GENEROUS GIVING

God’s goodness expresses itself in His generosity. God is good, and God is a giver. In fact, He is the Supreme Giver. God spoke the universe into existence. God breathed into you the breath of life. God formed you in your mother’s womb. When you were lost, God gave you Jesus to show you the way home. And God prepares all eternity for you. God is a giver. You are made in His image. So the best-version-of-yourself will be a generous giver, too…

The most joyful people also happen to be the most generous. Generous giving is joy. To give is to become more like God.

God delights in your giving and even multiplies it to bless others. “God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things… you may have an abundance for every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:7b-8) 

-- Allen R. Hunt in “Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself”

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THE GIVER AND THE RECEIVER

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”  (John 3:16 NRSV)

Gifts require two parties, a giver and a receiver. The right motivation of a giver is love -- no strings attached. The right attitude of the receiver is to accept the gift with gratitude -- no hoops to jump through.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9 NSRV) 

-- Adapted from Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians”

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