The Root of Generosity

Hello friends. When the Christian is generous, some really cool things happen. 2 Corinthians 9.6-9 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."

So we can see good reason here for being a generous person. However, we aren't generous under compulsion or reluctance.The transformed heart of a mature follower of Christ doesn't say, "I'd better give." The motive of our giving should not be begrudging submission, or compulsion. Instead, there is a transformation of our souls when the grace and mercy of God is freely lavished upon us in Christ. We become recipients of the gift of salvation, and as we have been dealt with by God graciously, we begin to deal graciously with others. As we experience the generosity of God, we ourselves become generous.

Listen, you were saved through no merit of your own. It's that simple, but it gets added to and hijacked all of the time .

"Ya know it's the cross and ______." No. It's the cross! You've been saved by grace through faith and even the faith was given to you by God so that you can't boast in it either (Eph 2.8-9) Can't you see the generosity of God in this?

Really it's like, hey what did you do to be saved? Oh I had a teriffic personality...Oh really? Because the Bible says that God saved you in spite of that. Oh, well I have a lot of money. Really? You have no money. Do you want to compare wealth with God? God doesn't ever run out of capital. I mean God doesn't go, hey let's hock some stuff... Holy Spirit, how much we got? God doesn't need your money. You are so insignificant with respect to the wealth of God. Romans 11 clearly tells us that everything is His. More than that, He can make whatever He wants out of nothing...He just speaks things into being. So God is never short of cash. So you weren't saved on because of your bank account, or because you have a great personality, and you weren't saved because you are pretty...whatever you want to fill in that blank with, you are wrong. You were saved by grace alone, through faith alone.

This is the foundation of Christian generosity. Our new life in Christ, our hope, our joy is given to us freely while we were yet sinners (Rom 5.8). That means that Christ didn't wait and watch for you to clean yourself up a bit and then it was OK, now we're talking...BAM blessing! No. while we were yet in our sins, Christ died for us. While we were at our worst, that is when the cross makes sense. This is the foundation of Christian generosity, that our salvation is from God alone, that our new life is from God alone. That joy, hope, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control, all of these things that He's sowing into us, are given to us. That, is the foundation. Where that is understood, Christians are generous. Where it isn't understood, they aren't. 

I pray that everyone reading this gain such understanding and/or affirm and strengthen  such in Jesus' name.  Let that marinate and resonate.  I will continue soon.  In the meanwhile, study to show yourself approved. Keep the faith and wear the crown. Holla!