out loud frequently.  


STEP 5 : Take action and follow through on your plan regardless of obstacles , criticism and circumstances or what other people say, think and do.  Utilize sustained effort, controlled attention and concentrated energy.  Don't give up the fight.


STEP 6 : Set a B.A.B. (Base Acceptable Bottom) for each of your goals.  Say to yourself "This is the very least I will do in this specific time frame". You can't start where someone else is. You can only start where you are right now.  Set a base acceptable bottom.  




-From the book Dare to Succeed by Van Crouch

God's Billboards

1. "Let's Meet At My House Sunday Before the Game" - God

2. "C'mon Over And Bring The Kids" - God

3. "What Part of "Thou Shalt Not..." Didn't You Understand?" - God

4. "We Need To Talk" - God

5. "Keep Using My Name in Vain And I'll Make Rush Hour Longer" - God

6. "Loved The Wedding, Invite Me To The Marriage" - God

7. "That "Love Thy Neighbor" Thing, I Meant It." - God

8. "I Love You...I Love You...I Love You..." - God

9. "Will The Road You're On Get You To My Place?" - God

10. "Follow Me." - God

11. "Big Bang Theory, You've Got To Be Kidding." - God

12. "My Way Is The Highway." - God

13. "Need Directions?" - God

14. "You Think It's Hot Here?" - God

15. "Tell The Kids I Love Them." - God

16. "Need a Marriage Counselor? I'm Available." - God

17. "Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be A Test." - God

Ayala Triangle - Christmas Light Show

It's the time of the year again! Few days left and it's Christmas time once again. Last night, I was able to witness the beauty of Ayala Triangle with the Christmas Light Display. It was a 10-minute show that they play every after an hour and will be running 'til December 30. 

It was amazing!

What are you waiting for?  Come and see the beauty of Makati!

For the CROSS

FOR THE CROSS - Citipointe Live

You gave Your life for me

You wore that crown for me

And now, I live for You

You gave Your all for me

You gave so, I am free

And now, I live for You

Chorus:

Thank You for the cross

Without You I am lost

It is for Your cross I live today

Living for Your love

Lost but now I am found

It is for Your cross I live today

Repeat * and (chorus twice)

Bridge:

All glory to You 2x

My Father, Creator

All glory to the King

So worthy of all honor

All glory to the King 2x

All glory to You 2x

Repeat Chorus

Distance and Time

One of the best LDR songs ♥

DISTANCE AND TIME - Alicia Keys

You are always on my mind

All I do is count the days

Where are you now?

I know I never let you down

I will never go away

I really wish that you'd stay but what can we do

All the days that you've been gone I dreamed about you

And I anticipate the day that you will come home, home, home

No matter how far you are

No matter how long it takes him

Through distance and time

I'll be waiting

And if you have to walk a million miles

I'll wait a million days to see you smile

Distance and time, I'll be waiting

Distance and time, I'll be waiting

Will you take a train, to meet me where I am

Are you on your way?

I will never do anything to hurt you

I'll never live without you

I really wish that you would stay but what can we do

All the days that you've been gone I dreamed about you

And I anticipate the day that you will come home, home, home

No matter how far you are

No matter how long it takes him

Distance and time,I'll be waiting

And if you have to walk a million miles

I'll wait a million days to see you smile

Distance and time

I'll be waiting

No matter how far you are

No matter how long it takes him

Distance and time, I'll be waiting

And you can walk a million miles

I'll wait a million days to see you smile

Through distance and time, I'll be waiting

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

I'll be waiting

I'll be waiting

Through distance and time

I'll be waiting

You are always on my mind

All I do is count the days

Where are you now?

Tagaytay (November 2011)

Tagaytay

View from my hotel

Josephine's

Summit Ridge, Tagaytay

Abraham’s School of Finance : COVENANT

Week 1 : COVENANT


This month's topic at church will be all about Abraham’s School of Finance. And last week, we discussed about COVENANT.  Before I share with you what I have learned, I just want to post first some questions which are relevant to this topic.


1. What is a covenant?
2. Why do we need to understand Abraham’s covenant?  How is that gonna effect my life today?
3. What are the blessings included in that covenant with Abraham?


These are the questions that you need to answer after you finish reading my blog :)


Now, let's define first what is COVENANT. I'll explain this by stating the difference between Covenant and Contract.

