Generosity

What’s it mean to be generous? It’s been described as the virtue of being liberal in giving, the act of being plentiful. It makes sense that when you have all you need then that is the time to be most generous, however, mankind has proven that that isn’t always the case. In fact, sometimes the more you get, the greedier you get.

Paul warned in 1 Timothy 6:8-10, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Perhaps this was the Rich Young Ruler’s problem in Luke 18:18-30.

But it’s not just a problem of the ultra-wealthy, anyone can become stingy with their “stuff” and become the opposite of a blessing to others. Ultimately, God has set the standard of generosity in how He’s provided all that He has to us from creation to our personal blessings; and what He wants from us is to keep the ball rolling with kindness.

Generosity is easily talked about, especially during the holiday season, but unfortunately, it may take more effort than talking about it. Greed and Generosity are both reactions to the blessings we have (or want). We must resist the temptation to let self drive our reaction to our blessings.

The beauty of God’s design is that when we are givers, or generous, we truly are blessed by deeper friendships, genuine relationships with all kinds of people. Jesus said in Acts 20:35, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” For those who practice giving, they know how true that really is.

This year, see how you can stretch your giving to those in need. That’s not always a financial need, but a need of friendships, encouragement, help with something non-monetary, just to name a few. Jesus also said in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”