The Principle of Generosity

Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭24-26,‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Generosity did not come naturally to me. 

It’s had to be cultivated in me. I’ve had to learn it. I’ve had to pray for it. I’ve had to practice it.

Generosity has many faces, but it stems from a single principle we see throughout the whole Bible—that we are called to be generous because God is generous to us.  

God blesses his people, and his people in turn bless others—because everything we have is his.

Deuteronomy 10:14, ESV

Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.

John 3:27, ESV

John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”

1 Corinthians 4:7b, ESV

…What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Everything is God’s, and out of God’s abundance, He gives to us. Everything we have, we are stewarding on behalf of God—to be a blessing to others. 

He will never forsake us. He will never leave us begging for bread. 

Therefore, we never have to operate out of a mindset of lack.

If generosity does not come naturally for you, cultivate it. Pray for it. Practice it. 

For if we steward well what we’ve been given, then God will trust us with more. Just like we talked about last week, with the measure we use, it will be measured back to us!