Created for Generosity

By Chris Compton

Recently, I have been reflecting on the radical generosity of the Lord. Despite my shortcomings, the Lord has been good and generous to me. I can trace the generous hand of God upon me throughout my life. From my salvation experience and meeting every need to providing a wonderful wife and family, good jobs and income, and His abiding presence during the loss of my dad. In everything and everywhere between, the Lord has been generous.

I feel like David in Psalm 8 when he pondered, “What is man, that thou art mindful of Him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” God, in all His power and glory, cares about us. Why? That is simply who He is. God is a generous God.

What does this truth mean for us? Since God is generous, we should be generous also. In fact, He created us for generosity. We are made in the image of God, and while sin has tainted that image, it has not eradicated it completely. We are made for something more than ourselves. We were made to reflect the image of a good and generous God. The Bible is replete with stories and instructions that point us toward a life of generosity. We are to live generously, and we are to give generously.

Like any other aspect of our faith journey, it takes purpose and discipline to be generous. We must work at it and prepare for it. This involves stewardship. We learn this lesson from Joseph in the book of Genesis. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph rose to prominence in Egypt and became a powerful ruler. God was with Joseph, preparing him for something greater. During a dream, God revealed a famine would come to the land. Joseph acted. He directed the Egyptians to store up food during the time of abundance. Not only did his stewardship allow the Egyptians to have food during the famine, but Joseph’s planning also prepared him to assist his brothers when they came looking for life-saving provisions.

Joseph’s story sets an example of making preparation to be generous in the future. The better we steward our resources today, the more prepared we will be to bless others generously in the future. God created us to be His hands and feet upon this earth to show and share His generosity.
Our generosity leads to the glory of God. It also blesses us as we lay up treasures in Heaven and not on earth. And the greater our generosity, the happier and more contented we will be in our lives.

About the Author: Chris Compton is accounting administrator for Free Will Baptist Board of Retirement. He graduated in 2007 with a M.A. in Bible exposition from Columbia International University. A 1998 graduate of East Tennessee State University, he has over 15 years of administrative/financial experience in varied fields, as well as seven years of pastoral ministry experience.