What Is Generosity?

When people think about the topic of generosity what usually comes to mind is money.  More specifically, their money and what they need to give away.  Generosity certainly includes money and how much of your money you give away to help others.  That is only a small part of generosity though.

Yes, generosity is much more than giving away money.  Generosity is about time, talent, knowledge, wisdom, faith and just about anything else that you may possess.  In fact, you are very unlikely to become financially successful unless you learn to be generous in all areas of your life.

Generosity, when practiced without restraint, bears fruit that improves the life of the receiver as well as the giver.  I have seen countless lives (including mine) turned around by the spirit of giving.  In order to reap the benefits of generosity, it must be practiced with no thought or intention of gaining anything.  “Do all the good you can; by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” 

Generosity is more than dropping ten dollars in the offering plate at church on Christmas Eve. It is more than financial. It is giving of your time, energy, talents, and strengths. It is finding how you can serve most effectively and then acting on that. It is giving up comforts in order for someone else to live.

Practicing generosity in every area of life, leads to unimaginable success. Find where you can be generous today and do it. You will have a sense of belonging and fulfillment that you never dreamed of. A floodgate of good things will be opened to you and you won’t be able to contain the goodness that will flow into your life (as long as that’s not your motivation behind the generosity). Try it today and see how your life changes.  “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.“