Well, brings me to the third reason why I give.  It keeps me in the blessed place.  That’s the third reason why I give.  I want to live in the blessed place.

We throw this term around all the time these days.  “Hey, blessings on you.  You’re blessed.  This is a blessing.”

What in the world does that mean?  Blessing.  What does that mean?  The word “blessing” means to be on the receiving end of the tangible and intangible favor of God.  Usually, when we talk about blessings or being blessed, we’re talking about the intangible stuff we can’t feel or touch or smell or pick up.  And the intangibles are part of it according to Ed Young Blog.  Yes, God blesses us that way.

Notice this, blessings are not just about the intangibles.  They are also about the tangible stuff.  In other words, matter matters.  God made the world.  He invented.  He created matter.  He made the tangible stuff.  So the blessings of God are both intangible and tangible.  So if I’m in the blessed place, I’m going to be on the receiving end of the tangible and intangible favor of God.  I’m in the zone.  If I’m in the zone, I’m protected.  I’m in the safe place, the sweet spot of God’s success.

I discovered a long time ago that I’m not rich enough, I’m not powerful enough, I’m not smart enough to secure God’s protection and blessing on my life without being in the zone.  I can’t do it.  I’ve got to have it.  I’ve got to have it.

What Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

And that’s the wildest thing about giving.  When I understand that God has given stuff to me and that He wants to work through me to give to His church and to others, I refresh myself by thinking about others and by giving to others.  It’s amazing in God’s economy.

Malachi 3:10, once again, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.”

“Let me have about 32 of those please.”  Finger food, morsels don’t really satisfy the hunger pangs, do they?  They make my stomach growl louder.  “More, Ed, more food.”  I want something substantial.  I want something big when I eat.

Now, why would God tell me to bring it?  Well, I know. Because God wants me to have joy.  He wants me to able to hit on all cylinders.  He wants me to discover this amazing agenda that he has for my life.  Generosity is at the core of who God is.  Every time I give, I’m reflecting His nature and His character.

Have you ever wondered why people give?  There are a lot of people who are totally disconnected from God. There are plenty of de-churched and pagans who give.  Why do they give?  They don’t really know why they give, but they give because they’re made in the image of God. God’s a giving God, and mankind has this desire to give.  Even in our selfishness, we still want to give.  And most people who are away from God don’t really give for the right reasons.  But they’re givers. And they’re givers because of God.

Twenty-four years ago, Lisa and I made about $25,000 a year.  And at that time I had no problem writing the check to bring the tithe into the storehouse.  No problem.  $2500. That’s 10 percent of $25,000.  Boom! I could drop it in the plate.  No problem.  Well, now we make much more than that.  And sometimes I choke on the check.

You’re laughing.  You mean you have the same feelings, too?

I’m supposed to be different.  I’m a preacher, right?  I’m a preacher, but I’m not any different than you.  We’re all the same.  This church doesn’t force me to give.  I don’t have to give.  I’m not manipulated to give.  I give because I like myself better.  The one I surrendered my life to instructs me to give.

I want to be such a generous man that I want to regularly give my accountant heart palpitations.  I’m serious.  I want him to look at what I give and as, “Well, what do you mean?  Why are you giving that much?  I can’t believe that!”  The world will not understand the giving of those of us who know Jesus Christ.  The world won’t understand that.

But, because of what Jesus has done for us, and once we realize that and own that and process that; once I realized what Jesus has accomplished for me, I can’t wait to give.  And He tells me to give. Why?

I want a meal.  Dads, we only have a certain amount of emotional energy.  And most of us as we dive into the marketplace, where we are leaders, creative and innovative, and we are difference makers.

To put it to where we can understand it; God Is Giving Us Permission to take 52 mini vacations a year.  That’s what he’s doing; 52  (Ed hits symbol on drum) mini vacations a year.  If you studied the Hebrew, the word “rest” is from the word “soul” and that means to be refreshed.  So a great translation in the Hebrew of Genesis 2 is that after God had made the heavens and the earth God refreshed himself.  So every time we stop working and start resting; every time we (Ed hits symbol on drum) – you know what happens?  We’re refreshed.  Do you take that day after every six days of work?  Do you take that day?  There’s no telling what will happen in our lives when we do this.  And I truly believe, because this is the 4th Commandment;  this Sabbath stuff, this rest stuff, I think the 4th Commandment is probably neglected and broken in our culture more than any other Commandment.  Take 52 mini vacations a year.

