Be Generous

Be Generous Like God Is Generous with You

Be Generous Like God Is Generous with You
By Rick Warren

“Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others”(Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 The Message).

God wants you to use some of your money to help people in need. God didn’t put us on this earth to live for ourselves. He blesses us so that we can bless others.

This is all part of how God makes us more like himself. God is generous. Everything we have in life is because of God’s generosity. We wouldn’t have anything — we wouldn’t even be alive — if it weren’t for God’s generosity. And God wants us to be generous like he is.

Imagine if your father were a billionaire, and he wanted to share his fortune with you. But he knew you needed to be tested first to see if you could handle it.

So he’d give you a set amount of money and say, “I want you to learn to live on less so you can use the rest to help others. I’m going to be watching you to see how you manage and distribute my resources. If you do well, I’m going to will it all to you.”

How would you use that money?

God particularly wants us to be generous with the poor. Throughout the Bible, God tells us he is watching how we help the poor, and he attaches tremendous promises if we do so. For example:

“Give to the poor and you will never be in need. If you close your eyes to the poor, many people will curse you”(Proverbs 28:27 GNT).

“When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord, and the Lord will pay you back”(Proverbs 19:17 GNT).

The more you help others, the more God blesses you. He gives to you so you can give to others.

Why? Because God wants you to be like him, and God is a giver!