Money and the Bible | Personal Finances From the Perspective of GodPrøve

GENEROSITY The word generosity comes from Latin gens, meaning "he who had a good birth." This is our essence, we are born again in Christ Jesus, so generosity is part of our new identity. Being generous is linked to the position of "nobility." This means having a good reputation, good lineage, being endowed with character, and noble feelings. Jesus is our mirror - our nature compels us to have noble attitudes. Having a good education, refinement, and good behavior should be part of our lives. Generosity is expressed in many ways - money is one of them. Interesting that God's economy is different from that of the world. To God, it is better to give than to receive - People who give generously become richer - totally contrary to what the rational environment imposes, whereas keeping, and retaining makes us more prosperous. We must be generous in giving, sharing out of kindness, not being petty or too attached to material possessions. An act of generosity must be done without expecting anything in return. God's mathematics say that our seeds can multiply up to a hundred by one. If we believe in these words and cast our seeds into fertile land then God's name will be glorified. This includes thanksgiving, a place that we see eternal fruits, where there is help to the needy brethren, and projects of expansion of the kingdom. Think about this: We start a month with 100 seeds. Then we decide to eat 99 and plant the one; in the end, we will have 100 seeds. If we are more generous and plant two seeds, we eat only 98 but we will have 200 seeds in the end. And so ultimately, the more generous we are, the more seeds we plant, the more we have in abundance. Generosity generates wealth and results in thanksgiving. Whoever is generous will be blessed. We can see this in Abinadab's story. When the Lord commands Moses to build the Ark of the Lord, He says that his presence would go with the people. The Bible reports that the Ark of the Covenant stayed in Abinadab'shouse for a long time. The Ark of the Lord represented the presence of the Lord among the people. And what does that have to do with generosity? In Hebrew, Abinadab means "father of generosity" - So generosity has caused God's presence to remain longer. When we have generous deeds, we understand the new nature, the new birth in Jesus Christ, we know who we are, and consequently, we are blessed. The act of generously giving should not be done out of obligation, nor ill-will, but liberally and with joy. We give according to what we have and not what we do not have. Generosity requires preparation. Decide in your heart how much to give, without coercion and embarrassment. Take time to think, pray, and seek God for the place to cast the seeds. We must rejoice in the donation and understand that it is a privilege to invest in the kingdom of God. Jesus rejoices in our generosity. APPLICATION Have you been generous with your finances? Take an intentional time in God's presence and ask when, how much, and where to cast your seeds.