How To Be Generous
Most of us assume generosity is something we'll get around to once we have more. More income, less debt, a bigger margin. If we had $65 million, of course we'd be generous. But Jesus challenges that assumption head-on, because generosity is not about how much you have. It's about what you do with what you have.
Money has a unique ability to grip the human heart. Jesus knew this, which is why He addressed it directly: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24). Notice He doesn't say you shouldn't serve two masters. He says you can't. Money and God will always compete for your heart, and one will always win.
That's why generosity matters so much. It's never about what God wants from you. It's about what God wants for you. And what He wants is your heart.
Generosity Isn't About Me
In Matthew 6, Jesus begins His teaching on giving with a warning: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1). The temptation will always be to do good things for the wrong reasons, to look spiritual instead of being spiritual.
He goes on: "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others" (Matthew 6:2). Instead, He says, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. It's a hyperbole, but the point is sharp: create such a tight circle of privacy around your giving that you eliminate the possibility of building your image in your own eyes or anyone else's. Modesty, not ostentation, is the hallmark of a follower of Christ.
Generosity is not about others seeing you. It's about you seeing others. Proverbs 3:27 puts it simply: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act". If it's in your power to help, help.
Generosity Isn't a One-Off
Look again at Jesus' words in Matthew 6:2-3. Twice, He says "when you give," not "if you give." Giving isn't a suggestion. It's an assumption. It's not meant to be a one-time act but a regular rhythm, a posture of the heart.
This posture only takes root when we adopt a stewardship mentality, recognizing that everything we have has been entrusted to us, not entitled to us. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, a man entrusts his wealth to three servants at different levels. Each is expected to do something with what they've received. The point isn't to wish you had what someone else has. The point is to be faithful with what's currently in your hands.
Paul urged the Corinthian church to take this further: "But since you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you — see that you also excel in this grace of giving" (2 Corinthians 8:7). Excel means to exceed, to be more than enough. Jesus always raised the bar. In the Old Testament, giving was defined by a 10% measure. That was the floor. In the New Testament, generosity is extravagant, not minimal.
Many people give, but not everyone lives generously. A one-off is easy. A posture of generosity is an intentional choice to trust that God's ways are higher than ours. It's a heart issue, which is why Proverbs tells us that above all else we should guard our hearts, for everything we do flows from them. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive"(Acts 20:35). What He means is that a life marked by generosity is actually a happier life, a life with more joy. Generosity doesn't just bless others. It frees you. It breaks money's grip.
Generosity Is Seen by God
Jesus closes His teaching on giving with a promise: "So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:4).
God sees. God notices. God rewards.
This isn't about following God for what we can get out of it. We don't give just because we get a tax break. But we also shouldn't swing to the other extreme and assume God doesn't care what we do. He does. Like a parent who watches their child do something kind without being asked, God takes notice when His children reflect His character.
This principle runs all through Scripture. Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap". Proverbs 11:25 says, "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed". And Paul writes, "Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop" (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Living generously doesn't guarantee wealth. But it does produce something money can't buy: freedom, joy, peace, a deeper experience of grace, and a loosened grip on the very thing that so easily captures our hearts.
What You Do With What You Have
Jesus told His followers to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). Generosity is one of the primary ways we do that. It realigns our hearts. It shifts our focus from accumulating to investing in things that last.
There's a quote worth sitting with: "Life is strange. You arrive with nothing, spend your whole life chasing everything, and still leave with nothing. Make sure your soul gains more than your hands."
The call isn't complicated. Give freely. Let generosity shape your heart, your habits, and your legacy. And know that your Father sees, even when no one else does. Because it was never about what you have. It was always about what you do with it.