6 Things Christians Should Do With Moneyনমুনা

Day 5: Be Generous And Ready To Share

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share...”

Generosity should be the mark of every Christian, especially rich Christians. After all, Christ gave up all the riches of heaven to become poor so that we (through his life, death, and resurrection) might become eternally rich!

One of the money lessons Paul talked about is to be generous. Notice what he says in the very famous passage of 2 Corinthians 8:7: “But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you – see that you excel in this act of grace also.”

Ok, so what is this act of grace that Paul is talking about here?

Well, if you look at the context of chapter 8, you’ll notice that Paul is talking about the generosity of the Macedonian Christians who were giving out of extreme poverty. Paul is challenging the Corinthian church (and us today) to excel in the gracious act of giving generously to others!

I love what Paul says two verses later about why we should give so lavishly, so generously and without complaint: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Jesus’ generosity to us through the Gospel, so that we may live, should motivate us to be generous to others. Not only do we need to be generous, but we need to be ready to share! But, how do we become ready?

You become ready to share by getting rid of generosity killers like debt, greed, pride, and busyness!

Prayer: God, thank you for your provision. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for it all! I ask you to purify my heart, once again, from things that are in the way of me being generous and ready to share. I release debt, greed, pride, and busyness to you. I commit to doing my part to get rid of these things, but the truth is, Lord, I need You to help. Apart from You, I can do nothing. But through You, I can do all things. Thank You for always being there to help. In Jesus Name, Amen.