Living Beyond Sunday - Generosity, Defined

Can a lifestyle of Generosity bring freedom?

In John 10:10 Jesus said

“The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I have come that you might have life and live it to the fullest”

How do we live life to the fullest?  Living generously is a great start.  Jesus gave the ultimate example of generosity by willingly giving His life. 

Let’s look at some ways the enemy can steal, kill, or destroy us. 

He can convince us to work too much and alienate the ones we love.

He can convince us to hoard belongings and become miserly.

He can convince us to protect our possessions or positions and become a recluse.

The enemy’s ability to convince us of these things, leads to suffering and misery.

Now on the opposite side of that is a life of living to the fullest. 

Jesus said you have to die in order to live.

Jesus said you have to serve in order to reign.

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive.

This is the truth of living life to the fullest.

Have you ever noticed that people with a lot of “stuff” are often the most miserable?  When they hoard it, they fight a constant battle for ownership.  Those who are the richest really are the poorest. They have success in the worlds eyes, but give up things of real value to get there.

Generosity isn’t about feeling good and Tithing isn’t about obligation.  Generosity and Tithing lead to freedom. The reward for living a generous life is the freedom that Jesus promised us. He came to set us free. If you are constantly worried about buying new stuff and storing your stuff and paying for your stuff and if loaning out your stuff drives you nuts, then maybe you’ve become a slave to your stuff.  Letting go of ownership Giving the stuff/money away is the quickest way to experiencing the life that Jesus promised. 

Question: Are you Generous?

Live Generously – check out this website - https://generousgiving.org/

Next week – Living Beyond Sunday – Generosity  in our Time and Money

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!