The Power of a Generous Spirit (II)

‘And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others’ (2 Corinthians 9: 8, NLT).

 Generous people are the happiest people on earth. There is always something that triggers joy when you do an act of selfless service or give bountifully to a cause. Studies have linked acts of generosity to a happier and healthier life. you must make a continuous decision to be generous everywhere you go.

Men who have a generous spirit are always full of gratitude. This attitude of gratitude strengthens their generosity. ‘Thank’ is derived from the same root meaning of the word ‘Think’. If you can think, then invariably you can give thanks. Sometimes we look at everything that God has given us and we feel we deserve it. However, the Psalmist says, ‘Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not all His benefits’ (Psalm 103:2). Are you a forgetful person? We should not take things for granted; rather we should take things with a grateful heart. Paul said, ‘Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:8; NIV). Do you have a grateful heart? Do you have a spirit of gratitude? Are you ready to give thanks to people for what they have done to you? One wrong way of thinking is to say: I own it, I deserve it but a man who possesses the spirit of gratitude will say, ‘I don’t deserve anything, it is God’s goodness that makes it possible.’

A generous spirit is a guarantee for abundant blessings and joy.

God told us that generous people will be blessed. Giving is contagious. By the time you give someone, you stimulate him to give. He feels he owes you something. Giving goes round. That is why the Bible says, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2). When you cultivate a habit of giving, you will have a lot of people praying for you. There is nothing good about a selfish and self-centered life. When you give, God shuts the gates of hell, and all the things that devour your possessions will be destroyed. God will give a man with a generous spirit great blessing in all he does and men will watch him and marvel. I want to encourage you to have a generous spirit. The Bible says, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24). Show a different nature and bring forth a generation that gives.

Finally, a generous spirit starts from giving ourselves to God. Paul in talking about the Macedonian people said they were generous people (II Corinthians 11:9). But the first thing they did was to give themselves to the Lord. That is where the spirit of generosity starts. A generous spirit does not want to give his hands; but his heart to God. He doesn’t just want to give his pocket to the Lord; he wants to give his whole life to God. If you have not given your life to Jesus, maybe you need to do a rethink. Perhaps you are a child of God but you give God half of your time, you need to change and give God everything. Dedicate your life to God. The things of this world can hinder you from enjoying the things of eternity. There is nothing of importance that knowing Jesus will rob you of.

I want to encourage you to have a generous spirit. Use your position to help people and promote others. Be kind to people. If you are generous, you become a person to be loved. If you have a cup of water, share it with someone. The more you share, the larger you become. And the larger you become, the greater you are. God bless you!