“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38).
Generosity is about giving. It is a fruit of love, an act of kindness. If we imagine ourselves as a river, with the flowing water coming from the springs of God’s love, we can perceive generosity as the predictable and regular “running over” that comes from God’s lavish blessings. When we are overfilled with God’s love, we reach flood stage, where we cannot retain His goodness within our banks, and inevitably the good gifts of God overflow into the surrounding plains, enriching the lives of others.
We can not be generous if we are not filled by God’s gifts. If we give only out of our limited resources, we will be stingy, holding back to ensure we have enough for ourselves. If we give with the intent to have someone indebted to us, if it is just a deposit on the balance sheet, something to be withdrawn at a future point, then it is not a gift. And generosity is only about gifts and giving. It is having a heart for others and wanting others to receive good things. The Father is the giver of all good gifts, so we can only give good gifts if we have received them from God.
Generosity is the opposite of selfishness. If we are not generous, then we are selfish. There is nothing in between. If we are not generous, then we are self-centered, greedy, wanting to keep and hold onto whatever we have, hoarding things for ourselves. Even to hoard our love for our self rather than offering love to others. What happens to us if we hoard up the gifts given to us?
We can see the contrasting consequences of generosity versus greediness in a comparison of the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, the very waters and shores where Jesus taught and showed us how to live our lives for others. These two seas are connected by the Jordan River, and separated by only 60 miles. Despite their proximity and water connection, they are dramatically different. The Jordan River flows into the north end of the Sea of Galilee, and out of the southern end. The Sea of Galilee teems with aquatic life and supports a productive commercial fishery that yields tons of fish every year. The Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee south and into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has no outlet; the water does not flow out, but only evaporates, concentrating its salts to the point that no plants or fish are able to live in it. Thus, we see why the Dead Sea is so named. It receives waters from a rich, unending source, but it hoards its waters, yielding nothing. The Dead Sea is stagnant, unproductive, and useless.
As evidenced by the Dead Sea, those who are not generous lack life and goodness. But let’s look at a couple of verses about the virtue of being generous. In 1 Timothy 6:18-19, Paul says, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” Proverbs 22:9 says, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.”
These verses provide an important reminder that the generous person not only blesses those to whom she gives, but she herself is blessed in the giving. Although it would be considered selfish to give simply to be blessed yourself, God in His wisdom blesses generous people as a reward for their unselfishness.
May God’s goodness be seen in your generosity. Next month we will examine goodness as a fruit of love.
Doug