Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents
Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 15 – Reforming our Souls
Discipline of Generosity
[Bible references: Psalm 24:1; Proverbs 11:24-25; Ecclesiastes 5:10-20; Matthew 6:1-4, 24; Luke 12:13-21; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15]
If we have entered the discipline of simplicity to order our lives and stewardship,
and if we have entered the discipline of gratitude to order our attitudes,
and if we have entered the discipline of fasting to order our needs
and if we have entered the discipline of lament to order our desires
then we are in a place enter into the discipline of generosity.
The spirit of generosity is helped by all the previous disciplines. They open us up to recognizing God’s generosity in our life so that we can extend His generosity to others. To move from the spirit of generosity to the discipline of generosity we must move from giving from out of the overflow of what we received to looking for ways to give that may stretch us. If we are confident about God’s provision for us, then we will be free to give from a feeling of abundance rather than scarcity.
One of the ways to begin is with the tithe, 10% of our income. That kind of giving normally requires us to have discipline with some of our other expenditures. If 10% seems too much, you can start lower but look for ways to increase over time. If 10% is not a stretch, then you may consider increasing from there. The goal of the discipline of generosity is to move us from “merely” giving from the overflow of what we received to looking for ways to give that may stretch us.
The principle of the tithe does not apply only to our money, but to our time and talents (spiritual gifts) as well. The point to remember is that God provides all we have, and our discipline is to give back out of what he has already given as an appreciation of all He has provided, and an acknowledgement of our dependence on Him.
Generosity is about more than just giving. It’s about our attitudes towards our possessions. Do our possessions reduce our priorities for God? Do we think that we own our possessions or that God owns them, and we are only stewards? Does our security come from our possessions or from God? By removing trust from the possessions we have and instead placing our trust in God, we will be more able to freely share what God has given.
Reflect
What keeps you from seeking to stretch your faith in God’s provision?
Observe
Read Ecclesiastes 5:10-20. How can wealth be meaningless?
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