After seeing what covenant means, I'll walk you through Genesis 12:1-3 and see the covenant between God and Abraham.


Genesis 12:1-3

 1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

 2 “I will make you into a great nation, 

   and I will bless you; 

I will make your name great, 

   and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, 

   and whoever curses you I will curse; 

and all peoples on earth 

   will be blessed through you.”

Here, we can learn that :

1. GOD INITIATES THE COVENANT 

Genesis 12:1 Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

Genesis 12:4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; 

2. GOD STATES/DECLARES THE COVENANT

Genesis 12: 2 “I will make you into a great nation (IDENTITY), and I will bless you (PROSPERITY); I will make your name great (PROMINENCE), and you will be a blessing (INFLUENCE).

Genesis 2: 3  I will bless those who bless you (FAVOR), and whoever curses you I will curse (PROTECTION); and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (GENEROSITY).”

3. GOD FULFILLS HIS COVENANT

Genesis 15: 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

Lord's answer :

 Genesis 15:4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”

Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 12:1-2 1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

THOUGHTS...

* God has the ability to fulfill what he promise in His right time. Whatever He promise, He will fulfill. 

*Leave the familiar and go to the unknown

*Abraham believed God, will you believe the Word of God?

*You have not, because you ask not.

*I am an heir, I will claim my inheritance.

1Peter 4:10

Mark 8:36

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, 

yet forfeit his soul? 

- Mark 8:36

Reaching for YOU - Lincoln Brewster

You created me inside, your great imagination

you're the one who gave me my fist breath

You have overseen my life, and brought me to redemption

and I know that you're not finished with me yet

I'm reaching for you

I'm singing to you

Lifting my hands to praise you

Lifting my voice to thank you

I'm reaching for you

Jesus I need you

I've given my heart to know you

I'm living my life to show you

I'm reaching for you

You're the one who spoke the light upon my darkess

You opened up my eyes so I could see

Jesus you have promised to complete the work you started

faithful to fulfill you grace in me

I'm reaching for you

I'm singing to you

Lifting my hands to praise you

Lifting my voice to thank you

I'm reaching for you

Jesus I need you

I've given my heart to know you

I'm living my lift to show you

I'm reaching for you

(guitar solo)

Pour out your love from heaven

Fill me till I overflow, Lord I want more

Reach down your hand from heaven

Pull me, closer than ever before, Lord I want more

(Chorus)

Oh, I'm reaching

God I'm reaching for you

Worship Night!

Last night I attended my second worship night at Victory Pioneer! It was amazing! I arrived around 6:45pm and pretty much excited for the worship service (which is from 7pm-8:30pm every first Thursday of the month). While waiting for Mafi and Jeric, I saw Arjem (Aris' brother). We were having a conversation when someone approached me and asked me to get my WORD for the night, and then I got this :

"If yesterday didn't end up the way you planned it, remember, God created today for you to start anew. His Best for you is yet to come! God plans to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future. Just Believe!"

Wow, it was timely! I really need this word! :)

While listening to Pastor Robert, there were words/phrases that really struck me the most.

1. Praising God should depend on the depth of how much we know God.

2. Your disappointment can be a DIVINE APPOINTMENT for God.

3. Our God is a covenant-keeping God.  Whatever He promised, He will fulfill.

It was indeed a great night of prayer and worship with the Lord. I look forward to attending the future Worship Nights :) Thank you Lord!

Repentance

TRUE REPENTANCE is a change of direction.  It involves turning away from sin and toward God - replacing sinful actions with righteous ones.  Genuine repentance springs from heartfelt sorrow over sin because it is against God and then lean to real change in the way a person thinks and lives.

THE PATH OF REPENTANCE

Start with one thing -  the truth is that we can't deal with everything at once.  That's why it's best to pick up one area to begin working on.  Choose a specific item on your list to make your focus.  Take it to God in prayer.  Repent on your apathy toward sin and determine what obedience would look like.  Then seek to be faithful in that area. Take it seriously. Pray about it.  Fight the little battles.  Flee temptation.  As God gives you grace to change in that area, you can move on to another area.

Just take one step at a time.  Your steps might be insignificant, but they're not.  God is rejoicing over even the smallest act of obedience.  As you humble yourself and cry out in prayer for His assistance, He will give you more and more grace to change.  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.