Generosity
Can I invite you on an epic adventure? It is an adventure that is filled with great joy and endless stories of the goodness of God? It is an adventure that is never ending and always inspiring! It is hidden within the very heartbeat of Heaven for broken humanity. It is the journey called “generosity”! John 3:16 reveals it perfectly: “For God so loved the world that He GAVE.” I love what author John Bunyan wrote many years ago, “you have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
Generosity is the remedy for a culture steeped in selfishness. In a day where we fight to protect our rights, our dreams and our future, God is calling the church to lead with a generous spirit. God is calling His church to live out the very spiritual DNA that He has placed within every believer. Our goal as a Christian is to be Christ-like. Christ was exceedingly generous. Christ gave up perfection in Heaven to come to earth. Christ gave up every last drop of His own blood to pay for our sins. We are children of a generous God! We are created in His image. We are created with His blueprint. Therefore, if we are like Christ, we will be generous! In my own experience, the closer I have got to God, the more generous I become!
Proverb 11:24-25 (NIV) – “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.”
For Christians, generosity is not optional.
2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV) – “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
When God sees someone overtaken with a spirit of generosity, He knows that He can trust them to be a conduit of His blessing. When you are a conduit of His blessing, true joy is a constant! Do you know what? You can never out-give God! Every time you give something it creates a vacuum into which God flows! God will always fill the empty spaces! When you give, your gift leaves your hand but not your life!
Luke 6:38 (NIV) – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Selfishness is contrary to the nature of God! Selfishness is always wrong! Generosity is always right! Generosity is a perfect manifestation of God’s heart to those around you! Make a decision today to be generous; not just with what you can do but way beyond what you can do!
Isaiah 32:8 (NLT) – “But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.”
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