“Good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do.” Isaiah 32:8 NLT.
Give with the quality and quantity you would welcome in return.
My thoughts and comments today are about “the generous life.”
The Bible establishes an inexplicable occurrence: the more genuinely you give, the more extravagantly you are given. Read Jesus’ words thoughtfully. “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven. If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” Luke 6:37-38 NLT. Both good and ill will are reciprocal.
By your benevolence, or lack thereof, you choose the measure of generosity with which God gives back to you through others. That being true, when you knowingly withhold what you are capable of supplying, your soul is a bit more impoverished. Solomon wrote, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:24-25 MSG.
The Scriptural and spiritual principle is simple. Give with the quality and quantity you desire to be receive; similarly, do not give a lesser quality or quantity than you would welcome in return. The principles of multiplication and reciprocation are inevitable and unvarying. Generosity rewards generosity; miserliness repays miserliness.
Reading Jesus’ words, you might first assume His reference to be only about money. In reality, Jesus’ words addressed the widest range of mutual interactions, much broader than financial giving or receiving. “A generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand.” Isaiah 32:8. Among the assortment of charitable expressions, money may be the lesser gift. When I think of people who have shown me generosity, I think of less tangible gifts like affirmation, appreciation, assistance, gratitude, kindness, encouragement, support, companionship, and so much more.
(1) Choose to give liberally because of how much you have been given. “He who did not spare His Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not, with Him, also freely give us all things . . Give as freely as you have received.” Romans 8:32 NIV/Matthew 10:8 NLT.
(2) Give without regard for return because it is the right thing to do. “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.” Psalm 112:5 NIV. I remember my Dad saying, God will be no man’s debtor. “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV.
Today, I pray that your life will be blessed and you will be a blessing to others.
