Striving for Holiness: Generosity

Luke 12:21–34

This Sunday, Pastor Joe continued the Striving for Holiness series with a message on generosity.

Over the past several weeks, we have considered humility and compassion. Pastor Joe reminded us that these qualities are connected—“like links in a chain”—as God works in our lives to make us look more like Jesus.

This week’s focus was generosity.

We live in a world that continually encourages us to want more. Newer is better. More possessions are better. More security is better. But from the beginning, God has called His people to live by a different standard.

God calls His people to be generous because He is generous toward us.

And generosity is about far more than money. It includes our possessions, our skills and abilities, and perhaps one of the things we guard most closely—our time.

Pastor Joe’s central text was Luke 12:21–34. After telling the parable of the rich fool, Jesus warned against storing up treasure for ourselves while failing to be “rich toward God.” He then reminded His disciples that their heavenly Father knows what they need and can be trusted to provide for them.

Jesus said:

“Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
— Luke 12:32–34

Generosity requires trust.

When we believe that everything depends upon what we can accumulate, save, protect, or control, we naturally hold tightly to what we have. But when we recognize God as our provider, we become freer to give.

As Pastor Joe said:

“Generosity comes from the idea that there is enough.”

That does not mean every believer will have abundance or never experience financial difficulty. Jesus spoke these words to people who often lived day to day. Yet God still taught His people to live generously and to trust Him.

Why is generosity so important?

First, generosity reflects the nature of God.

God Himself is generous. The greatest demonstration of that generosity is found in the gift of His Son:

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16

Pastor Joe summarized the principle this way:

“God expects His people to show generosity due to the generosity He has shown us.”

This pattern appears throughout Scripture.

God reminded Israel that they had once been slaves in Egypt and that He had redeemed them. Because they had received mercy and provision from Him, they were to remember the poor and show generosity toward others.

“Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.”
— Deuteronomy 15:15

The New Testament gives us the same principle. First John 3:16 teaches that we know what love is because Christ laid down His life for us, and therefore we should be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Generosity, then, is not merely an act involving money.

Generosity is a definitive act of love.

Pastor Joe pointed out that giving grudgingly or merely giving what costs us nothing misses something important about true generosity. As we learn to give, our attention moves away from ourselves and toward others.

He expressed it this way:

“In acting generously toward others, we lose our love of self and begin to show true love toward others.”

Generosity also reveals something happening within us.

Generosity shows outwardly that we have had an inward change in our life.

One of the earliest characteristics of the church after Pentecost was an extraordinary willingness to share:

“Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.”
— Acts 2:44–45

They were not giving to be noticed. Their generosity flowed from their new life in Christ and their love for one another.

Paul likewise remembered the instruction he received from the leaders of the Jerusalem church:

“They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.”
— Galatians 2:10

Pastor Joe connected this week’s sermon directly with last week’s message on compassion: see people and respond to their needs.

Sometimes that may mean giving money. Sometimes it may mean providing food, clothing, or another practical need. At other times, generosity may simply mean giving our time, our abilities, or our willingness to serve.

That leads to another important truth:

Generosity is an act of learned obedience gained through the practice of letting go and trusting God.

Most of us do not naturally want to let go of the things we possess. Generosity teaches us to loosen our grip and recognize that ultimately God—not our possessions—is our supply.

Scripture warns us:

“Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17

Generosity also gives the world an opportunity to see the love of Christ through His people.

Pastor Joe pointed to ministries that feed and shelter people in need, care for children, assist women in crisis pregnancies, help those struggling with addiction, and provide food to families. Sometimes generosity comes through those who donate resources. Sometimes it comes through people who simply show up and say:

“We’ll be the hands and feet.”

That was illustrated by members of the church who recently volunteered to distribute food in the community. Some provided food, others transported it, a school provided a location, and volunteers gave their time and labor to serve those who came.

Generosity is not simply in what we can give—it is also in how we serve.

And finally, Pastor Joe reminded us that the generosity we give can outlive us.

Scripture says:

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.”
— Proverbs 19:17

That reward should never become the reason we give. Jesus did not teach us to give in order to get something back from God. We give because God has already given so abundantly to us.

Jesus said:

“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
— Luke 6:38

Pastor Joe cautioned against turning that promise into a system of giving in order to receive material wealth. Biblical generosity gives without seeking applause, recognition, repayment, or personal gain.

We give because God first gave to us.

So the challenge from this week’s message is both simple and searching:

Hold what God has given you with open hands.

Give when you see a need. Give your resources. Give your abilities. Give your time. Serve without needing recognition, and trust God as your provider.

May God make us a truly generous people—a church willing to see those in need and respond without hesitation, giving to others as God has so graciously given to us.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts 20:35

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