Happiness Habit: Giving Reveals Your Heart by Rick Warren

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” (Philippians 3:7 NLT)

Every time you give, you reveal what matters to you. Tell me how you spend your money and your time, and I’ll tell you what matters most to you. Your schedule might reveal that what matters most to you is your children. Your spending might reveal that what matters most to you is your hobby.

You probably don’t care much about Microsoft because you don’t own stock in Microsoft. But if you bought stock in Microsoft, all of a sudden you’d care about the success of that company, because wherever you put your money, that’s where you put your heart.

Philippians 1:10 says, “I want you to understand what really matters” (NLT).

What matters in your life? Not acquisition. Life is not about the accumulation of things. He who dies with the most toys still dies.

Life is not about things. It’s about learning how to love. If at the end of your life you’ve got a giant pile of things but you’re estranged from your wife and kids, you’ve missed the purpose!

When you are generous with your time, money, effort, and energy, you’re saying that what matters most is God and people. What matters most is love.

Paul talks about this in Philippians 3:7: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”

How do you break the grip of materialism? There’s only one way. The antidote for getting is giving. So every time you’re generous and give to others or to God, then you are actually breaking the hold of materialism in your life.

“We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives” (Philippians 3:20a). Your purpose is not to live for here and now. You’re storing up for eternity! You’re not building a pile on this side of eternity. You’re building into people and relationships that will matter on that side of eternity. You’re living in light of Heaven.


Talk It Over

If someone were to look at your schedule, what would they say is most important to you?
If someone looked at where or to whom you give your money, what would they say is most important to you?
When you give, ask yourself, “What is my motivation?”