You Were Born to Be Generous
You can’t stop generosity. It is natural, normal, and wired into the existence of every human being. So why are we so nervous about it at church? Give these thoughts some significant time to brew and see if they do not inspire, affirm, and empower a new direction.
1. God is a generous God. He is generous with everything from the act of creation to the sacrificial gift of His son. He is generous with His love, grace, life, time, heart, and heaven. The list could go on and on.
2. We are created in His image. This means that generosity is hard-wired into us. Not just limited generosity, but unlimited generosity that overflows. The kind that is unconditional. The kind that looks just like Jesus lived.
3. God made generosity fun. Just take an inventory of how it personally feels to be generous. Think of the personal gratitude and self-confidence that is gained when you go beyond yourself. Just remember the joy you felt the last time you watched someone open a gift you gave to them. How about the experience of freedom and release that comes when you are financially generous?
4. Problem: We are all fallen and struggle with the power of sin. It seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. It is trying to rob you right now of the blessings of God found in generosity.
5. Promise: We have the opportunity to be recreated in Christ’s image. This is the call of salvation and spiritual growth. Generosity is a discipleship issue, not a fund raising issue. The woes of your church budget could be a spending, vision, or discipleship issue and not a fund raising issue. It is a clarity calling that leaders need to see. The preferred life that every human being is chasing is found in the generous heart of God and His image being freed inside of us.
If we are born to be generous and your people are striving for a better life tomorrow, then how are you helping them connect the dots? Is your staff passionately generous? Are you living the generous life? You were born to be generous.
Would you like to learn more about generosity? Connect with an Auxano Navigator and start a conversation with our team.
Tags: Generosity, Generous, Todd McMichen
