"Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple." Psalm 65:4. "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have." 2 Corinthians 8:12.
Generosity is usually a term we apply to people, but have you ever considered how generous the Lord is towards us? Think about it; He made the earth and all it contains for us. He made the sun to give us light and to grow our food; He sends the rain to water the earth and for us to drink. The Lord has clearly provided for man's physical needs. This alone should make us give praises to God and acknowledge what an awesome God we serve, and for the love and care He has for us. But listen to this. God's generosity doesn't end with man's physical needs. He has also provided man with our spiritual needs through His Son Jesus Christ. Because of the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins, all those that believe in Him are restored back to God and given riches in the form of spiritual blessings. Man has God's Word to guide him. We have God's Spirit to officiate authority and change us into Christ's image; and His Church, to encourage and support us.
Now make note of this; God doesn't stop His generosity there. You see, God has promised us a lasting, forever incorruptible and never losing inheritance in heaven. All that He has prepared for us is beyond our understanding. Now knowing all this, that God has so richly given to us with a promise, we should have a sense of deep gratitude and it should be our first response. Because we are His people and are called to walk in His Spirit, we should also have God's special love of generosity towards others; which means we meet not only their physical needs but also their spiritual needs as well. Are you ready for this? It is done simply by proclaiming the gospel and encouraging our fellow man. We realize that as Christians we should be generous but we sometimes think we've got to be wealthy in order to give, especially when we have our own bills to pay. Here are some thoughts we should consider when we think about the characteristics of a generous person. (1) A generous person is sensitive to the needs of others. (2) A generous person's spirit sees the needs as opportunities to give. (3) The quality of being generous flows from a life surrendered to God. (4) Generosity is not an emotion but a decision. A generous spirit has nothing to do with how much money you have, but how much of us the Lord has. When we are fully surrendered to God, He will provide the grace we need to share whatever we have, whether it's our time, treasure, or talent; not only just in times of emergencies, but whenever the Spirit moves, we will be willing to give: because generosity comes from a grateful heart.
