A lack of Generosity is a lack of Faith and Obedience!

 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  Luke 7:41-42

Read Luke 7:36-50

God is generous with His grace, so we should be generous toward each other and be thankful. And finally to refuse to see His goodness and turn from sin, is the ultimate contempt to our loving Lord!

Generosity as a Scriptural definition, refers to giving without expectations in return. 

This attitude of Generosity produces our character allows us to give to others because God has given abundantly to us. It is the wise view and use of stewardship that all possessions belong to God. We are merely the caretakers for His purpose. It will see the Lord as the Source of true blessing, not our selfish desires.

(Deuteronomy 16:17; Proverbs 11:24-25; 13:7; Matthew 10:8; 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15)

To despise God is to refuse to acknowledge His sovereignty and work, as well as His generous gift of grace. Refusing to yield your life over to God’s will, will cost you greatly in judgment and in life; as God’s ways are better than ours!

The lack of Generosity will reflect a lack of faith and obedience! 

• Giving generously involves much more than performing outward actions; it comes from what Christ is doing in the heart! True generosity must be motivated by a heart that is poured out in Christ.

• When a Christian is giving from selfish motives, they expect a return in their “investment,” when a real growing mature Christian gives nothing is expected in return. As their investment is eternal, the other so called Christian investment is in the world of today.

• The key to successful Generosityis the same as in our faith development, where being active is the deployment of our faith. See your faith and your stuff as products from God, where faith is His work in us, and our stuff and desires need to be His implements.

• In the church as well as the world, we as Christians are the product demonstrates of the precepts of our LORD. We do this by words and by our actions of our character and fruitful and faithful living.

• Be the difference, so others in your church can see our Living Lord in the mirror of yourself as you reflect Him! To reflect Him, we have to act, think, and be as He has called us (2 Cor. 5:20).

If you think there are no rivers coming into you, then seek what is blocking them. Is it sin, attitude, fear….?  God blesses those who steadfastly embrace His call, and who stay true to Christ.

Here is how you can find out. Take a careful look at this character and Fruit of Generosity from God’s most precious Word by examining the passages below. Now ask yourself:

1. How do I exhibit Generosity in my daily life?

1. What can I do to develop a mindset to know that all I have in life belongs to God, and, since He supplies all I have and need, I can model His grace through being Generous?

1. What blocks me from being Generous?

1. How can I make Generosity function better, stronger, and faster, even in times of uncertainly and stress?

Generosity is an example of our trust and reliance on God. Because He has given so much to us, way beyond what we can comprehend, we can therefore be charitable to others. 

Thus, Generosity is an act of worship–to model Christ, and see the big picture that goods and material things are not important, but relationships are. This goes to giving back to God, providing to those who have less, and making sure your church is modeling this character. A selfish church that does not give, and only sees themselves as a charity, will become a Dead Sea rather quickly. How sad and pathetic that would be–an unconcerned, uncaring, and self-absorbed quandary to the neighborhood, and a disgrace to the Kingdom!