The attitude of Generosity -Giving to people
1. Remember that God wants us to be generous towards people.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbour,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— Proverbs 3:27-28
Self check 1: Am I a generous person? On a scale of 1-10 how do I rate my generosity?
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2. Know that other than in monetary aspect, we can be generous in many other areas.
Regardless of your financial situation, God wants you to look for ways to bless others. Let the following examples from the Bible encourage you to use your resources—your money and your home—to further the Kingdom of God.
Mary Magdalene and other women helped support Jesus and the apostles (Luke 8:1-3).
Joseph, a wealthy man, provided his own tomb for Jesus (Matthew 27:57-60). Nicodemus supplied expensive spices for the burial (John 19:39).
Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to their home to tell him about Jesus (Acts 18:26).
The Corinthians gave money to help impoverished Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 and 9).
Philemon opened his home for church meetings (Philemon 2).
Self Check 2: What do you think is one area which you can practice generosity in your current environment?
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3. Understand that there are some attitude to giving that does not please God.
Giving grudgingly…so give cheerfully:
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. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Leftover giving… so give sacrificially:
Giving with the expectation of receiving… so give unconditionally
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35
Giving to be seen… so be discreet in giving… unless…
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4
Self Check 3: Is there any attitude to your giving which you think might not be pleasing to God?
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Some resources on Giving
http://library.generousgiving.org/page.asp?sec=43&page=412
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-to-please-god-with-your-giving-gregory-griffin-sermon-on-giving-general-47208.asp?Page=1
We create an atmosphere of generous giving in the group, towards God and towards people
"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."
