One of the signs of a Christ follower is that they are generous with their resources. Generous with God through giving and generous toward others who are in need. This should not be surprising because our Father has been incredibly generous toward us, including sending His son to live among us, die for our sins, and be our advocate before the Father today. Generosity is also a sign of obedience. 

Consider these words of Paul in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

When Paul tells us not to put our hope in wealth but to put our hope in God he is making a countercultural statement that flies in the face of everything in our world. The reason so many are not generous - including Christ followers - is that we worry we will not have enough rather than trusting God for what we need. In the kingdom of Jesus, we don’t live by the rules of our world but by the principles of the kingdom. And in His Kingdom we are to do good, be rich in good deeds, and generous with our resources. 

To be generous is to be like Jesus. To be stingy is to be like the world. But who is wealthy? Probably not many of us think we are wealthy. Let's put wealth in perspective. Fifty four percent of our world lives on three dollars a day or less. Ninety percent of our world lives on ten thousand dollars a year or less. If your combined household income is one hundred thousand dollars a year or more you are in the top one half of one percent of wealth on our globe. The more we have, the more generous we are to be.    

Ironically, studies in America show that the more people make, the less of a percentage they give. Why? Because wealth seduces us into thinking we need to guard what we have and accumulate more because it is what we start to put our trust and hope in rather than in God. 

Paul writes this in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Father, help me develop your heart. Help me trust you for my needs and like you, be amazingly generous to those around me in need, and to you and your work. Give me your heart of generosity. Amen.