Learn From the Wisest Man to ever Live
Solomon was the wisest man to ever live (besides Jesus) and one of the world’s wealthiest. When it comes to money, I want to learn from someone like that. What would the wisest man ever to live recommend for my financial planning? Solomon’s teachings on money in the book of Proverbs focus heavily on generosity.
When you love God, you love what God loves. God is a giver, and He loves giving good gifts (Romans 8:32; John 3:16). Anyone who has been changed forever by a generous God will want to be generous.
The more you give to further God’s purpose only increases the blessings in your life and the lives of those around you.
3 Ways To Be More Generous
1.) Don’t delay generosity.
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Proverbs 3:27). Don’t put off to tomorrow what God gave you to do today. There are opportunities all around you to be generous--take advantage of them.
2.) Give freely.
“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:24-25). Generosity doesn’t drain, it refreshes. Much like a pond with no outside source of water, wealth kept to yourself only leaves you stagnant and stressed. When we open our lives to the blessing of being able to be generous, we experience a source of provision outside of ourselves that never runs out and always refreshes.
3.) Remember you are a steward, not an owner.
Whether it’s money, time, or talent, the blessings and abundance you experience in life are not yours to claim (Colossians 1:16). When the Israelites were in the wilderness, God was generous and gave them manna to keep them alive, but they were commanded not to take more than they needed for the day (Exodus 16). God gives us our daily need in order to keep us reliant on Him. Generosity never leaves us lacking; it leaves us joyful.
Regular giving and generosity reminds us who provides everything in the first place. After all, if God wasn’t generous, we’d have nothing.