Do you have a hobby?  Something you enjoy doing?  (Ed makes beat sound)  Do ya?  What recharges your batteries?  You should have a hobby.   Something you can throw yourself in to.  It could be tennis, be gardening, it could be the Biblical sport, fishing (audience laughter) what is it?  Several weeks ago a friend of mine was out of town.  This guys an incredible leader.  He walked into my office and saw a number of fishing pictures and he stopped and said, “I wish I had a hobby”.  He was joking at first, and he was, was serious.  I wish I had a hobby.  We need to have a hobby.  Here though is the struggle in our culture.  Think of a continuum; on one hand you have the workaholic’s, this accepted addiction.  Macho, macho man.  That deal.  On the other end of the continuum you have leisusreholic’s.  Here’s what leisureholic’s do.  The book of Proverbs calls them sluggards.  Leisureholic’s do this.  Here’s how they get into God’s groove, because they don’t.  But here’s their attempt.  (Ed beats drum, sighs, makes snoring noise) (audience laughter)  (Ed beats drum again)  Whatever.   And then with leisure (Ed really beats the drums and yells!)  YEAH!  Rock and Roll!  (audience laughs)  That’s not it.  I guess I’ll pick up my paycheck (Ed beating drums to the beat of the sentence) just for the activity.  That’s not it.  It’s not the rhythm.  Our work place should become a place of worship six and one, six and one, we disconnect.  We, we, we move away.  We draw away.  We rest after working for six days.  We rest.  We rest.  We have to take those 52 mini vacations a year.   We have to find a hobby.  Something that recharges the batteries.

He should have obeyed God when he felt the boat rocking and everyone was getting seasick, but he didn’t, and he ended up in a whale’s belly.

This next line is going to kill you.  You won’t believe this one.  “…and a harem as well, the delights of the heart of man.”  He kind of just threw that in.  Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.  Can you imagine his dealings with his in-laws?  That is all I wonder about when I read that.  In verse 9 he concludes by saying and it is the saddest line, “I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.”  This is Solomon talking.

Do you find yourself on a search?  Do you find yourself seeking satisfaction?  Are you looking maybe for the ultimate in some of the areas that I just read to you?  Maybe wisdom.  Solomon memorized 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.  People from all over the world came to sit under his teaching.  Is wisdom your deal?  Is it wine, drugs, alcohol, getting high?  Automobiles?  Employees?  Sex?  What is it?  Psalm 16:4 tells us what is going to happen as we continue our search away from God.  “The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.”  They will increase.  We will have a greater and greater desire because we are empty.

You see, we mess up here.  We really do.  And the church for too long has really messed up on this one.  The church has said, sin is not fun.  Rebellion against a holy God is not enjoyable.  That is a joke.  Sin is fun.  If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t be tempted, nor would you.  But we have to understand something about sin.  Sin is fun but it is temporary.  What happens when the buzz wears off, when the passion wanes?  What happens when the shine wears off of a new suit or a new car or a new home?  It is empty.  It is a fleeting thing.  If sin satisfied, we would just sin one time.  “Oh, OK, I’ve sinned.”  And that would be it.  But it doesn’t.  Also, and listen to this one, not only is sin empty, but sin also has consequences.  It has consequences every single time.  Some of the time?  No, no, no.  Every single time.

Some of you can say, , I am there right now.  Or maybe some are in the storm phase, others are thinking about calling the travel agent of disobedience.  But you are there.

We have got to come to the point where we will do anything that Christ asks us to do.  The great thing about it is that we have just got to turn and say, “God, have your way.  I am going to release my grasp on this stumbling block.”  He will then come in and take care of it.  He would have helped this rich young ruler to go through the process of selling everything and giving things to the poor.  Who knows what Christ would have done in his live after this.  What is your stumbling block?  When Christ looks at you, loving you, what stumbling block does he see?  Have you dealt with it?

When Lisa and I bought our first house in Houston, the previous owner, for some reason, left a big, old cement block in our back yard.  I think it held some kind of clothesline thing.  Every night when I would go out to feed the dogs, I would have to walk past the cement block.  And I can’t tell you how many times I jammed my toe on it, hit my knee on it.  This block would test my Christianity every evening.  I said, over and over, that I was going to get rid of the block.  I never did.  I never did.  I never did. Ed Young Jr says but finally, about a year later, I determined that the day had arrived.  I got shovels, chains and a rope and I pulled the cement block out of the yard.  It was tough but I felt so good because nothing was impeding my progress when I went out to feed the dogs for the next four or five months that we lived in that home.  It takes work to remove the stumbling block in your spiritual life, but it is much better than the story that I just told you.  You are not doing it alone.  You have got Jesus working with you.  He will infuse a supernatural strength and energy that you never thought possible.  Stumbling blocks.

Then the Bible says the Lord, after Jonah boarded this vessel, the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and I thank God for the winds that God sends in my life