Isaiah 32:8 “ But a generous man desire generous things and by generosity he shall stand”
In the Bible, we read the story of the Shunammite woman who decided to meet Elisha’s needs out of generosity. Her motivation was not borne out of selfishness but simply an act of goodness and a desire to meet demand. (2 kings 4:9). But her act of kindness would soon be rewarded when Elisha’s prayer brought back her son from the dead.
Like the Shunammite woman, Christians are called into the ministry of generosity with their resources and time. Even though the Shunammite woman is often cited for her good faith in her dealings with Elisha, she also matched this faith with a generous spirit. No wonder the Bible says faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26).
We may want to ask ourselves why God wants us to be generous:
To follow the example of Jesus whom the Bible describes as a man who went about doing good. (Acts 10:38).
To help the weak (Acts 20:32)
To release us from the control of materialism and keep us spiritually focused. In Matthew 6:19-21 Christians are warned about keeping the right perspective when it comes to material wealth.
Through giving a Christian demonstrates his loyalty to God the giver and not to his uncertain material wealth. He acknowledges God as the giver and lays less emphasis on his resources. (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Giving helps break the back bone of poverty and acute needs in our lives. Proverbs11 :24 makes this very clear: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”
God promised to bless those who obey this instruction by faith with abundant supplies.
In Malachi 3:10 -12 God challenges us to test his integrity and goodness through an instruction to support his church.
When you begin to release your resources (no matter how small) according to divine instructions taught above you will see your needs met miraculously and the spirit of poverty broken over your life.
