Generosity - A Kingdom Principle.
One of the leading characteristics of stable and secure people is their generosity. It is a part of their righteous character, something that has already been established in their hearts. They consistently support the work of God and consistently help the poor, fatherless, and widows. Our encouragement to you as a believer is to never get out of the habit of giving; it is the characteristic of a righteous person. It is also an act of worship.
It is Gods desire for you to be consistent in your giving. Your generosity pleases Him. The Bible says because they give to the poor, they lack nothing (Proverbs 28:27); he who lends to the poor, the Lord will repay him (Proverbs 19:17); and God loves a cheerful giver. He loves to repay those who are generous. You are blessed immeasurably when you give. Luke 6:38 says that when you give, “good measure, pressed down, shaking together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (NIV).
Giving is an enjoyable practice for the righteous. It is a Kingdom Principle. It flows out of the way they conduct their affairs with wisdom and discretion. Giving that is coerced, emotional, or decided at a moments notice is not the kind of giving that flows from a cheerful, grateful, and fixed heart. This is the picture of the generous: they are happy to give and come to the aid of those in need.
Because giving is a big part of receiving the favour and blessing of God, the enemy can make it hard for the believer to give. There are times when believers are faced with seasons of financial difficulty. They may lose their jobs. They may come up against some other kind of financial roadblock. These are times when giving is challenging, and they are therefore discouraged to give. They feel like God is not answering their prayers for financial breakthrough. They wonder why they always have a difficult time financially or why it’s hard to find good employment. When they do get some kind of overflow, something happens and all the overflow goes into repairing or recovering from an emergency situation - The car breaks down, the roof caves in, or an unexpected illness occurs.
These kinds of situations are discouraging and cause some people to want to stop giving.
But, still, consistent and stable believers do not allow changes in their life to shake them from doing what has already been set in their hearts. They do what God tells them to do and give how He tells them to give, because they are not looking for man to bless them. They are looking to God to bless them.
We do not give to get the praise and approval of people. We do not give because they treat us nicely. We give because we are being obedient to God. We do not give so someone will treat us right, or so they will like us more. Nothing should determine our consistency in giving the way the Lord wants us to. Our hearts should be fixed. A person with a fixed heart is a giver. These individuals will always be givers- cheerful givers. And no circumstances will change that. They know that when they give, it will be given to them, good measure, pressed down, and running over, it shall be poured into their lap (See Luke 6:38).
It is more blessed to give then to receive! You must fix your heart in this area, just as you have to fix it in your heart that you will not be tempted at times to do the wrong thing. In the same way, giving must be something you have already established in your heart.
