Generosity

Introduction.
Kindness and generosity go hand in hand. The biblical principle is to live
wisely with a loving heart. "And if I were to distribute all my goods to give to
to feed the poor, and if I gave my body to be burned, and do not have love,
"It does me no good" (1 Corinthians 13:3). John said that generosity is the mark of the
grace in the life of a believer. "But the one who has goods of this world and sees his
If a brother is in need and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of
God in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in
truth” (1 John 3:17–18).
Jesus honored the poor widow more for having given her small offering (a eighth of
cent of a dollar) than to the people who gave a much larger amount. Why?
Because she gave all that she had, and trusted that the Lord was powerful to
to support her and they gave from what they had left. Trusting in what they had remaining and
not in the Lord. God knows our hearts. Generosity is part of loving.
God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.
But what is generosity?
It is the noble and affectionate disposition to bless others by giving freely and without
to skimp
With obedience comes blessing. God openly offers to reward it.
Generosity: 'He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord, and what he has done, He will pay back to him.'
will be repaid again” (Proverbs 19:17). What may start with not-so-pure motives
Puros can change. God teaches us with patience. He probably encourages us.
with spiritual rewards and sometimes according to his will with rewards
materials. "But whoever has mercy on the poor is blessed"
(Proverbs 14:21b).
How do we evidence God's generosity?
God's generosity is evident in the way he deals with his creation,
and to a greater extent with sinners. God grants his gifts of grace to sinners
in salvation, in sanctification, and through the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The generous heart of God Eph 1:7–9; Rom 11:35–36
2. The generosity of God evident in creation Psalm 65:9–13
3. The generosity of God evident in his providence Acts 14:17; 1 Tim 6:17
 4. The generosity of God experienced in salvation Eph 1:3; Jn 1:16;
5. His love and mercy for sinners Eph 2:7; 1 Jn 3:1
6. Redemption through the death of Jesus Christ Ro 3:24; Ef 1:7
7. His gift of eternal life John 3:16; 3:23–24
8. The generosity of God experienced in sanctification 2 Peter 1:2–3; Philippians
2:12–13;
9. The gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:17-18; John 3:34
10. Wisdom James 1:5
11. Comfort, strength, and encouragement 2 Cor 1:5; Eph 3:16;

How can I live generosity.

This is what God does, He puts certain opportunities in your path and when you
life is revolving around Christ, you have the desire to satisfy those
needs, but again, the intention is not enough. only when those
intentions are put into action, if they remain unsatisfied, the intentions
they are just useless.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, we see that the church in Jerusalem was going through
a very difficult moment, in Acts chapter 8 we learn that the people of
God is going through great persecution, many Christians had to flee and
Those who stayed surely lost their jobs, most likely.
they were imprisoned. The persecution continued and in Acts chapter 11
we read that a great famine struck the entire area.
So, here we have the believers in Jerusalem, the mother church is
going through an extremely difficult economic moment while Pablo is
in the midst of his missionary journeys, he begins to challenge the churches to create a
relief fund. When he gave them this challenge, the believers in Corinth
they responded exemplary, it was incredible, they showed themselves extremely
generous, in fact, Paul began to use them as an example. The problem is
that the church of Corinth lost its generosity, somewhere along the way they
they lost interest and stopped being generous.
A year had already passed and they had not fulfilled their commitment, this
It happens sometimes, right? Great intentions, a good start, a great desire, but
it is only temporary. So Paul tells the Corinthians, in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9:
Hey! Finish what you started, your generosity cannot be temporary.
We are called to live generosity, let's look at some principles of what it is
live it,
1. First Principle. Our generosity cannot be temporary. It is a
constant attitude of life within us
2. Second Principle. Generosity has absolutely nothing to do
with the amount you have in your hands, generosity has to do with the
the attitude of your heart. Everything in the Christian life is like this, everything is related.
with the attitude of your heart, look at 2 Corinthians 8:1, Paul writes to the Corinthians:
Likewise, brothers, we make known to you the grace of God that has been given to the
churches of Macedonia" The churches of Macedonia were created by the church
in Philippi.
The church of Thessalonica, the church of Berea, and the Macedonians were going through.
for some major tests of poverty, but look at what these tests
produced in them: verse 2, "that in great trial of tribulation, the"
the abundance of his joy and his deep poverty overflowed in riches of his
"Generosity" What? "Wealth of their generosity" How does this work?
How could they be overflowing with joy? Look at verses 3 and 4, Paul.
he says: "For I testify that they have given as much as they were able with pleasure,"
and even beyond their strength, begging us with many pleas to help them
we would grant the privilege of participating in this service for the saints
It seems that Pablo knew that the church in Macedonia was in such a
poverty situation that didn't even ask them if they could give to the church in
Jerusalem. They needed a relief fund, just like the church in Jerusalem,
perhaps more, but look at verse 4: 'begging us with many pleas that they
"we should grant the privilege of participating in this service for the saints"
where does a desire like this come from? Today I want to tell you that it is not about the
amount. The Macedonians did not have much to offer, but where does it come from.
that desire not to be left out? Look at verse 5: "And not like the
we expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to
we by the will of God” This is the key, it is not about how much to give, that
es sólo el producto, es sólo el resultado de algo que ha sucedido dentro del
heart and the Macedonians had it, "they first gave themselves to
Sir, have you done this?
Have you reached that point in your life when you realize that you will not be able to
finding no satisfaction or meaning in life on your own?
You can have all the money in the world and still have an empty heart, have you
arrived at that point where you realize you have to trust and believe in
Jesus Christ so that you can have any kind of satisfaction in this life?
How many of us have truly trusted in Christ? Have you surrendered yourself?
Really to Him? Does your life revolve around Christ? Can you really say:
Yes, Christ is the center of my life.
Before making any decision, I want you to know that your relationship with God
affects directly anything you do; you will see, living generosity does not
it's about how much you have or how much you give, it's about your heart and your heart must
having as a focal point, the Lord Jesus Christ, your life must revolve around
from Him, that is the key to living generosity, it is not about doing something for a while
During the Christmas season, generosity is something we should do all the time.
time.
Third principle: Living generosity must be something that goes beyond
of the intention, Paul says in verse 10: 'And in this I give my advice;
because this is beneficial for you, who started before, not only to do it,
but also to love it, since last year" The Corinthians have put in
march something they had already thought of doing before, "Now, then, take also to
I finished doing it, so that just as you were eager to want, so too it
You are in compliance with what you have. Because if there is first the will
willing, it will be accepted according to what one has, not according to what one does not have
Corinthians 8:11 and 12), They have good intentions, well, do it now.
When it comes to generosity, we will have countless opportunities.
throughout the year so you can invest your time, your skills and your
resources, in fact, there will be more opportunities than you can imagine,
but again, intention is not enough. 'The road to hell is
paved with good intentions" You can have the best intentions, but if
you do nothing, nothing will happen.

