Generosity starts with correct thinking.

Sadly, statistics would tell us there is no difference between the way a Christian views generosity and the way the secular world views generosity. As believers in Christ, we believe that we serve a generous God who has given us a generous gospel. In the gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ emptied himself of all his riches and walked among us, becoming like us in every way. Then on the cross, our great God gave himself for us by becoming our sin offering and extending his righteousness to all who would believe in Him. Jesus is a generous God!

Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...” 

In this text, it is clear that the key that worship begins with accurate thinking, not necessarily accurate actions. In other words, the ability to worship Jesus through generosity has less to do with what we do with our resources, and everything to do with how we think of our resources.

In 1 Chronicles 29:1-14 we learn that “Everything under heaven and earth belongs to the Lord” and by Gods grace, we have been entrusted with the responsibility of managing some of the Lords resources. A faithful manager, manages assets for the owners benefit and carries no sense of entitlement to the assets that he manages. But rather, it is his or her job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets and then carry out his will.

Biblical generosity starts with being able to grab a hold of the beauty of Jesus Christ. Jesus is so incredible, so powerful and so beautiful that our only response to Him should be...“Everything under heaven and earth is your.” By “thinking” in this way, we will become incredible worshipers of God and generosity will flow out of us like never before. Generosity will become a response of seeing how incredible Jesus is and how massive his mission is in comparison to our mission. And generosity no longer becomes a duty, but can now be a reflective reaction of understanding who we are in light of who He is.

If everyday of every week believers would see how great Jesus is, how powerful Jesus is, how glorious Jesus is, how victorious Jesus is, how majestic Jesus is; then who knows how God may use a church like that. "Yours, O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours." Therefore, may we be faithful managers of His stuff. And may we worship Him well.