House of Generosity

Psalm 37:21-26 NIV
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give
GENEROUSLY; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those
he curses will be destroyed. The Lord makes firm the steps of the one
who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the
Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I
have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging
bread. They are always GENEROUS and lend freely; their children
will be a blessing.
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJ
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also.”
Three Major Principles of Generosity:

1. Generosity is motivated by love.
   Acts 2:44-45 NKJ
   Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
   and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all,
   as anyone had need.
   2 Corinthians 8:1-8 NLT
   Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his
   kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are
   being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are
   also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
   For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far
   more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and
   again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in
   Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first
   action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God
   wanted them to do. So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your
   giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish
   this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways—in your
   faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and
   your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of
   giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how
   genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other
   churches.
2. Generosity is based on trust.
   Proverbs 3:5-10 NKJ
   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own
   understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct
   your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and
   depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your
   bones. Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits
   of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your
   vats will overflow with new wine.
   Malachi 3:10-11 NKJ
   “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My
   house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not
   open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such
   blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will
   rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the
   fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the
   field,” says the Lord of hosts…

Why God Tells Us to Tithe and Give to Our Local Church:

1. To provide for HIS HOUSE
2. To demonstrate that we TRUST Him
3. To release His ANOINTING on our resources

3. Generosity is guided by purpose.
   2 Corinthians 9:5-10 NKJ
   Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you
   ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you
   had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of
   generosity and not as a grudging obligation. But this I say: He who
   sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully
   will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his
   heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
   And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you,
   always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for
   every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has
   given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Now may He
   who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and
   multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your
   righteousness…
   “The highest form of generosity is when I give to help people I will
   never know!”