Notes on *Plastic Donuts*
Plastic Donuts: Giving That Delights the Heart of the Father, Jeff Anderson (Multnomah, 2013)
Main Idea/Takeaway
Discerning the kind of giving that delights the heart of the Father.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. The Plastic Donut
II. What is Acceptable?
III. Does the Amount Matter?
IV. Rule #1 There Are No Rules
V. A Two Percent Perspective
VI. Because You Can
VII. All the Difference
VIII. That Chair
Postscript
Favorite Quotes by Chapter
Introduction
"When you start to see giving from God's perspective, the lights will come on." (3)
I. The Plastic Donut
"I didn't see it coming, but at that moment it occurred to me: this is how our giving must feel from God's perspective. Our gifts to Him are like Plastic Donuts. God does not need our gifts or our money. But like a child's gift that moves her father, our gifts can really get God's attention." (8)
"For years I had thought a lot about the receivers of my gifts: my church, my neighbor, my chosen charities.
And I had studied the benefits that come to me as a giver. But I hadn't given much thought to my gift from God's viewpoint. Could it be that God desires a similar Plastic-Donut experience when I give to Him?" (9)
"Remember, we all need personal clarity from Scripture when a question arises." (14)
"...when your questions about giving can be answered with confidence, your connection with your heavenly Father will grow stronger." (16)
"I saw more clearly why the joy of giving can seem so elusive. It's hard to experience it without looking up to the Father. Often, instead of looking up with my gift, I was looking down. Instead of pondering God's reaction to my giving, I was occupied with my own feelings on the subject. Instead of giving to the One unseen, I'd been giving to what I could see." (19)
II. What is Acceptable?
"Still today, people are curious about Cain and Abel's gifts. For a story with so few details, theologians have many ideas. This much is clear: in the very begin-ning, God showed great interest in the gifts from His children." (23)
"...perhaps the most significant lesson is this: Not all gifts are the same to Him. Not all gifts are acceptable." (24)
"But when it comes to our pleasing God, bad doctrine often gets in the way. Some people view it as a performance or a way to appease God-or maybe to satisfy His demands. Of course, this is wrong. Others react negatively to the idea of pleasing God because of their past inability to please the people who are most important to them: a parent, a spouse, a boss, a friend. This is unfortunate. We may carry baggage from ruptured relationships on earth, but our relationship with God is different. It is pure! We can please God, and
for the right reasons. Our greatest aim in life should be to please Him, whether we are on earth or in heaven (see2 Corinthians 5:9). The thought of pleasing God should be comforting to us, and our gifts are one tool that help us please Him."(26)
"One of the most surprising to many of us is this: our gifts can delight the heart of the Father, bringing a smile to His face. These are acceptable gifts. (30)
III. Does the Amount Matter?
"When it comes to our gifts, the amount matters. When the gift amount matters to us, it can matter to God too. When the amount doesn't matter to us, it doesn't matter to God." (35)
"The question is, what are the amounts that matter to you? Do your gifts to God fit in this category? Are you as diligent in making careful provision for your gifts to God as you are in making other financial decisions?" (35)
"In my discussions with Christians about giving, no opinion has been more frequently expressed than this one: "The amount doesn't really matter. It's all about the heart." I understand the good intentions behind this statement. The problem is, the message is wrong. Often we pull the heart card to avoid deeper questions about the amount we give."(37)
"In fact, it's the amount that helps engage the heart."(38)
"Much of my time and attention were spent considering other things to do with the 90 percent. I spent very little time thinking about the 10 percent I was giving away and zero time imagining a life of giving more than that."(40)
"What I didn't realize was that my lifestyle had frozen my giving at the 10 percent level. When it came to my finances, my lifestyle had all the influence."(40)
"Do your gifts engage your heart in worship? Do your gifts influence your lifestyle? Do your gift amounts matter to you? From God's perspective, the amount matters." (41)
IV. Rule #1 There Are No Rules
"It's our next Acceptable Gift truth: When it comes to our gifts, we determine the amount." (44)
"In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provided instructions on giving, praying, and fasting. For each, He focused on the heart standard but did not provide an amount standard (see Matthew 6:1-18)."(45)
"The bottom line is this: we determine the amount of our gifts. There is tremendous God-given freedom in that— and responsibility too."(60)
V. A Two Percent Perspective
"If you've spent any time studying giving statistics, you likely know about the 2 percent. That's the percentage of income people give, on average, to charitable or religious causes. I agree it's a disappointing stat—not the measurement, but what it means. It falls well short of the 10 percent standard that has been held up as a minimum level for biblical giving."(64)
VI. Because You Can
"God desires everyone to give according to their abilities. It's a simple plan."(74)
"Even though she was poor, the widow had a benchmark for a superior gift-it was her ability."(77)
"Instead of asking why give more, we began to ask why not? Giving decisions became easier."(82)
"Tapping your true giving ability will require countercultural lifestyle choices-such as debt-free living or a reduction in your spending."(84)
"When it comes to our gifts, we know the amount matters. And when selecting our gifts, we determine the amount, in order to delight our Father.
In measuring whether our gift is the acceptable kind, God measures it according to our ability. He understands our ability and takes it into consideration, not as a celestial bill collector, but as a loving Father."(90)
VII. All the Difference
"In the end, it is the condition of the giver's heart that makes the gift pleasing to God."(95)
"On one hand, God doesn't want our gifts without our hearts being clear. On the other hand, we have seen that without gifts, our hearts cannot fully express love for God or others."(96)
"Just because more than one thing is desired- and one is more highly sought than the other-does not mean that the other is not desired. Make sense? Without a heart that pleases God, our gifts have limited value. And without gifts that please God, our heart expression is limited."(96)
"That means that a primary way we speak from our hearts is through our gifts."(97)
"The gift helps your heart speak what it really feels. And the heart makes your gift count for what it's really worth. The gift and the heart—they work together."(98)
"Look up. Give your heart and soul to God. Then sense His smile. Sense His pleasure in you. Feel His embrace."(104)
VIII. That Chair
"So bring your gifts to Him. May they be pleasing and acceptable in His sight. And may your face light up as you imagine the joyful approval of your Father as He receives you in one arm...and your Plastic Donuts in the other."(108)
Notable Content
"The next time you give a gift, remember the Acceptable Gift truths:
The amount matters.
We determine the amount.
We give according to ability.
The heart makes the gift count."(108)
