FOUNDATIONS – Episode 118 –  Grace and Generosity

[00:00:00] Hello, welcome to your daily grace By Timothy Wilder Foundations Episode 118 Grace and Generosity More Blessed to give than Receive Some of the things Jesus said seem difficult because they are hard to obey. Others seem difficult because they challenge the way we naturally see the world. His statement it is more blessed to give than to receive, Acts 20:35 falls into the second category for me. [00:00:35] If I were asked to define blessing, I would probably think of answered prayers, needs being met, opportunities opening, and unexpected provision arriving at just the right moment. In other words, I would think of blessing in terms of what I have received. [00:00:54] Most of us do. [00:00:55] Yet Jesus points us in a different direction. He suggests there is a blessing that cannot be fully, fully discovered in receiving alone. [00:01:05] There is something about giving that allows us to experience the heart of God in a unique way. The longer I have walked with Christ, the more I have come to appreciate that generosity is not simply something God asks of us it is something he develops within us. [00:01:24] Under the new covenant. Generosity begins with grace. We are not giving in order to earn God's approval or secure his favor in Christ. We have already received what we could never earn for ourselves. [00:01:38] We have been forgiven, accepted, adopted, and made righteous. We live as recipients of extraordinary generosity before we ever give anything away ourselves. [00:01:51] Perhaps that is why giving feels so different when viewed through the lens of grace. It ceases to be an obligation and becomes a response when we begin to grasp how much God has given us. Generosity becomes less about what leaves our hands and more about what has filled our hearts. [00:02:11] Proverbs 11:24 25 presents a fascinating paradox. [00:02:16] One person gives freely yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly but comes to poverty. [00:02:24] These verses are not describing a formula for financial success so much as a reality of the heart. [00:02:31] There is often a poverty that accompanies a tightly closed fist and a richness that accompanies an open hand. [00:02:38] One posture is rooted in fear the other is rooted in trust. [00:02:43] Some of the most generous people I know are not necessarily the wealthiest. More often they are people who have learned to trust God's goodness. Their generosity extends beyond finances into their time, encouragement, compassion, and hospitality. They understand that generosity is not measured by the size of a gift but by the posture of a heart. [00:03:09] Paul touches on this in Philippians 4:17. [00:03:13] Although he appreciated the support he received, his greatest joy was in the fruit being produced in those who gave. [00:03:22] Their generosity was shaping them, teaching them to live with open hands and deeper trust that may be one of the greatest blessings of giving. [00:03:32] Generosity changes us. It reminds us where our true source lies and reflects the character of the God who gave everything for us. [00:03:43] The more we understand what we have already received in Christ, the more natural generosity becomes. [00:03:51] Somewhere along that journey we discover that Jesus was not merely giving a command and he was inviting us into a grace filled way of life, one where it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. [00:04:06] Thanks for listening. If you are being fed and or uplifted by these messages, we encourage you to like, comment, share and subscribe. These things help us spread the message of grace.