BEING A GENEROUS PERSON

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." - 2 Corinthians 9:7

The Lord has been good to me.  I have been a recipient of His boundless grace.  God has blessed me abundantly in more ways than I could ever count.  I could never repay Him for the blessings of today, yet alone the previous days. 

How can someone so blessed be so stingy?  I have to admit that when I walk in the flesh, I am stingy person.  Rather than being a kind man who shows grace to others, I can easily be uncaring and selfish.  That is a brutal, but honest appraisal.  Apart from Jesus, I am stingy.

In recent years, the Lord has been working on this area of my life.  Several years ago, I was listening to the audio book, "Radical," by David Platt.  While listening to the CD, I felt challenged to make some changes to my approach to money.  Additionally, I have felt my heart stirred to be more generous after listening to several sermons by Pastor Johnny Hunt.  Because of that, I have this as a goal for the rest of my life:

I WANT TO MODEL GENEROSITY

I can't say that I am the poster-boy for generosity, but I want my money to honor God & help people.  As a Christian, I give, first and foremost, to my local church.  Now I have expanded my giving to include ministries that I strongly believe in. 

Let me a share a few things that I have learned while giving.

1.  GENEROSITY IS ABOUT YOUR HEART, NOT YOUR MONEY

I know it is easier to give when you have a larger income.  However, the real issue is not the size of your bank account, but the size of your heart.  You see, if you were stingy with a little bit of money, you'd still be stingy if you had a lot of money.  Jesus commended the widow who cast two mites into the treasury.  His praise of the widow was not based on the amount she gave, but the degree of her giving.  She didn't have much, but she gave what she had.  One time the Apostle Peter encountered a man who was begging for money.  Peter said to the man, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."  Peter didn't have money, but he gave what he had.  Sometimes generosity is measured in other ways rather than money.  You can generously give of your talents.  You can generously give of your time.  Generosity, or the lack thereof, is a reflection of your heart.  If you've received abundant grace from God, shouldn't you be an agent of grace every day? 

2.  GOD BLESSES GENEROUS PEOPLE

While I strongly disagree with the prosperity gospel that is being taught by some televangelists, I do believe that God blesses those who give.  God blesses us as we open our hearts ... and our wallets ... for His glory and the sake of others.  Proverbs 19:7 says, "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."  God blesses us when we bless others with our giving.

3.  GENEROSITY IS A REFLECTION OF LOVE

In 1 John 3:17, the apostle asked this poignant question:  "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"  If you have the resources to help someone in need, but refuse to help, it is a reflection of a cold, unregenerate heart.  God's love compels us to love others in His Name.

4.  GENEROSITY IS AN ACT OF GOOD STEWARDSHIP

God has entrusted many things to our care, including money.  As guardians of this trust, we should recognize that we are accountable to God for the money in our care.  Have you ever wondered how Jesus would spend your money?  That is a question that really challenges me, what about you?   I believe that when we stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, our finances will be among the things that will be judged.

5.  GENEROSITY CAN LEAD TO EVANGELISTIC OPPORTUNITIES

Christians have a reputation for being stingy, especially at restaurants.  When a waitress works hard to serve you, she deserves more than just a pittance.  I try to be very generous when I give a tip.  Additionally, I like to include a Gospel tract that has THANK YOU in large print on one side.  The other side of the card expresses gratitude for the service and shares the message of the Gospel.  A while back, I included this card with a tip.  I watched from afar as the waitress read the Gospel tract.  What a blessing!  Keep in mind that I do not give a Gospel tract as a substitute for a generous tip, but I give it along with a generous tip. 

6.  MORE MONEY SHOULD LEAD TO MORE GIVING

If the Lord blesses you with a pay raise, an unexpected bonus or an inheritance, it may be that He expects you to use this extra money to bless others rather than wastefully spending it all on yourself. 

7.  WE MAKE ETERNAL INVESTMENTS THROUGH OUR GENEROSITY

On this side of heaven, we will never know the impact our giving makes.  The Bible instructs us to lay up treasures in heaven.  How do we do that?  Here's a simple answer: invest in the things that are eternal.  We need to make those investments right now.  When we make eternal investments, we can be sure there will be eternal dividends waiting for us.

I want to be a generous man.  Furthermore, I want to inspire others to be generous, too.  I want to model generosity for others so they will utilize their finances for God's glory. 

What a better world we'd have if Christians were as generous as their Lord!