Four Ways To Be Generous

Four Ways to Be Generous

When my oldest son, Brady, turned thirteen, I wrote him a short book about things I wanted for him. One of the things that I want for him is to learn to be generous with what God gives him. So to instruct him in stewardship, I shared these four principles for cultivating generosity in his own life:

1. Give 10 percent of your earnings to the Lord, through the church. This is the beginning of learning to give. You and God can do more with 90 percent of your income than you can do with 100 percent. When you make money, set aside a “tithe,” or one-tenth of your income, to honor the Lord and experience his promise to you from Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”
2. Look for ways to be generous with your time. You should not only give your money to God’s work, but you should also give your time to God’s people and to those God is longing to use you to reach. Successful people say yes and then figure out how to get it done.
3. Be generous toward your wife and kids. I long to run a house where the word yes is prevalent. Generosity starts in your own home. Be generous to your family first with your money and your time. If you can, spend money on great vacations, and make special memories with your family.
4. Call others in your circle of influence to a generous life. Lead others to give by inviting them to join you in your journey of generosity. Do this by creating moments that are bigger than what you can facilitate on your own.

When you experience grace, you want others to find the same. Go be generous today!

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10