Generosity has less to do with your bank account and everything to do with your heart. A generous person is aware of the needs of others and easily sees opportunities to help. A person’s level of generosity can be directly related to their relationship with God. The closer we are to Him, the more generous we will be. Generosity should be the primary characteristic of a believer because it is a primary characteristic of God. This post describes how we can develop a generous spirit by fully surrendering to the Lord.

"Characteristics of a Generous Spirit" by Dr. Charles Stanley

When we hear of a need, we may desire to give—but then our bank account convinces us doing so is impossible. Although we realize that generosity should characterize believers, sometimes it seems the only way to be generous is to be wealthy.

The Christians in Macedonia prove that this is not the case. Using them as a model of generosity, Paul motivated the Corinthians to follow through on their original commitment to support the church in Jerusalem. Through the example of the Macedonian churches in today’s reading, we see what characterizes a generous spirit.

A generous person is sensitive to the needs of others. Although the Macedonian believers were suffering from affliction, their own troubles didn’t prevent them from feeling compassion for the needs of fellow Christians (2 Cor. 8:2).

A generous spirit sees needs as opportunities. Far from dreading needs, they actually begged Paul to let them help support the saints in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:4).

Liberality flows from a life surrendered to God. Before offering their gifts, these believers first gave themselves to the Lord in obedience to His will (2 Cor. 8:5).

Generosity is not an emotion but a decision. The Corinthian church was also moved to contribute, but they may have discovered what we often do—that “readiness to desire” generosity is not the same as “completion of it” (2 Cor. 8:11).

A generous spirit has nothing to do with how much money we have, but rather how much of us the Lord has. When we are fully surrendered to Him, He provides the grace we need to share whatever we have—whether time, treasure, or talent.

Read
2 Corinthians 8:12

Pray
Jesus, if there is anything left in me that is relying more on my own assets than on You, please change my heart. Help me see more and more opportunities to be generous towards others.

Reflect
Is my relationship with God reflected in a generous life, or do I need to change that?

Respond
Check in with God about your relationship with Him. Make sure you are relying on Him to provide for your needs, and then out of that trust you can develop a more generous life.

Being near to God directly affects your propensity for generosity. The nearer you are to God, the more you see opportunities to share His love generously either in time or resources. When you are close to God you will emulate His characteristic of generosity. As this becomes your lifestyle, you will be greatly blessed, and you will be able to continue to bless others. The next step is to teach the principles of a generous life to the next generations so the heritage of generosity continues. The next post will show you how.