1. Abide daily 2. Work strategically 3. Live simply 4. Give effectively 5. Disciple intentionally
Practice 3 of 5

Live simply

"I cap my lifestyle to give radically"

2 Corinthians 8

The generosity of the Macedonian church is a great example for us to learn from.

Giving is for everyone
Giving is radical
2In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. Giving is for everyone 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Giving is radical Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. Giving is a joyful privilege
Giving is a joyful privilege
9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. We give because Jesus gave everything for us
We give because Jesus gave everything for us

Why live simply?

God has been radically generous to us. So we give joyfully and radically from what our careers earn, aligning our hearts with God’s whilst helping fulfil the Great Commission.

  1. Giving aligns our hearts with God’s

    The love of money may be the West’s biggest idol. Giving loosens its grip and keeps our treasure fixed on God, because where our treasure is, our heart follows (Matthew 6:21“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”Matthew 6:21 (NIV)).

  2. Giving is joyful

    The Macedonians gave with overflowing joy and begged for the privilege (2 Corinthians 8:2-4“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.”2 Corinthians 8:2-4 (NIV)). Giving is a gift to us as much as to others.

  3. Giving makes disciples

    Our money funds ministry - both in our local churches and to the ends of the earth. It’s how we turn worldly wealth into an eternal impact (Luke 16:9“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”Luke 16:9 (NIV)). And our money can make a huge impact, for example in some unreached countries supporting a full-time church planter takes just £60 a month.

How to live simply

  1. Start now

    The Macedonians show that no one is too poor to give. Generosity takes practice, and it only gets harder as your income grows. So organise your life around giving now, even before you’re earning, because whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”Luke 16:10 (NIV)).

  2. Cap your lifestyle to fight lifestyle creep

    As our incomes grow, our lifestyle quietly grows with them: fancier holidays, nicer supermarkets, bigger houses. Before long, yesterday’s luxuries feel like today’s necessities. A lifestyle cap stops the creep. Decide on a ceiling for your standard of living, and give everything you earn above it.

Read the full article here

Raise our standard of giving, not our standard of living.

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Run the challenge →
Renee Lockey "Work like a doctor, live like a nurse."
Story

Renee lives on a quarter of her salary

Renee had a successful career, but a nagging sense that something was missing. After deciding to live fully surrendered, she felt God speak on a run: "keep working like a doctor, but live on what a nurse earns."

The adjustment took time, but the emptiness she once felt has been filled to overflowing.

Put it into practice

Reflect

Have you experienced joy in giving before? What made it joyful?
What would it look like to give in a way that genuinely costs you something significant this month?
As your income increases, what system will you put in place to stop your lifestyle rising with it? Might a lifestyle cap be a solution, and if so, how high would it be and why?

Talk these through with friends in the All-In Challenge

Want the whole picture?

Read the full article All-In: Your Christian Career Guide Buy the book
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Practice 3 of 5
4 Up next Give effectively I give where it will produce the most fruit. Read practice 4 Missed one? Practice 2: Work strategically
Renee Lockey

Work like a doctor, live like a nurse

"I had a successful career. I was out of debt and I just hit a point when I realised I had all this, and I was not in the content place I imagined I'd be.

But when I made a decision that it was time to just go all out and live for Christ, to live my life fully surrendered, it started to get crazy with the things I would hear.

I was on a run, and in a conversation with him, when I heard God say, 'I want you to work like a doctor, and I want you to live like a nurse.' So I started thinking, well I could live on a quarter of my salary. And then I just kind of froze in that and started thinking, well about a quarter of my salary is probably about what the average nurse is making. I basically just took my salary and I just sectioned it off, and I said well this is what a nurse would make, and then the remaining three quarters are his. And I feel like God said, 'That's right, that's what you share.'

I'm not gonna lie, it took some time getting used to living on a budget again. But now I feel like the hole I had three or four years ago, the one that made me wonder, 'What is it, and how do I get it filled?', has now been filled to overflowing."

Renee Lockey, as told in a video by our friends at Generous Giving.

Watch Renee's story