Anyone familiar with C.S. Lewis knows that the 'letters of the
Devil to his nephew
teaching some things to a young devil, let me read to you what it says:
"The thing is to prevent Christians from doing anything, no matter how good.
intentions they may have, as long as this does not turn into action, it does not matter
how much time do they spend thinking about doing things while they don't turn into
actions" This is the best way to fertilize the seeds that the enemy has
 sown in the human soul, we must not allow them to do anything, none
the amount of mercy will be detrimental to us, as long as they keep it away.
of action. Human beings are slaves to their habits, but if they
they maintain liabilities, these habits are weakened. Now listen to this:
the longer you remain inactive, in the long run you will stop having the
ability to feel" "The road to hell is paved with good intentions
"intentions" but good intentions must be complemented with the
application.

Fourth principle: Living generosity is giving and also receiving, look 2

Corinthians 8:13 and 14, Paul writes to the Corinthians, "For I do not say this so that
there is abundance for others, and for you, hardship, but for what, at this time,
with equality, your abundance may supply their shortage, so that also the
their abundance may supply your need, so that there may be equality" Do you hear
What Pablo is saying? He says that if they have generosity, they should give and also
They must learn to receive, you have the resources to do something about it. Perhaps
now you are going through a good financial moment, but there is no guarantee of what,
Maybe one day, you will have a need, so living generosity is learning.
to give and also to receive.
Fifth Principle. Living generosity means having sincerity in our
heart, sincerity of our love for Christ and for our brothers. Generosity
it cannot be temporary, a true follower of Jesus Christ demonstrates his
generosity throughout the year, your sincerity, your love for Christ and for the
Brothers. Look at verses 8 and 9. Paul is speaking to the Corinthians and he asks them...
that they fulfill what they have set out to do, Pablo is not ordering them, he
he had the authority to do it, but why do you think he doesn't? Well, because the
generosity is an attitude of the heart, it cannot be forced.
That's why Paul is not commanding them to do it, he just wants to test the
sincerity of your love compared to the seriousness of others, Look at the
Verse 9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for
love for you became poor, being rich, so that you with his poverty
fueseis enriquecidos.” La gracia y la generosidad de Jesucristo no es temporal.
Question: "How can I become a more joyful giver?"
Answer: We can learn to be a cheerful giver when we study the greatest.
giver that this world has never known: Jesus Christ. Leaving behind the riches
and the glory of his heavenly kingdom, he came to earth and voluntarily gave his life
in order to maintain ours. Just as God predestined his children to be
made according to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29), there cannot be a
The best way to imitate Jesus Christ is to give selflessly, just as he did.
He did. Our savior himself told us, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
(Acts 20:35). So, in brief, our greatest motivation for giving
With joy and generously, it must be that this pleases the Lord and reflects His gift.
of salvation for us.
In the second letter to the Corinthians, he reveals a series of inspiring truths that
It should help us to be more cheerful givers. As Paul wisely urged the
Corinthians: "But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly."
scarce; and he who sows generously will also reap generously" (2
Corinthians 9:6). This unwavering truth was also declared by Solomon a thousand
Years before: "Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
And your granaries will be filled with abundance, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
(Proverbs 3:9-10). And Christ himself told us, 'Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your lap…” (Luke 6:38). In
reality, "The good man has mercy, and lends; he governs his affairs with
judgment...

What are the rewards if we trust in God's promises about giving?

generously and open our home to one another and to those in need
needs?
The glory of God is exposed. Matthew 5:16 says: 'Let your light shine before others.'
men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in the heavens.
The doors are opened to more acts of thanksgiving directed to God: "Because the
the administration of this service not only fully supplies what is lacking to the saints,
but also abounds through many thanksgivings to God
Corinthians 9:12). God has given us money and houses not only for us to be
grateful, but also so that our generosity and hospitality makes
Many people give thanks to God.
Our love for God and His love in us is confirmed: 'But whoever has
goods of this world, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against
he, how can the love of God dwell in him?" (1 John 3:17). In other words,
when we give generously, the love of God is confirmed in our lives.
We are real, we are not false Christians.
Finally, we accumulate treasures in heaven: "Sell your possessions and give
alms; make yourselves bags that do not wear out, a treasure in the heavens that does not
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Luke 12:33-34).
Our reward is the demonstration of the glory of God, the good of others, and the
joy of treasuring Christ together forever. Therefore, I exhort you:
Contribute to the needs of the saints, practicing generosity.