Generosity Beyond Your Wallet
by David Matranga
A few days before Christmas in 2012, Pastor Levi Lusko and his wife Jennie lost their five-year-old daughter to an asthma attack.
As they grieved, Levi’s response was this: “I take comfort in her dedication… She is God’s… We never thought that our time with her would be that brief, but we were faithful to honor God with the time He gave us with her, but she was never ours.”
What a challenging, convicting, life-changing statement – and it gets to the heart of what we’re talking about today:
We Are Not Owners, We Are Stewards
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.
- Psalm 24:1 NLT
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
A steward is someone tasked with taking care of something that doesn’t belong to him. Ultimately, this is what we all are. God gave me my life – I didn’t make it for myself – and everything else is an outgrowth from there. And yet it can be hard for us to let go and give sometimes.
Imagine this: I give you a $20 bill with the assignment to pray and give it to someone in need. Not too hard, right? Now imagine that instead of giving you the money, I tell you to use $20 of your own. It’s a different scenario and a different feeling, isn’t it?
If you want to learn to be generous, it starts with understanding that you are a steward, and everything belongs to God – like He states in Job:
Everything under heaven is Mine.
- Job 41:11 NLT
More than Money
Generosity isn’t just giving money to someone. There are a number of ways we ought to be generous and serve one another as there is need.
1. Be Generous with Thoughts
When we see others, we can be quick to judge and assume the worst. What if instead we were generous with our thoughts? This means thinking the best of people whenever possible and having compassion for them like Jesus instead of just cynicism.
2. Be Generous with Words
Be kind even when you don’t have to. Thank people when it’s inconvenient or you’re annoyed. Take opportunities to encourage and build people up instead of exploiting them for a quick laugh.
3. Be Generous with Money
Yes, generosity is more than this, but it’s still an important aspect, so put this in your budget and plan for it. If you don’t have very much, don’t let this become an excuse to not give anything. Remember that Jesus praised the widow who put two pennies in the offering and He also said “He who is faithful in a very little things is faithful also in much.”
4. Generous with Influence
What is your platform used for? How can you stir up good works in your community?
5. Generous with Time
Volunteer, mentor, meet up with people, and be available. Remember that Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus to build up the church there.
6. Be Generous with Attention
Put your phone down, engage, make eye contact, and smile. When you see someone wearing a name tag, call him by his name and ask about his day.
7. Generous with Stuff
Let people borrow your books, your car, your clothes, etc. Everything you have has been given to you by God, and it’s just your job to take care of it, invest it, and make sure of an increase for the Kingdom of God.
A few quick tips:
- Be creative
- Be observant
- Be anonymous (whenever possible)
- Be praying
- Be sensitive: Don’t just say “if you need something, let me know,” which puts on the burden on person asking for help. If you want to give, make it happen.
As you finish this article and ask yourselves how you can be more generous in one of these 7 areas I’ve outlined, remember that we have a generous God who has been generous with you.
