This Sunday I had the privilege of teaching at Echo a message about putting God first in our finances and the keys to a generous life. You can watch it here:
I love this subject because I believe that so many people miss out on the joy they are created to live with, simply because they haven’t entered into a life of generosity.
Whether it’s Oprah giving away cars, your neighbor mowing the lawn for you, or your friend pay for your coffee, we love generous people.
We agree that generosity is a virtue or character trait to pursue and we love it in people around us, but rarely do we work on it personally. I’m guilty of that too!
On Sunday, we talked about how Christians ought to be the most generous people on Earth, because our God is a generous God — giving and giving to us since the very beginning.
We also dove into 2 Corinthians 8-9 where the Apostle Paul challenges the church to radical generosity, but a type that flows out of a simple trust, sincere faith, and single devotion to Him.
Here are the keys to generous living:
1. Proportional Giving Is the Key to a Generous Life (Give Proportionally)
“Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly.” — 2 Corinthians 8:11
The biblical baseline for proportional giving is the Tithe (Malachi 3:9-10), which preceded the Jewish law by 400 years, was affirmed by Jesus.
“…you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law — justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. — Matthew 23:23
The tithe was never meant to be just a religious duty. It’s a demonstration of simple devotion and sincere faith. It’s a beginning step that releases us from greed, acknowledges our belief that God is our provider and moves us toward modeling God’s generosity to the world.
The tithe: The first 10% of our income back to God through his Church.
When you get the heart of generosity, giving is no longer about pressure or rules, it’s privilege and opportunity.
2. Cheerful Giving Thrills the Heart of God (Give Cheerfully)
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7
3. Financial Giving Unlocks Supernatural Generosity (Give Expectantly)
“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous [haplotes].” — 2 Corinthians 9:10
What is God asking you to do?
I challenged those listening on Sunday to test God in this and to commit to a 90-DAY TITHE CHALLENGE. If you want to take a step of faith and trust God with your generosity, send me a quick note and I’d love to pray for you and send you some resources to encourage you in your journey on giving.
You can set up your giving through the Echo.Church app or by giving online.
Let’s be generous together!