ReJesus :: Penetrating Conversations - Generosity

3. Speaking of money, why do you keep pushing us to give more when our country’s in the middle of a financial crisis?

Your only protection against a recession is to follow God. Your only protection when we are not in a recession is to follow God. I am challenging you to be truly generous people, holding on to everything loosely. Our economic outlook has no influence on what I am going to challenge you to do. If anything, I believe the challenge to follow God’s wisdom concerning your finances and being a generous person needs to be more heavily emphasized in times like these. Think about these promises from God.

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Psalm 112:5

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9

I challenge you to give generously because it is the only path that invites God’s activity into your finances. If we do what He asks us to do with our money then our future is in His hands and He can choose to do what He wants with us. The bible tends to indicate that things work out better when we place things in God’s hands. And if most of you were honest, we make a pretty big mess of things when we do our own thing. Some of you have lost a bunch of money recently due to the decline in value of stocks, investments, etc. If you had invested that money in the Kingdom of God years ago, your investment would have been safe. Instead, you stored up treasures for yourself here on the earth “where moths eat and rust corrodes and where thieves break in and steal.” Store up treasure in heaven by investing in the things of God and your dividends will truly be secure.

One of the most quoted verses in the bible “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is written by Paul as he is speaking about living in times of need and in times of plenty. The verse speaks about trusting in Christ to give us the strength to live in times like these. Trust Him! You have an absolutely amazing opportunity in your world right now to live with God’s peace when it comes to the economy. People are going to continue to get more anxious and stressed out over finances to the point that those who live in peace will shine brightly and have great opportunities to share where their peace comes from.