6. Be a Blessing

Joy Here’s a little secret: When you give the right way, it’s really fun. The final ingredient we need for a generous spirit is joy. People with a generous spirit give joyfully and willingly. They are quick to give, and they give because they want to, not out of obligation or duty. The most generous people I know are addicted to giving to others. They just can’t get enough of it. Joy in giving is a trademark of a generous spirit.

Second Corinthians 9:7 says, “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.” The Amplified Version unpacks all the dimensions of the original language: “(He [God] takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, ‘prompt to do it’) giver [whose heart is in his giving].”

John D. Rockefeller said, “Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.”³¹ What an honor we have to be vehicles of God’s blessing. Each time we are generous, we have the opportunity to bring God’s love into someone’s life in visible, tangible ways.

Faith, vision, and joy are the key ingredients for building a generous spirit. How did you do with

that list? Remember, a baker needs all of his or her ingredients to succeed. Which of those three ingredients do you need to work on and pray for this week?

Wherever you are on your journey to financial freedom, there is always room to improve and expand. If you want to grow, remember a generous spirit is a byproduct of cultivating faith, vision, and joy in your life. If you are constantly working to develop your faith, build a bigger vision for how much you can give away, and fill your life with the joy that comes from helping others, you will naturally start becoming more and more generous.

BE A BLESSING

One of the best gifts generosity gives us has nothing to do with us. It provides us with the ability to get our eyes and attention off ourselves and become a part of a much bigger story—God’s story. Generosity is an invitation to shift our focus from our own needs to focus on making a difference in other people’s lives.

God created us to be conduits rather than reservoirs— his blessings flow to us so they can flow through us. If your intention for God’s blessing is to keep it all for yourself, you’ve missed the point. God wants to bless and provide for us so we can turn right around and help someone else. You are blessed so that you can be a blessing.

Look at these two verses from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11).

What did you notice in both of those verses? What is Paul’s message to the church?

He is reminding us that God’s blessings will come in; our job is to make sure they continue to go out. When you live life the way God invites you to, He will provide for you. He will bless you abundantly. However, those provisions and blessings are not just for us—they are to enable us to lead generous lives.

Notice the types of phrases Paul uses: “in all things,” “at all times,” “on every occasion.” Generosity isn’t a one-time thing or a special occasion; it’s a lifestyle. Everywhere we go, there are opportunities to be generous. We just need to keep our eyes open and

look for them. God wants us to have the kind of spirit that is proactively looking for chances to be generous.

Isaiah 32:8 says, “But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand” (NKJV). I love the picture this verse creates. The word devises has a connotation of strategy and planning, almost to the point of scheming. We are always scheming. The question is, are you motivated by stinginess or generosity? When stingy people scheme, they are always coming up with ways to hold onto more money. But when generous scheme, they are looking for ways to bless others. Both sides are scheming, but for polar opposite reasons. It’s time to get creative with our blessing. It’s time to devise some plans to bless some people who would least expect it.

What if we became people who were known for always having some sort of plan up our sleeve to bless someone in need?

That is the final key to living without worry. Generosity invites us to take all the time and energy we used to devote to worrying about our finances and use it to focus on helping others. Generosity is good for everyone. The people we bless benefit from it because they get to receive the blessing. We benefit from it

because the more time we spend trying to bless others, the less time we have to worry. And God supports it. He continues to bless us so that we can keep going.

So, where do we start? Whom do we bless? Where do we direct our generosity? According to the Bible, here are three places to begin: be generous toward people, the poor, and to God’s work.

Generous Toward People

We’ll get back to being generous with our finances in a moment, but remember, generosity isn’t just about how we spend our money—it’s a lifestyle. Generosity isn’t just about our actions; it’s about our attitude. Are we carrying a spirit of generosity with us into every conversation and interaction we have? This may not be an area that comes to mind when you think about generosity, but it’s one the Bible tells us is very important.

Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT). Having a generous spirit means we’re full of grace and love toward other people. We need to learn to be generous with the amount of slack we cut people and the room we give people to be

themselves. People are going to make mistakes, but when we have a generous spirit, we can help them bounce back quickly.

For you, making allowances might mean overlooking a grumpy comment at breakfast or picking up a wet towel that was left on the floor (again). Typically, the thing that bothers you the most is the best place to begin practicing having a generous attitude.

Sometimes having a generous spirit means releasing people from the pressure to measure up to our standards and simply loving them where they are, no strings attached. God doesn’t want us to be harsh or controlling, and He doesn’t want us to demand perfection out of people. Instead, He wants us to generously lay down our lives and treat others with love and respect. Luke 6:37–38 says:

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity” (MSG).

The way we choose to treat the people in our lives determines what comes back to us. If you are constantly judgmental and critical of others, you probably find yourself living under a sense of condemnation. On the other hand, if you are quick to forgive and show grace to others, the same will be extended to you in an even greater measure.

Here are a few ways we can be generous toward people. We can be generous with our forgiveness, love, words, attitude, patience, time, and affection.

You may be generous with your money, but are you generous with your time? Are you willing to spend quality time with the people you care most about or spend your Saturday serving people who need help? What about your words? Do you hold grudges against people, or do you set them free with the things you say to them?

I know it’s not always easy to be generous toward people, but Paul talked about his life being poured out like a drink offering (2 Timothy 4:6; Philippians 2:17). He chose not to hold anything back from the people in his world.

We need to follow his lead and make it a point to

be generous in our attitude toward people. Don’t go through life always keeping score and making people earn your goodwill and affection. Give it away freely— let good things flow out of your life into the lives of those around you. If this final step is making you feel insecure because you aren’t in a situation to be financially generous yet, here’s the really good news: Generosity is about far more than finances. Generosity looks like taking the time to offer a listening ear or saying something encouraging to someone who is feeling down.

Remember, generosity starts with realizing just how much God has already done for us. We are simply passing along what we have already received. When we remember the forgiveness, kindness, patience, and unconditional love God extends to us, we will want to do the same for others.

Generous Toward the Poor

The next place we should direct our generosity is toward people who are in need. Throughout the Bible, God makes it clear that we are called to be generous toward those who are struggling to meet their own basic needs. There are so many different passages we could look at, but one of my favorite examples is in Deuteronomy 15. However, to fully grasp just how

powerful these passages are, you have to understand a little bit of context.

First of all, Deuteronomy is an Old Testament book. The Bible calls the Old Testament “a shadow” of the New Testament. First Corinthians 10:11 tells us that everything that happened to the children of Israel happened as an example for us. The Old Testament is a glimpse of what’s to come for us, which means it contains a tremendous amount of wisdom for us today.

Growing up, I had three older sisters and figured out really quickly that I could make my life a lot easier by learning from them. If I watched what they did and took notes on what to or, more often, what not to do, I could save myself a whole lot of pain. We can do the same thing when we read the Old Testament and learn from the children of Israel.

When the Israelites were in Egypt, they were slaves. For hundreds of years, the Egyptians forced them to do grueling and dangerous manual labor all day long. But then, through a series of events, God delivered them out of Egypt.

In Deuteronomy 15, where we are picking up the story,

the Israelites are finally out of slavery, but they aren’t quite to the promised land. In this chapter, God gives them some specific instructions for how they are to live when they get there. The Israelites had been slaves for so long they didn’t know how to operate in freedom. They weren’t used to having their own land, owning their own homes, stewarding possessions, or managing their own lives. God wanted to set them up to win, so He laid out guidelines to help them navigate some of the issues they would face when they entered the land He was giving them. Let’s read a few verses together:

“However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today” (vv. 4–5).

“If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need” (vv. 7–8).

“Give generously to them and do so without a

grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land” (vv. 10–11).

What did you notice about these passages? It’s not hard to see the pattern—now that the Israelites were free to make their own decisions, God reminded them over and over again to use their freedom to look after those who were struggling. Remember, Deuteronomy served as an instruction manual for Israel. Their instructions were clear—be generous toward the poor.

