Adventures in Generosity: A Generous Thought
March 12, 2026
During Lent, many churches encourage us to give up some pleasure or distraction for forty days and direct our free time and resources toward God. Any money we would have spent on the thing we gave up (examples: chocolate, beer, coffee, Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, sports betting, etc.) would be directed toward charitable giving. In my younger days, my Lent was more focused on the “giving up” part. The “giving to” part was mostly neglected. I am older and a little wiser, so I am deliberately putting more attention toward the giving part.
As mentioned in a previous post, generosity has been on my mind lately. I defined generosity as freely giving time, money, resources without expecting anything in return. Generosity comes in many forms. It includes such things as giving of money, listening without judgment, forgiving those who have hurt us, or practicing patience.
Generosity is a thing with God. It is one of His characteristics and He calls to us to walk in His ways of generosity. Jesus challenged the rich young ruler who wanted to know how to gain eternal life in Matthew 19:21:
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect (meaning becoming spiritually mature), go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (NKJV)
God is not opposed to you having wealth. However, He is opposed to wealth having you. Money is a good servant, but a poor master. Jesus taught in Luke 16:13:
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (NLT)
Generosity is a weapon for us to use to combat the tendency to be obsessed with money – either obsessed with getting it and hoarding it, or the opposite obsession of not having enough and letting those worried thoughts take over your mind.
Recently, one of my sisters-in-law said something that really struck a chord with me. She said, “Never suppress a generous thought.” She said that if you are moved or even slightly inclined to be generous with your time, pay someone a compliment, give someone $20, or give something you own that someone else needs, go with it. Do it! If you can’t do anything right now, then make a note that you will follow through soon.
People may ask how they will know if that nudging is from God. The answer to that question is that generosity is a characteristic of God. The enemy (devil) will not promote generosity. In fact, he will be the one that tells you to ignore that nudge of generosity with such thoughts as: “I can’t do that, it is not in my budget.” “That person doesn’t need to hear from me, I’m nobody.” “If I give away my window air conditioner, how will I get through the summer?” “I don’t have time to stop by to visit or write a note. Besides, I am out of stamps.”
Now, hear me, I am not saying to be foolish, but if the nudging from God is there, you can also be sure that He has a way to get what you need to you. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-33:
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (NLT)
Generosity is about compassion. Compassion is recognizing the circumstances or suffering of others, deeply caring, then taking action to help. God is constantly looking for generous people to do His work on earth. When He finds one, he uses them over and over again. I encourage you to practice small acts of kindness and compassion through generosity. You may be surprised how your world expands as you embark on such an adventure.
Prayer: Teach me Lord to hear your voice and to respond to your nudging to be generous with others. Your Word says that you will give me what I need when I first seek your kingdom and live right. I trust you enough to obey that nudging. Thank you in advance! Amen.