Generosity Is More Than Just Writing a Check: Christians Can Expand Their View of Generosity

ANALYSIS

What greater abundance could we know than the unremitting, unconditional love and providential care of our God? 

From this abundance flows generosity. It's part of our Christian identity. But we all too often fall prey to interpreting generosity as strictly financial — and it's so much more than that. 

Generosity is a posture of love, of joy, of obedience to God's will and security in His mercy and provision. When we grow in understanding of God's character, our hearts and lives become generous. Regardless of what we possess, God is extending an invitation to experience Him through the act of giving. This is what true generosity is all about. 

Whatever we offer — whether that be our time, our talent, or resources — Scripture urges believers to trust God's provision and embrace enthusiastic, all-encompassing generosity.

"(Whoever) sows generously will also reap generously," we read in 2 Corinthians 9. "... And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. … You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 

This generosity doesn't impoverish us, it empowers us. And it goes further: Generosity begets further generosity and deepens our faith. 

"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else," we read on. "And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you."

Our capacity for generosity increases as we grow in our faith, and our increased faith works to increase the generosity, gratitude and faith of those around us. 

God's love will, with time and through discipleship, make us – all of us – more like Him.
 
Yet this growth requires intentionality. Spiritual disciplines and practices offer us many ways to cultivate holy generosity in our daily lives. 

By spending time in God's word, He speaks to, guides and transforms our hearts. Through prayer, we quietly commune with the Lord and our hearts become increasingly receptive to the Holy Spirit's leading, which then guides us towards action. Involvement in Christian community also plays a vital role, as the body of Christ equips us for the works of mercy, generosity, and service that He invites us to share with Him. 

And because God is multifaceted, the generosity of his people will be embodied in the world in countless different ways. I am privileged in my position at Wycliffe Bible Translators to come alongside individuals from all walks of life and encourage them in generosity, however that may look. 

Once, I told a woman about a group of people in Indonesia who had no Scripture in their native language. I invited her to pray about how God might encourage her to get involved with Wycliffe's Bible translation efforts. 

But she was ahead of me. She had already been in prayer, specifically asking for direction on how God might use her to be a blessing to others, before our conversation ever transpired. 

Alongside a financial commitment, she felt led to pray for the salvation of these people whom she would never meet on this side of heaven. In the years that followed, she told me about the joy she experienced through trusting the Lord with her gift. She told me about the deep connection she now felt to the people she was praying for. 

The Bible instructs us to be cheerful givers, but at times, that exhortation feels distant or unrelatable – nothing like the vibrant joy I witnessed in her life.

And I've seen firsthand again and again just how much joy comes from living out God's generous heart towards those He loves.

To cultivate a spirit of generosity, begin by reflecting on the richness of God's grace, revealed most powerfully through the sacrifice of the cross. Then, consider the gifts He has entrusted to you – time, talent and treasure – and how He may be calling you to use them in this season. 

God is extending an invitation to each one of us: to experience more of Him through our generosity to the watching world.

Lorelei Mah is the Senior Director of Philanthropy for Wycliffe Bible Translators.