Generosity
James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” So, we know that God is the Giver of all good things. But we also know that God’s generosity has a purpose.
God gives generously to us so that we may be generous toward others. The Bible says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV In other words, God gives generously to us so we will have time, emotional energy, patience, and a wealth of resources to give to others. Then, when we are generous with all we have been given, others will see us and be thankful to God.
So many times we think that our ability to be generous is connected to our riches. We are afraid to give because we don’t know if we have enough, and we think generosity is for those who have more than we do to give. But the cool thing about generosity is that we’re not generous because we are rich, we are rich because we are generous. When we choose to give generously to others, we are blessed with everything that really matters in life.
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) We can show generosity because of what God has done.
(2) God instills generosity in us as we respond to His goodness.
(3) God uses generosity in us to influence our families, friends, and neighbors.
Remember: A virtue is something God does in us to change the world around us.
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