“Generosity is liberality without hesitation.”
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During a recent Grace Hour broadcast “the perfect law of liberty” was discussed (James 1:25). One of the pastors on the program that day pointed out that “perfect” means “complete”; “law” indicates an assignment or a distribution; and “liberty” connotes “freedom, generosity, and independence” [from the world, the flesh, and the devil]. An accurate definition of “generosity” was then suggested: “liberality without hesitation”. How we all, as God’s children, desire that to be who we are, how we behave, what we do! To best grasp the impact and scope of this word, let’s consider the One Who is the Alpha and Omega of it.
The Father so loved the world that He gave with total abandonment what was dearest to Him.
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“For God so loved the world that He gave His ONLY Begotten Son – the most precious, valuable Gift that the Father could have given. He gave liberally, without hesitation. He deemed the Gift worthy of the price. We can’t fathom this. “He Who spared not His own Son but [generously] gave Him up for us all, how will He not together with Him freely [and graciously] give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) This “all” includes the all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places with which He’s already blessed us! J.B.Phillips puts it like this: “[He has given] us through Christ every possible spiritual benefit as citizens of Heaven!” (Ephesians 1:3) “No good, beneficial thing will be withhold from those who walk in His Righteousness.” – by Faith. (Psalm 84:11)
The Cost of the Son of God’s Generosity
The Lord Jesus gave His very best, beyond giving up His Life on the Cross and suffering for us as He did: For three excruciating hours He forfeited fellowship with His Father. Click To Tweet
The Lord Jesus gave His very best as well, which actually went beyond giving up His Life on the Cross, where He suffered unfathomably for and as us. For three excruciating hours He forfeited fellowship with His Father – which He had never previously been without, neither in Eternity Past nor during His 30 plus years on earth as the God-Man. Nor will this ever happen again. Nor will we ever have to experience the pain of such separation from the Trinity. “For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (II Cor.8:9)
He ABUNDANTLY provides!
””My Click To Tweet supply (fill to the full) your every need … “” username=””]
The Lord promises in Philppians 4:19 that He “will provide all our need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus our Lord” (KJV). The Amplified translation says this: “My God will liberally [generously] supply (fill to the full) your every need … “. In Psalm 132:15 David tells his soul, “Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Take a few minutes and think about the five parts of your soul and how the Lord has dealt with them, according to this verse: your mind (thought life), your emotions, your will, your conscience, and your self-consciousness. He has given each part of our souls the Finished Work to rest in – now and for all Eternity! Furthermore, we are promised that if we will receive the superabounding, overflowing Grace of God and of the gift of Righteousness, we will reign in life – even now – as kings, by one Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17)
” … boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!”
”” Click To Tweet sustained Him.” (Isaiah 59:16b, Ampl)” username=””]
Perhaps one of the most precious promises revealing the generosity of God is regarding the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is John the Baptist who declares that “God does not give Him [His Son] His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!” (John 3:34b) “His own Righteousness [having the Spirit without measure] sustained Him.” (Isaiah 59:16b, Ampl) while He was on earth. And as He is so are we, even now; and thus we have the privilege now of enjoying the outworking of this amazing promise.
By responding to and receiving the abundance of Grace, our lives will manifest His generosity to others.
Now let’s look at a few Biblical examples where the generosity of God was reproduced and revealed in peoples’ lives. The Lord Jesus, for example, made a big deal of the poverty-stricken widow who put into the treasury of the synagogue all that she had on which to live: two mites, which together equal half of a cent! (Mark 7:42-47) She withheld nothing from her God. Then, in Luke 7:37-47, we read of another woman who adored the Lord and with total, unself-conscious abandonment she generously expressed her love of Him to Him by washing His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, reverently and affectionately and repeatedly kissing them, and anointing them with very costly oil – pouring it out on Him. Both of these women undoubtedly knew something of the generous Nature of God and responded accordingly. Finally, in II Corinthians 9, Paul commends the Corinthian believers for their “generous-hearted liberality to the very needy saints in Jerusalem (v.13). The latter longed to see their generous brethren in Corinth because they saw in them “the surpassing measure of God’s Grace” (v.14). The apostle is so pleased by this response to the abundance of Grace that he exclaims in verse 15: “Thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible free gift]!” Let us therefore be those who receive constantly and freely the super-abounding Grace of God, remembering that “Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way so that you can be generous, and your generosity … will bring forth thanksgiving to God.” (v.11), which redounds to His Glory (II Cor.4:15b) … which is why we were created! (Isaiah 43:7)
“And God is able to make all Grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient […furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].” (II Cor.9:8, Ampl)
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