5 Life Changing Reasons To Become A Generous Christian

A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church saying, "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself," she told the girl.

When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.

"Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be “cheerful givers…I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did."

This mother made a big mistake when trying to teach her daughter about Christian stewardship. She taught her daughter that she should give, but neglected to give her a few reasons why.

When it comes to living for Christ, we're often told we "should" do something without being told "why we should do it"

For example, we are told that we "should" read our Bible every day. But how many of us know why we should read it? Perhaps you are having problems reading your Bible because you haven’t formed a conviction on the “why you should do it.”

We are also told that we "should" give to God. Today’s message will give everyone, regardless of their financial situation, five biblical reasons why to give faithfully to God's work.

1) Generous giving helps you to see God as your Provider

Every time you give to God, you are acknowledging Him as your source.

Your job is not your provider; they are your employer. God is your provider. Every time you give to God you are saying to God, “God you are my source; God You are my provider”. Though God may choose to use your job to bring money into your home, He is ultimately your provider.

Think about it, what would you rather have? Would you rather have what your company can pay you or what God can provide for you? What God provides for you is much sweeter and much bigger than what your company could ever pay you.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.”

The earth belongs to the LORD. In other words, God owns everything. We even belong to the Lord. Someone has said, “God owns and God loans everything.” We are only managers of what belongs to Him.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 – “Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”

God gives us the air we breathe, presence of mind, the articulation of speech. He keeps our heart beating in our chest and keeps the blood running warm through our veins.

Don’t say in your heart (through unfaithful giving) that it is by your power and by the might of your hand that you have earned your income. The Scripture says, “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth!”

When King David received from the people all that he requested in order to have the money and material to build the temple, he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord in 1 Chronicles 29. Listen to what David prayed:

“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. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you… O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.” (vs. 11-14; 16-17)

Generous giving allows you to see or experience God as your Provider and David and the children of Israel did—everything comes from Him!

It’s important to see this or else money and material things will become our god. It’s important to see God as our Provider or we will love the money or love ourselves or both.