The Bible tells us in Psalms 112:5 (NIV):
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely
That is because God is a generous God, and by being generous, you are operating in godly principles.
Let’s look at 3 of these benefits;-
- Generosity will draw you closer to God
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 - NKJV).
Your heart follows your treasure; just as the sunflower follows the sun, the cart follows the horse, and day follows night. Where your treasure is, is where your hope is, is where your trust is, is where your thoughts are. And generosity is a matter of the heart.
To summarise 2 Corinthians 9:10-14; when you are generous, God increases what you have so that you can be even more generous. Because of your generosity, people will thank God for you, and you will be responsible for bringing honour and praise to God. Those blessed will want to thank you personally for blessing them so much and will pray for you.
All of this will result in drawing you closer to God.
- Generosity is the antidote for materialism
Greed is only an advert away
Today we are surrounded by materialism, which is rife in our culture. We are told that to be successful, a real man/woman, we must have this car, this house, this holiday, this look, these clothes, eat this food. And yet none of this will bring us true happiness. Materialism is like a poison that consumes us, although there is an answer.
Generosity is the antidote (the remedy that counteracts the effects of a poison, a neutralising agent). If we get bitten by a poisonous snake, spider or scorpion, unless we are quickly given the antidote, we can become seriously ill and even die. Without the antidote of generosity, we are in danger of dying in our sins.
When we are generous then we are building treasures that will not rot or rust or wear out; but which will last for all eternity.
- Generosity strengthens our faith
Everything we have, we have been given. We do not own it, we are merely stewards of it. Everything belongs to God. Some people merely tip God, they go to church and throw a few coins in the offering and think they are blessing God. And yet God is very clear.
The tithe is the Lord’s.
When we fail to give God what is his, then we are actually robbing God. God has no use for your money but what he wants from you is your obedience and your faith.
without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6 - NIV)
The Bible tells us that with the measure we use, it will be measured to us. In other words, the more you sow, the more you will reap. What you sow will determine the harvest you will receive.
Let me ask you. What kind of harvest can you expect to receive? I pray that as we seek to grow in faith, in all areas of our life; that we will this year, also grow in our generosity, and be a people most blessed.
Douglas