*The culture of GENEROSITY!*
`You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.—2 Corinthians 9:11`
Generosity is at its core a lifestyle in which we share all that we have and ever will become as a demonstration of God’s love and a response to God’s grace. It is not enough for the church to talk about generosity, nor is it enough for individual Christians simply to commit to being generous. What makes generosity a real and powerful witness to God’s love is our action. Generosity flows from an understanding that all that we have, are, and ever will become is not ours to possess, and it results in sharing what we’ve been given with others for the advancement of the kingdom and the glory of God.
Generosity embraces a biblical understanding of stewardship: God is the owner of everything. What we have has been given to us by God. The resources we possess are assets to be invested in the kingdom. Jesus is Lord over our money, possessions, positions of authority, and talents. You can’t be generous without the discipline of biblical stewardship which demands generosity. The gift of God’s grace shapes our faith and leads to the conviction that all that we have—our time, talent, treasure, and testimony—has been given to us for a purpose. We are generous because God was first generous to us, freely giving his life for our sakes.
As followers of Christ, we seek to imitate the one who gave himself for us (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14). Stewardship is more than an obligation. It’s an opportunity to witness to the reckless nature of the God who gives the gift of salvation by grace to all who will receive it. Generosity is the fullest expression of the life of a steward, one who has been given a gift that must be used wisely and for a purpose, bringing glory to God.
Regards,
Apostle Ashok Martin