Am I Generous?

This was the title of Sunday's message of the Blessed Life. This can become a very interesting question depending upon the criteria that one uses to determine whether or not one is actually generous. It is may opinion that many people think they are more generous then they actually are and then there are many people who are generous wishing that they could be even more generous. Therefore how can we assess the level of our generosity. First, determine to use God's standard on stewardship and not man's standard. Being generous biblically is more then what we do with our money, being generous means I am thinking about others, I am willing to give of my time and talents along with my money. If we judge our generosity based on the tangible gifts we give alone can be deceiving, what is the motivation of our giving? When we have a solid biblical approach we will be concerned with the heart as well as the gift. Second, we are walking in obedience to the principles of God and especially the biblical principles that deal with our finances. Let's answer the following questions. Am I being obedient to give the first fruits of my increase, the tithe? Am I practicing good stewardship principles with the 90% so I have the ability to give above the tithe when the Lord speaks to me? If the answer is yes to both questions then I will have the ability to be generous. The prophet Samuel spoke to king Saul that "obedience is better then sacrifice." I Samuel 15:22 Third, so I have the sin of selfishness under control? Jesus encouraged His disciples to deny themselves. He said that He did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus encouraged us to love one another. In order to be generous I must think of others and not just myself.
If you will answer these questions honestly it will give you a good gauge on how generous you are and will give you some hints to the areas to work on in order to be more generous. The apostle Paul encouraged us through the Spirit of God in II Corinthians 8:7 to "excel in the grace of giving." Lord help us to be a generous people.

May God arise and let His light shine upon your life.

Pastor John