The Impact of Generous Living
"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." - C.S. Lewis
Generosity includes giving of yourself, your finances, time, and talent in a way and not expecting anything in return. As followers of Jesus we recognize that God is the true owner of everything and all we have to begin with. We give for the advancement of God’s Kingdom on earth and for our formation into Christlikeness.
Generosity as stewardship is looking after and generously offering what God has given you. This includes your gifts, talents, resources, and finances, wherein you offer them open-handedly to the Lord to use for his purposes. As we open ourselves to stewardship, we will see that, over time, we have the opportunity to be more like Christ as we continue to be free from greed, hoarding, and self-centeredness.
Generosity as service is a willingness to offer yourself, gifts, talents, resources, and finances as a way to love others. Jesus’ whole life was a life of love and service. The root of the gospel story is that Jesus ultimately gave himself so that we may live and have true life in him. Prior to his death, though, Jesus lived a generous life as he fed the hungry, washed his dicsiples’ feet, healed the sick, raised the dead, and blessed children, to name a few.
Jesus displayed a heart of compassion and service towards others. As we seek to live generous lives through the practices of stewardship and service, we will, overtime, become more like him in these ways. Generosity plays a huge role in our spiritual formation and we have the opportunity to partner with the Holy Spirit as we seek how he is leading us to live generously in both general and specific ways.
As Paul encouraged Timothy about the impact of living generously today, "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." - 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Discover more about how to live out the Spiritual Practice of Generous Living with a short teaching video and questions to ask the Lord in prayer - CLICK HERE