2. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
GENEROSITY
SELF-SAVING SELF-GIVING
I will be happy I will be happy
when I get others when I get others
to love me the to love me the
right way.” right way.”
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4. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
JOHN 13:1-17
14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have
washed your feet, you also should wash one
another‟s feet. 15 I have set you an example
that you should do as I have done for
you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is
greater than his master, nor is a messenger
greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now
that you know these things, you will be
blessed if you do them.
5. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
MATTHEW 16:25
25 For whoever wants to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for me will find it.
7. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
ACTS 20:35
35In everything I did, I showed you
that by this kind of hard work we
must help the weak, remembering
the words the Lord Jesus himself
said: „It is more blessed to give
than to receive.‟
8. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
THE AMERICAN DREAM
A disease called
affluenza…
the belief that
material affluence
can produce true
happiness
9. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER
“„Personal peace‟ means just to be
let alone, not to be troubled by the
troubles of other people, whether
across the world or across the
city—to live one‟s life with minimal
possibilities of being personally
disturbed . . .”
10. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER
“. . . „Affluence‟ means an
overwhelming and ever-increasing
prosperity—a life made up of
things, things, and more things—
and success judged by an
ever-higher level of material
abundance.”
11. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
WALTER WILLIAMS
“What is the noblest of human
motivations? Some might be tempted
to answer: charity, love of one's
neighbor, or, in modern, politically
correct language, giving something
back or feeling another's pain. These
are indeed noble motivations, but . . .
for me the noblest of human
motivations is greed . . .
12. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
WALTER WILLIAMS
“. . . I don't mean theft, fraud, tricks, or
misrepresentation. By greed I mean
being only or mostly concerned about
getting the most one can for oneself
and not necessarily concerned about
the welfare of others. Social
consternation might cause one to
cringe at the suggestion that greed
might possibly be seen as a noble
motivation . . .
13. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
WALTER WILLIAMS
“. . . „Enlightened self-interest‟
might be a preferable term. But I
prefer greed since it far more
descriptive and less likely to be
confused with other human
motives.”
14. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
GOD’S WARNINGS
The American dream always eventually
turns into what we might call the
American Nightmare!
15. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
ECCLESIASTES 2:4-8,11
11Yet when I surveyed all that my
hands had done and what I had
toiled to achieve, everything was
meaningless, a chasing after the
wind; nothing was gained under
the sun.
16. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
ECCLESIASTES 5:10,13
“Whoever loves money never has
money enough; whoever loves
wealth is never satisfied with his
income. This too is meaningless . .
. I have seen a grievous evil under
the sun: wealth hoarded to the
harm of its owner . . .”
17. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
PROVERBS 11:28
28Whoever trusts in his riches will
fall, but the righteous will thrive like
a green leaf.
18. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
PROVERBS 15:16-17
16 Better a little with the fear of the
LORD than great wealth with
turmoil.
17 Better a meal of vegetables
where there is love than a fattened
calf with hatred.
19. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
MATTHEW 6:19-21, 24
19 “Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy, and where thieves break
in and steal. 20 But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where
moth and rust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and
steal.
20. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
MATTHEW 6:19-21, 24
21For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
24 “No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one
and despise the other. You cannot
serve both God and Money.
21. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
LUKE 12:15,21
“Watch out! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed; a man‟s
life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions . . .
This is how it will be with anyone
who stores up things for himself
but is not rich toward God.”
22. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
1 TIMOTHY 6:9-11
“People who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge
men into ruin and destruction. For the
love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all
this . . .”
23. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
PBS “AFFLUENZA”
“We're filling our lives with
things—and telling others that
we're empty inside.”
UNSATISFIED EXPECTATIONS
SHOPPING ADDICTIONS
STRESS FROM CREDIT DEBT
FRACTURED FAMILIES
GLOBAL POLLUTION & POVERTY
24. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
THE AMERICAN PARADOX
From 1960-1993, real income in
America doubled—but during that
same time the divorce rate
doubled, teen suicide tripled,
juvenile violence quadrupled, and
unwed births quintupled.
25. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
THE AMERICAN PARADOX
Although the average American has
more money today, there is “less
happiness, more depression, more
fragile relationships, less communal
commitment, less vocational security,
more crime and more demoralized
children.”
26. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
EPHESIANS 5:1
1 Follow God‟s example, therefore, as
dearly loved children 2 and walk in the
way of love, just as Christ loved us and
gave himself up for us as a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.
27. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
KEYS TO GENEROSITY
Being generous
toward others begins by allowing
God to be generous toward you
by receiving the gift of his Son,
Jesus Christ
28. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19
“Command those who are rich in this
present world . . . to put their hope in
God, who richly provides us with
everything for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to be rich
in good deeds, and to be generous and
willing to share. 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.”
29. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
LUKE 12:33-34
“Sell your possessions and give to
the poor. Provide purses for
yourselves that will not wear out, a
treasure in heaven that will not be
exhausted, where no thief comes
near and no moth destroys. For
where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.”
30. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
MARK 10:28-30
“No one who has left home or
brothers or sisters or mother or
father or children or fields for me
and the gospel will fail to receive a
hundred times as much in this
present age (homes, brothers,
sisters, mothers, children and
fields--and with them,
persecutions) and in the age to
come, eternal life.”
31. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6,7,10,12
“Whoever sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly, and whoever sows
generously will also reap
generously.
Each man should give what he has
decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver . . .
32. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6,7,10,12
“. . . Now he who supplies seed to
the sower and bread for food will
also supply and increase your
store of seed (for sowing) . . . This
service that you perform is not only
supplying the needs of God‟s
people but is also overflowing in
many expressions of thanks to
God.”
33. THE BACKWARD WISDOM
OF GOD
BECOME A GENEROUS PERSON
How has God
led you into generosity?
