As a child, I was a stingy little creature. Refusing to share was as natural as breathing, and no one had to show me how to say no. Like Gollum in the Lord of The Rings, I held on tightly to my precious things. My parents had to teach me generosity as it was a foreign concept. And under their care, I eventually learned to give.
However, being generous is still not natural to me. It’s much easier to hold on to my belongings than to share them. And even when I do give, it’s often begrudgingly. But now that I have been adopted into God’s family, my heavenly Father is now the one teaching me generosity.
See, God is generous and loves to give. He gave up His Son for our sakes and made us heir to His kingdom. And as He has created us in His image, we ought to reflect His generous nature towards others.
Generosity is giving without expecting anything in return; it’s defined as the quality of being kind and unselfish. Being generous is essential in a Christian’s life because it is evidence of a transformed heart. Zacchaeus, the tax collector, is an excellent example of this.
After his encounter with Jesus, he gave half of his goods to the poor and restored all he had stolen fourfold (Luke 19:8-9). The early church is another example. After their conversion, they sold all their possessions and goods and shared the proceeds to those in need (Acts 2:44-45).
Now I am not saying being generous will save you, nor am I advocating selling all of your belongings. This is to illustrate that a transformed heart is a generous heart. Moreover, generosity is an act of love.
To love is to give, as Amy Carmichael said, “you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” And as love is our highest calling, it is crucial to make generosity our lifestyle.
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2 Corinthians 9:6
Generosity in the Bible follows a simple principle. When we give, we receive; and how much we receive is proportionate to how much we give.
However, God’s blessings are not always material wealth, nor do they have to occur immediately. He will reward our generosity in His way and His time. And when He does, it won’t be solely to bless us but to bless others as well (2 Corinthians 9:11).
I used to believe the only way to be generous was by giving money. So when I lost my job and couldn’t tithe, I didn’t think I could be generous.
Even worse, I thought I was robbing God as some preachers said and felt terrible about it. But through this experience, God taught me there are many ways to practice generosity. And here some of them.
1. Practice generosity with your time
When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
Rick Warren
Time is a precious gift God has given all of us, but we don’t always use it to benefit others. Instead, we use it up with endless to-do list and we get so busy, there’s little left to giveaway. But God graciously refills our balance daily, so why not be more intentional on using it to benefit others?
Being generous with our time can be as simple as spending quality time with people. For example, goinging on a date with your spouse, playing with your kids, meeting friends face to face, put down your phone when talking with others, volunteering, etc.
2. Be generous with your words
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24
Words are powerful, not because we can speak things into existence (which we can’t), but because of how much they can affect others. Even the smallest compliment can tremendously brighten up someone’s day.
Therefore, be generous with your words! Give more compliments, encourage others, leave kind comments online, tell someone they are doing a good job, etc. Kind words cost you nothing but may mean everything to someone.
3. Share your gifts, talents and skills
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace
1 Peter 4:10
God has bestowed us with different gifts and talents, but it’s not just for ourselves. We are to use them to benefit others. If you are Christian, ask God to show you how to use your spiritual gifts. An excellent place to start is by serving at your local church.
You can also be generous with your talents and skills by using them outside of your job, and for free. For example, you can tutor for free, offer pro-bono at your company, give free consultations, etc. If you are good at something, don’t only do it for money.
4. Be generous with your possessions
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot
Did you know that the self-storage industry is worth 38 billion? Statistics say 1 in every 11 Americans use storage units, and there are more self-storage facilities in the US than McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. That’s a lot of stuff! If you have things in excess, don’t fill up your house with them or rent storage units.
Instead, be generous and give them away. Embrace minimalism, donate your belongings, whether they spark joy or not. Share what you have with others. Don’t be like the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-20).
5. Practice generosity with your money
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Be generous with your finances. Don’t spend all your money on you, the Bible warns against that (James 5:1-6). But give freely and cheerfully, and sometimes sacrificially. Always start with your local church before giving to charities and ministries.
Give as you can afford to give, and as much as you want. Don’t give out of obligation or necessity. God cares more about what’s in your heart than what’s in your hand.
6. Extend mercy and forgiveness
Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:37-38
We can also be generous in the way we treat and view others. As Jesus taught us in Luke 6:36-37, we can be more merciful to others and more forgiving.
Some ways to do that involves; not holding on to grudges, giving the benefit of the doubt, not jumping to conclusions, not being quick to judge others, etc. And the measure we use to show mercy and forgiveness to others will be measured back to us (Luke 6:38).
7. Practice generosity with intentional acts of kindness
Always give without remembering, and always receive without forgetting
Uknown
You may be familiar with random acts of kindness. Wikipedia defines it as “non-premeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world.” But as Christians, we should be deliberate in our generosity.
So instead participate in intentional acts of kindness which I define as “premeditated, consistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world.” Challenge yourself to perform deliberate acts of service to others at least once a week, then gradually increase it.
The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
Proverbs 11:25
For a Christian, generosity is not just an action but a lifestyle. God has blessed us with many things; wealth, time, knowledge, talents, etc. And it’s our responsibility to steward them well. For to whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).
However, being generous is not always easy due to our selfish nature. Lord knows I struggle with it! But God never calls us to do something without equipping us for it. He has given us His spirit, and by His power, we can kill the Gollum inside of us.
So, to practice generosity, I am hosting a giveaway and a generosity challenge on Instagram this week (August 5th). Join me, and we will challenge ourselves to be generous in the different ways mentioned above. Follow me on Instagram for more information on how to participate. And also download this list with 60 acts of generosity to inspire you for the challenge.
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Beautiful post! I think for some people they would rather give money than all the other things you mentioned because that is the easiest for them. Thank you for sharing!
P.S. I like your list of ideas for giving. Also, your Instagram link is broken. I think there’s a double backslash instead of one. 😉❤
Thanks for catching that, I fixed it!
I know, right! Writing a check is so much easier than involving ourselves. It had to take getting broke to realize there are many ways to give. Thanks for stopping by!