By Rick Warren
— September 3, 2016
“As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT, second edition).
As followers of Christ, we need to remember to be generous.
Why is it so important to remember to be generous? Here are three ways it makes an impact on our lives.
It makes you happy. Acts 20:35 says, “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (NLT, second edition).Notice Jesus didn’t say it is not a blessed thing to receive. It does make you happy to receive. But the world will tell you that you will be happiest when you receive. Jesus turned that idea around and said that you will be happier when you give than when you receive.
It just makes sense. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (NIV).Every one of us wants others to be generous with us. Do you think that by sowing miserly selfishness you’re going to reap a generosity from God and others? God says that’s not the way life works. There is a law of sowing and reaping. So if you want to reap generosity, you have to sow generosity.
It shows the world what God is like. The Bible says, “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT, second edition).
When it comes to generosity, what encourages me is to remember the incredible generosity of God. Look at the world we get to live in. Look at the life he gave us. Look at the way he meets our needs. God is the perfect model of generosity. And when we are generous with others because of God’s generosity toward us, it points others to God.
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Talk It Over
- Think of a time when you were happier to give something than to receive it. Can you think of a time when you were more blessed to receive rather than give something?
- What are some ways that you can sow generosity in your life?
- In what ways has God been generous with you? How do you show him your thankfulness?
