Matthew 10:8 (NIV) Freely you have received, freely give.
Its the will of God that we are generous:
“The greatest scandal of the age is when a believer will withhold what God has given him!”
2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV) You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Generosity Killers
1- Materialism- The Love of Money
Luke 18:18-25 (NIV) A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
“Money promises what only God can provide!”
The love of money nurtures independence.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NLT) But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some peoplecraving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.…17-19 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV) Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
2- Poverty Mindset
A Spirit of Poverty is just as controlling as Greed.
“A spirit of poverty is more than not having; it is a spirit that is fearful of not having.”
Romans 8:15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
ROYAL GENEROSITY.
“Generosity takes you from the place of poverty to prince-hood.”
3- An Ungrateful spirit
Deuteronomy 8:18 Remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth
“When we being to recognize all that we have belongs to God, it reminds us that everything that He has belongs to us”
“God has given you far more than you can ever earn”
Practices A Generous Lifestyle…
1. Grow in Contentment
Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
2. Lifestyle of Giving
3. Grateful in speech
www.7daysofgratefulness.com
4- Exercise Forgiving
“Offense is the posture of those in bondage.”
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Luke 7:36-50 (NLT) One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Generous- Showing a readiness to give more of something more than is strictly necessary or expected.
Matthew 10:8 (NIV) Freely you have received, freely give.
Sacred Resources: God has given us certain resources in life for us to steward.
1. Time 2. Energy 3. Money
Common Statements about generosity:
“I would be more generous if I had more.”
“If I was rich so I can help more.”
“You must Decide”“
“Not Reluctantly”
“Nor Under Pressure”
Psalms 42:7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Psalms 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
“The beauty of God cannot be revealed in one setting, one year, or even a lifetime it takes eternity to grasp the beauty of God.”
The Power to Grasp…
1- Rooted in Love
1 John 4:19 (NIV) We love because he first loved us.
Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV) The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
2- Established in love
Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.
Hebrews 12:28 (NLT) Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.