Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
PsyPost published a study on ‘the psychology on giving’ and concluded that ‘greed may be good for our pockets but comes at a psychological cost’. Greedy people tend to have more household income but lower life satisfaction. The gift of generosity accumulates more wealth than the grit of greed.
Receiving makes us indebted but giving is an investment that multiplies both on earth and in eternity. Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything (Genesis 14:20b). Abraham gave a tithe from his plunder even before the law was instituted by Moses. There was no pastor to remind him to tithe, nor did he have the written Bible in his hand, yet, the generosity of his heart made him rich. The Berkeley researchers also found that wealthier people are more likely to believe that selfishness is a virtue! Abraham was a multimillionaire. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). The more the Lord blessed him the more generous he became. That was the secret of Abraham’s blessing. He knew that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Selfless, unassuming and sacrificial giving is an investment that will never stop multiplying. It will multiply into our future generations even after we are gone. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread (Psalm 37:25). Generosity is the virtue of the righteous. (Righteous are those who have received forgiveness through the blood of Jesus). The money multiplying factor in the home of a generous person is goodness and righteousness. Giving out of love has a humongous rate of interest on wealth. Giving out of greed and legalistic giving out of compulsion or stinginess will yield no return. Do not give to get, but selfless sacrificial giving multiplies beyond bounds.
Generosity brings blessings:
1. Gloat: Don’t gloat about your giving. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3). If we do so, the divine unlimited interest rate will not apply on our giving. Do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full (Matthew 6:2). The generous do not gloat.
2. Gripe: Those whom we have showered unassuming generosity will return back good for evil. Do not revile, gripe or grumble. Bless them instead and God will reward you for your generosity.
3. Generous: Generosity is measured in the psychological cost of your giving. God will not measure our giving in dollars or pounds, but in the ‘psychological cost’ (psychological cost is mental stress, pressure or anxiety about the giving).
The gift of generosity accumulates more wealth than the grit of greed.
Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.
Prayer: Father God, everything I have is yours, so teach me to be give generously and never become mean or greedy. Generous giving brings divine blessings. Amen.
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