Generous, Day 5 - A Model Of Sincerity

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8:8-9

Generosity is a test of our sincere devotion to Christ and our understanding of grace.

Sincerity is the goal of teaching (1 Tim 1:5), a requirement for leadership (1 Tim 3:8) and a characteristic of the wisdom (James 3:17), devotion to Christ (2 Cor 11:3) and love (Rom. 12:9).  Most of all, sincerity is necessary to drawing near to God (Heb 10:22) and to love people (1 Peter 1:22).  In observing all these things we also see that sincerity breeds generosity.

What fuels sincerity is grace.  Jesus was full of grace (John 1:14)…so full it was able to overflow into our lives (John 1:17).  Whenever the grace of God is understood, the gospel is advanced and lives are changed (Col. 1:6).  When we truly understand what Christ has done for us, any request he might have from us would not be too great. Our tendency, however, is not to look at Christ, but to look at our circumstances (Matt 13:22, Heb. 12:2).   When time is short or money is tight we tend to turn inward and fear takes over our decision-making.   Paul challenges us not to look inward, but upward at the example of Christ.  In the words of Gordon McDonald, Jesus “went from wealth to poverty in order that we might go from poverty to wealth. The central act of our faith was an act of generosity.”

Understanding grace is crucial to the Christian walk. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) and Paul challenges us here to “know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Understanding grace changes everything.  In the Bible, grace and generosity are almost synonymous.  Both stem from the same word (greek: charis).  Other significant words also stem from grace -  gifts, charity and winsomeness (charisma).   The connection of these words is not random…when a believer grasps grace he will be generous.   Understanding God’s grace on his life, he will use his gifts, abilities and resources to invest in the lives of others. He will open his heart to those who are less fortunate and help those in need.  He can’t help it because grace, by nature, overflows, from Christ to us to others.  When we practice such things, there is a winsomeness to our lives. When people experience grace, they experience Christ.  Grace and generosity cannot be separated.  Those who understand grace will live a generous life. 

Generosity Challenge - Invite someone who has invested in your life and growth out to lunch or over to dinner.  Plan it in the next two weeks and thank them for their investment in you!
Sun Valley Church, Used by Permission