Word of the Week - Generosity
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Generosity defined by Marriam Webster as liberal in giving: openhanded; marked by abundance or ample proportion. I love the spirit of Generosity because it is truly the spirit of the Lord. Our God is an amazing and abundant giver of “all that we need”. He desires to bless us so that we can be a generous blessing to others.
God our Provider – “And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:19 One of God’s name’s is Jehovah Jireh, which means God our provider. If we truly believe God is the creator of all things and our provider then we can understand that all things come from God and He can give us whatever we need and much, much more. Our God is a God of more and He desires to bless abundantly in every way, so that we can be a blessing and share the love of Christ and expand His Kingdom during our short time here on earth. First and foremost, He provides us with security in in our eternal destiny (salvation). He could stop here and that would be more than enough, but He goes much further in His provision by blessing us with the richness of our gifts/talents, resources, and relationships so we can be generous toward God and others.
Heart of Gratitude – “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give”. Matthew 10:8 It begins with understanding what God has done for us through His son Jesus. If we really receive the amazing gift of grace and immeasurable Generosity that God showed to us through the Cross and all its benefits/blessings, then we cannot help but want to respond by giving and sharing what we have been given. This is a heart of gratitude that leads to a life of generosity. Our response to God’s amazing generosity towards us should be a desire to give, especially if we realize all that we have is a gift from God. As we begin to understand this reality, we hold things loosely and become more generous toward God and others.
Generous Living – It truly is “More blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:25 Generosity is a state of the heart, not necessarily of your wallet. It encompasses all areas of our lives and resources including time, talents and treasures. As followers of Christ, I think we should always be asking ourselves if we are generous and open handed with the blessings that we have been given regardless of the measure of what we possess. Generous living is truly having a posture of “giving” out of what God has given to us. Some examples include giving your time to disciple or mentor others, taking time to understand the needs of others and connect them to people and resources that can bless them or giving financial resources to support Kingdom ministries. You should consider this is above and beyond the tithe, which is the minimum threshold of 10%. The tithe is a biblical model God gave us to build and sustain the local church, which is the foundation for expanding God’s Kingdom on earth. We must be discerning and pray for wisdom in the process because we cannot say yes to everything but we should be open to be lead by God’s spirit towards what are the right things to invest in.
The Blessing – “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others in the name of Jesus will be refreshed” Proverbs 11:25. Just like all matters of faith, we must step out in faith and trust God by His word to experience the blessing. I am continuing to grow in my journey of Generosity, but I can testify by personal experience over the past 24 years that God is true to His word. There is an amazing blessing in living Generously and the spirit of giving. It is an antidote to the spirt of fear, pride, scarcity, and greed. When we recognize God as the provider of all things and live in Generously, we are blessed beyond measure. The Lord truly loves a “Cheerful giver” and will bless those that “Sow Generously”. Despite the challenges and difficulties in life, if we are Generous, we will experience His abundant life as described in Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ever ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us”.
Challenge Questions: Are we living Generous lives in how we love, serve and give to God and others? Are we at peace, and confident in trusting God as our true provider? Do we believe and trust that God knows what we need?
Let’s step into all that God has for us by trusting Him as our Generous Father who wants to bless us with “life that is truly life” 1 Timothy 6:17-18 in Christ Jesus. “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life”
Let’s live our lives with abundant Generosity and experience the abundant life “life that is truly life”!!!!