Generosity is the quality of being kind and generous. Generosity means giving good things freely and sacrificially, not grudgingly or by force. Generosity is a quality that is a lot like unselfishness. Someone showing generosity is happy to give time, money, food, or kindness to people who are in need. Generosity is more than giving cash or things. When you are forgiving and gentle to people, you show generosity of spirit. As 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, "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."
Generosity is a practice and it should come from the bottom of your heart, so as you do it again and again, this instinctive impulse helps shape you into a virtuous Jesus-like life. Jesus was the most generous person in all the world and in history. For one thing He loved us so much that He died as our substitute. He gave His very own life when He died on the cross so that we would not be punished by God, so being so gracious and merciful, God sent his Son to become a human and to take the punishment that we deserve. Christ bore the wrath of God on the cross on our behalf, satisfying God's justice and paying the price for our sin.
When John the Baptist was in the desert he went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God and away from their sins, in order to be forgiven. When the crowd asked, "What shall we do?" This question was asked of John the Baptist three times in Luke 3:10-14. The crowd asked: "What shall we do?" John's answer was, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same" (Luke 3:11). The tax collectors also came to be baptized and they asked, "What shall we do?" John's answer was, "Don't collect more than you are required to" (Luke 3:13). Then some soldiers asked him, "What should we do?" John's answer was, "Don't extort money and don’t accuse people falsely - be content with your pay" (Luke 3:14).
As I read this story I can't help but remember Jesus' story of Lazarus and the rich man in (Luke 16:19-31). You remember the story, don’t you? "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' "No, father Abraham, he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
It is God's nature to be generous to the poor. "Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people" (psalm 113:5-8).
God is generous with us and He expects us to treat other people with generosity. Isaiah says, "And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail" (Isaiah 58:10-11).
Giving is not limited to monetary contributions, but it is an attitude that encompasses all aspects of our lives. Jesus says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measure to you" (Luke 6:38). I don't think that Jesus means it as a "tit for tac" thing, but I believe He is saying that sharing is vital. God wants us to know that He favors acts of charity and justice. Give and it shall be given to you and we should give liberally and as the opportunity present itself. Give according to your ability and as the case requires and it shall be returned to you with great recompense, either in temporals or spiritual, or both: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom.
Giving begins with the understanding that everything that we have God has given it to us. God is our source and means of our lives. Romans 11:35-36 states, "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." Giving is a fundamental aspect of the Christian life. It is an attitude that reflects our love for God and others. When we give generously and sacrificially, we can experience the blessings of God. Let's please embrace the attitude of giving as we share God's love and His provisions to a world that is truly in need. This indeed is the thread of generosity!
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