“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 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.”
– 2 Corinthians 9:10,11
Today, I want to share with you some thoughts on generosity and giving. Growing up, my parents really drilled into me the importance of tithing, or of giving the first ten percent of my income to the work of God. It is something that I believe firmly in, and although I don’t think the percentage is as important as how much you sacrifice, I have seen Jesus respond to generosity time and time again. As we move from the bondage of a mindset of scarcity to sufficiency, we can and will witness Him expanding our territory and opening up the floodgates of blessing! Now, I’m often hesitant to talk about giving as a televangelist because the number one criticism that people throw at us (which, by the way, is well-earned) is that we talk too much about money. However, my attempt is not to manipulate you for my benefit, I simply want you to understand that generosity is a good thing — something that we as Christians are all supposed to practice. Because Jesus gave so much to us, we are commanded to and commended for giving bountifully. I was recently in Hong Kong and while we were there to show appreciation for our friends and supporters in that country, they ended up throwing us a Thanksgiving feast because they knew our Thanksgiving holiday was coming up soon. Since they understand very little about the holiday, they were asking me questions about it — one woman in particular. As I explained it to her, I was impressed by the fact that a tradition that is rooted in thankfulness has become an opportunity to gorge ourselves and consume more than we would on a normal day. This is not how it’s supposed to be! Generosity, not greed, is a natural outgrowth of true thanksgiving and it shouldn’t only be the case one day of the year. Friend, if you’re a thankful person and you live in gratitude for what God has done for you, you will be generous. It’s like math problem; one equates to the other. You can’t be grateful and be stingy, scarce, greedy, angry or envious — the two just don’t go together! A heart that’s afraid will never have enough, but a heart that overflows with faith in Jesus’ goodness will be at peace, knowing that He will always provide more than enough. Isn’t that fantastic news? |
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for filling my heart with gratitude for what you have done through your Son, Jesus. I ask for more opportunities to be generous that I may show your love to others.
Reflection
How has thankfulness led to gratitude in your life?
One Response
Absolutely Pastor Bobby,
My uncle once gave me a half a penny(a penny cut in half) because even since I was little if I had a penny you had a half a penny. There are some things God just puts in us. I am perplexed sometimes as to the fact that Love and forgiveness are second nature to me, when it is so hard for others. I have lived through some awful things. God has brought me through and my smile has never faded because of the gift of Jesus!