Luke 6:38 (NIV)

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

I was so cheap. In all fairness, growing up our family had very little money. My parents would fight about money until they eventually got divorced, then my mom did her best to raise three boys on minimum wage. I think this taught me to adopt a poverty mindset where I learned to watch out for myself. I would save every penny I got; I would never share with others because it meant that I would have less for myself. No matter how much I had saved, I couldn’t be generous because I might need it later.

When I came to Christ, all of that changed. I had to learn to trust God through tithing, no easy thing to do. The math just didn’t work out. If I gave him 10% I wouldn’t have enough left to live on. But I learned, as the saying goes, 90% with God is greater than 100% without Him.

Next, I had to learn to love others. You will never truly love someone if you are not willing to be generous with them. It all begins with generosity, otherwise it is all lip service. If you are not willing to be generous with others, you are only honoring them with your lips, but since you refuse to share your treasure with them, your heart will be far from them. Love always expresses itself in generosity – God so loved that He GAVE…

Through the discipline of generosity, and it was a very difficult discipline, Jesus transformed my heart of stone to a heart of flesh. He changed my poverty mindset to a blessed mindset, and He can do the same for you.

Your Turn:

This week we will practice the discipline of generosity to help us learn to live from the streams of abundance in Christ.

Step 1: Tithe

• This is an essential first step. If you can’t trust God with your money, how can you trust HIm with your eternal life? If you can’t trust God with your money, you will never know that it is truly better to give than to receive.

• Keep it simple. 10% of your income should go to the storehouse, the church.

Step 2: Make an Offering

• What do you feel called to support financially? A non-profit, a missionary, etc.

• Consider making a donation to one of the ministries that are supported by the church.

Step 3: Be Generous

• Be intentional this week to bless others by being generous.

• Buy a gift for someone for no reason other than it reminds you of them. Pick up the check at dinner and tell them how blessed you are to be able to. Pay for the groceries of the person behind you at the grocery store, and tell them it is the least you could do after all Jesus did for you. Take someone out for a nice dinner, and tell them they are worthy of a fancy meal. Put together a gift basket for a neighbor, and tell them how thankful you are for them. Learn to enjoy the process of being generous with others.