Living Generously
“Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others. In this way they will store up for themselves a treasure which will be a solid foundation for the future. And then they will be able to win the life which is true life.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 GNT
“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth.” Proverbs 11:4 NIV
“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15 NLT
Greed lives in people not possessions.
Greed destroys your ability to trust God.
Greed is rooted in fear.
“You do well and excel in every respect—in unstoppable faith, in powerful preaching, in revelation knowledge, in your passionate devotion, and in sharing the love we have shown to you. So make sure that you also excel in grace-filled generosity.” 2 Corinthians 8:7 TPT
1. Generosity makes me more like God.
“But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.” James 1:5 GNT
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
2. Generosity draws me closer to God.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 NIV
3. Generosity breaks the grip of greed on my life.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 NIV
4. Generosity grows my faith.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10 NIV
5. Generosity establishes a generational blessing.
“One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.” Hebrews 7:9-10 NIV
6. Generosity impacts eternity.
“Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” 1 Timothy 6:18-19 TLB
7. Generosity attracts the favor of God.
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 NIV
✓ Trust God with the tithe.
“As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.”
Exodus 23:19 NLT
“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.” Deuteronomy 14:23 LB
✓ Plan your generosity.
“But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.” Isaiah 32:8 NLT
✓ Start being generous now.
“And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand
and experience all the good things we have in Christ.” Philemon 1:6 NLT
“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” — C.S. Lewis