Thursday, November 3, 2011


Generosity
I think we all understand and would love to live out the principles of Generosity, yet struggle to live within the challenge of the demands it makes on our lives at times. Luke 9 tells the story of feeding 5000 people. This story demonstrates the principle of generosity and graphically displays its power. These people had come a long way to hear Jesus speak. He had been ministering all day so the disciples insist that Jesus send the people away to give them an opportunity to get something to eat. But in response Jesus simply suggests that they come up with the food to feed so many people. Now I’m sure their response would have been, "how in the world…... " and right about then a little boy offers 2 fish and 5 small buns. So they take it to Jesus and say this is all we have. Without hesitation Jesus blessed it, broke it, and put it into the disciple’s hands. Jesus gave back to them, what they gave to Him. Now the pressure would have been on for them to only give a small amount. The limited resource they had in their hand had to go so far, so imagine the disciples' amazement when the bread grew in their hands as they gave it out. The miracle did not happen in Jesus' hands, it happens in the disciples' hands. It’s all about what you do with what He gives you. That’s what we miss all the time, we want Jesus to do it. We want Jesus to multiply our seed but He says plant it first, because it only grows when we give it. What if the disciples had just given it out without giving it to JESUS first? It wouldn’t have multiplied!

If you don’t give what’s in your hand to God your finance will never be blessed. This is the principle demonstrated throughout God's word. There is more spoken of concerning money and its use than of most principles in the Bible. Why is that? Because where your treasure is there will your heart be also. A Christian is made to be generous; it’s the way we work best. We are born selfish but born again generous. When we are not generous we are not being who we are born again to be and missing the blessing we should be living in. Right throughout scripture, that’s the pattern. God is always looking for people He can trust with blessing. Someone He can trust with what He gives them. People who become a channel of blessing who’ll live their life as a conduit for favor. Many of us never live in this zone, we don’t take this powerful principle seriously so we are not living in that place to be blessed by God. Giving is the only thing God said to test Him in. But so many have never put God to this test. Ever had those moments when God says give, we struggle to surrender? Most people rationalise those moments away and sear their conscience when it comes to giving. This causes us to spiral down into a place of lack. You know, God's thinking more about your future than you are. Listen, God knows your address, He knows where to find you, and He wants to bless you more than you want to be blessed. The point is, we are God's children and there is a principle in God’s Word called Generosity - and when we are generous, the Bible says, the generous soul will be made rich. God said to Solomon, ask anything you want. What an amazing promise. This promise was made the day he became King. On this day tradition dictated that the incoming king would sacrifice one Bull as a token offering. Solomon gave 1000 bulls instead of one. In response God promised him, that whatever he asked, God would give him. God responds to extravagant givers. But God’s not going to say that, unless you learn the power of generosity, if God can’t trust you with what you do have, he wont trust you with what you don’t have. The scriptures encourages us with this… "well done you’ve been faithful with little now I will make you lord over much".

1 comment:

  1. Tremedous word Ashley! So timely! Generosity is never an amount but the movement of your heart, generosity is its own reward! Thanks for this word! Tom Rawls

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