In the Bible, Egypt always represents a place of slavery or bondage. For us today, we could say it represents living beneath God’s best for our lives (living contained or held back by something). For the children of Israel, the promised land held freedom, blessing, provision, and an incredible future. For us, the promised land is not a geographical location; it’s living within God’s best for us and experiencing His freedom, blessing, and provision.

We may not be on a geographical journey toward the promised land, but since we are all on our way toward

experiencing worry-free finances, we can learn a lot from the instructions God gave the Israelites as they were approaching the promised land.

While there will always be people in challenging financial situations (Matthew 26:11), it’s not what God wants. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to help others through our generosity (Deuteronomy 15:4). When we obey God and work toward helping the poor, God reminds us that He will take care of us. The blessing comes when we fully obey God’s instructions. Just as we saw with tithing, there’s an if/ then scenario that involves our part and God’s part. If we obey, then God will bless us (v. 5). Instead of being tightfisted, we need to open our hands and give freely.

Notice that God doesn’t tell the government to take care of the poor. He is telling His people to make sure they help those in need (vv. 7–8). Today, “his people” refers to the church—you and me as part of the corporate body of believers. We are God’s children, members of His body, and it is our responsibility to meet the needs of the poor in our cities and beyond. I love how God reminds them to watch their heart as they give. He tells them to give generously instead of begrudgingly (vv. 10-11). We have to make sure we don’t ever allow ourselves to have an attitude of disdain,

frustration, or even complacency toward the poor.

This instruction is in the strongest form possible, a command. Giving generously wasn’t given as an option for the Israelites, and it’s not an option for us today. If we want to experience God’s best for our lives and carry out His plan here on earth, we can’t turn a blind eye to those who are less fortunate or wait for someone else to take care of them.

Millions of people are struggling to meet their basic needs for food and shelter. No matter how much or how little we have, God has given it to us, not just for our provision and enjoyment but so that we can help others.

Many of us can relate to the situation the Israelites were in. We may not be in bondage anymore, but there is a good chance you aren’t walking in the full promise God has for your life, especially in the area of finances. For the Israelites, generosity to the poor was one of the keys to moving forward, and the same is true for us today!

Generous Toward God’s Work

The final place to direct our generosity is toward God’s work. As believers, we have the mandate to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Gospel

simply means “good news.” In a world filled with pain, searching, and hopelessness, we hold the best news possible: There is hope through Jesus Christ. Nothing is more important than helping people find a relationship with Jesus.

This responsibility is both corporate and individual. No matter who you are or where you are from, you have a responsibility to spread the message of the gospel. We may not all be called to go overseas as missionaries, but we can all invest our energy and resources into helping the gospel spread.

Jesus was constantly reminding us to keep our sights set on eternity as we go through life on this earth. He said things like, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–20 NLT).

Jesus understood the best thing to invest His energy toward. Our material possessions and earthly achievements will come to an end one day, but when people come to know Jesus, that is a reward that will last forever. If we focus only on today and achieving success in earthly terms, we’ll miss out on what really matters for eternity.

Jim Elliot is an incredible example of someone who focused on eternity. Elliot was an American missionary who was killed taking the gospel to an unreached tribe of people in Ecuador, the Auca Indians. He wrote this in his journal several years before he died: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”³²

Elliot understood that nothing on this earth holds greater value than reaching people for Jesus. He chose to devote his life to it, no matter what the cost. You may not ever be in a situation where you have to die for the gospel, but are you willing to live for it? Are you ready to willingly give yourself and your resources to move God’s kingdom work forward on this earth?

Nothing we invest in God’s kingdom is ever wasted.

There are so many ways we can be generous toward kingdom work. I think of my good friends Pete and Kristi, who decided to drive an older car for another year so they could give more to our church’s expansion initiatives. I remember Denzel, a teenager who sold cinnamon rolls and cookies every Wednesday to raise money so his friend Tim could go on a mission trip. I think of Lydia, who at sixteen