MESSAGE NOTES, 7/13/25

Following Jesus isn’t just about Sunday mornings or spiritual moments—it’s about surrendering your whole life to Him.

This series explores how every area of our ordinary lives—resources, relationships, health, and careers—is meant to be lived fully with and for God’s glory.

This week, we focus on how to partner with God as we steward the money and possessions given to us.

CONNECT 

  1. What’s something you’ve owned that felt really valuable to you, but you eventually had to let go of or share with someone else? How did that feel—and what did it teach you about ownership, stewardship, or generosity?

REFLECTION

  1. The challenging core truth we are attempting to live into is the following:
    God wants us to experience freedom and generosity when it comes to money and possessions. How can putting God and His perspective at the center of our lives help us experience freedom and generosity when it comes to money and possessions? What is challenging about this idea? And what are the cultural views, family of origin issues and our own personalities that makes this difficult?
  2. Reflect on  Psalm 24:1 and 1 Corinthians 4:7.  What are these passages declaring about who is the source of our resources (money and possessions)? Does that make us owners or stewards and what is the difference? As you read about the early church (Acts 4:32) and the Israelites (Exodus 36:5–7), how does their generosity impact you? What were the factors that helped them embrace this intentional generosity?
  3. Based on Matthew 6:19-24, what are the signs in your own life that you may be treasuring some resource too much? What’s one thing you feel resistant to give up, share with another, or trust God with—and what does that reveal about your heart?
  4. John 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 say God is a giver and 1 Timothy 6:17–19 says we are to be generous. When you look at your own patterns of generosity, what does it say  about how closely your life reflects God’s heart? Where have you seen joy or freedom come from being generous?
  5. When you reflect on the concept of tithing (giving a tenth of your income – see Dt 14:22-23, Proverbs 3:9, Matthew 23:23) what do you think was God’s intent? Where are you with tithing? Is it a new concept, a challenging one to live out or is it a natural part of your life?
  6. Which of the four practical steps (get honest, get a plan, get help, get generous) do you most need to take right now—and what would it look like to take one small action this week to move toward a more open-handed life?   

 

AN OPEN HANDED PRAYER 

Generous God,
 All we have is Yours.
 Teach us to steward it wisely,
 To give joyfully,
 And to live open-handedly in a closed-fisted world.
 Align our hearts with Your Kingdom,
 And our treasure with what truly lasts,
 So that we experience freedom, generosity and joy.
 In Jesus’ name,
 Amen.

Add A Note

Email my notes