Giving Generously
Main Point: God doesn’t call us to be givers because He wants something from us, but because He wants something for us.
“There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse.” —Martin Luther
Everything we have
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. —Psalm 24:1
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired. —Matthew 19:16-18
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. —Matthew 19:19-22
God doesn’t want our money; He wants our
“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly so it doesn’t have me.” —John Wesley
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’”
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. —Malachi 3:8-12
Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. —Deuteronomy 6:16
God challenges us to test His faithfulness through our
The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. —Proverbs 22:9
We can expect God to
Takeaway: Take God at His word. Live and give generously.
Discussion Questions
The main point says that God calls us to give, not because He wants something from us, but because He wants something for us. What do you think God wants for us when it comes to generosity? How does this change your perspective on giving?
Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it.” How does this perspective—that everything belongs to God—affect the way you view your resources, like time, money, and possessions?
In Matthew 19, the young man walks away sad because he had great wealth. Why do you think it was so hard for him to let go of his possessions? Are there things in your life that you might struggle to let go of if God asked?
Why do you think God specifically invites us to “test” Him in this area? Have you ever felt challenged to trust God with your finances? What happened?
Table Discussion Question: How can we support and encourage one another in living generously? What could generosity look like within our community, not just financially but in other areas?