Giving Without Sparing
Proverbs 21:26 Some people are greedy and never have enough. Good people are generous and have plenty.
Have you ever asked yourself, “How much should I give”? Perhaps it’s a need in your family, or towards God’s work, or to the poor and needy. “How much should I give” is a question that we should be asking often.
And we’re not just talking about money. Sometimes the greatest gifts are time, encouragement, and emotional support. Those things often involve sacrifices even greater than giving money. C.S. Lewis once said this:
I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I’m afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.
That’s what we call generosity. So … question: when it comes to giving of your time, your energies, your emotional resources, your finances … would those closest to you think of you as a generous person or not?
C.S. Lewis’ perspective, as it turns out, is deeply rooted in Scripture:
Proverbs 21:26 Some people are greedy and never have enough. Good people are generous and have plenty.
In this intensely materialistic world in which we live, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that we have to hang on to what we have so that we’ll have enough. The problem with that is that it breeds an attitude of never having enough. We’re never satisfied. On the other hand, when our faith in Jesus causes us to be generous, God honours that. He never leaves us short.
Sure, we may suffer some short-term deprivation, but I can honestly tell you that in close on twenty years of faith-based ministry, whilst at times resources were critically short, God always showed up at the right time.
Good people are generous and have plenty. Give more than you can spare.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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