A Life Marked By Generosity
Based on a message from John Maxwell.
We all have a choice to either live generously or to hold everything for ourselves. To think through the lens of abundance or the lens of scarcity. It’s a choice we get to make.
You see, generosity has nothing to do with your income or how much money you have. It’s actually a mindset. Living generously begins with the understanding that our God is a generous God. He is our example of the life we should live.
The Bible tells us so much about the generosity of our God.
Psalm 100:5
For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.
Psalm 145: 16
Generous to a fault, you lavish your favor on all creatures.
Romans 10:11
Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
Deuteronomy 15:10
Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.
So, it’s clear that our God is generous, but how do you live a life marked by generosity? John Maxwell shares these 6 things that are evidence of a generous person.
6 characteristics that define a generous person:
1. They live on the other side of “yes.”
Phil 4:8-9: Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Instead of living on the other side of “yes,” a lot of people live on the other side of “no.” Instead of seeing possibility, they see a problem. Instead of opportunity, they see difficulty. When we shift our perspective to “yes” we open ourselves to others and to be used by God.
2. They continually sow seeds.
Luke 6:38: Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.
Generous people aren’t preoccupied with their standard of living. They’re preoccupied with your standard of giving. So many times we think later when we have more or when we’ve saved enough, we’ll be generous, but having more, doesn’t make it easier to be generous. John Maxwell says, “Do you giving while you’re living so you’re knowing where it’s going.”
3. They are growing in their faith.
2 Peter 2:5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generosity love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.
Generosity is a direct result that we’re growing in our faith. The closer we grow to God, the more we want to echo His love and generosity to others.
4. They attract people to God.
Matthew 5:16 Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
When we’re stingy with what we have and how we treat others, they won’t want to know about our God. We have to be so generous that people want to know Jesus more. When we’re salt and light to the world, positive and generous, people become hungry for God.
5. They receive more than they could ever imagine.
Proverbs 11:24-25 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.
When we live generously and bless others, the Bible says, we will be “abundantly blessed.” This is not saying that God is the stock market that owes us something when we invest.
6. They live out their God-given identity.
Matthew 5:48: “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You are kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
If we want to be more like Jesus, we have to live generously and be gracious with others just like He is with us.
Check out the full sermon from John Maxwell here.