The grace of giving: generosity

Around 3.7 billion people live on less than £5.23 a day.

In 2025, we are seeing the income inequality gap widen as we have our world’s first trillionaire and yet billions of people cannot afford basic necessities.

However, we cannot dictate anyone’s generosity without truly evaluating our own.

In an age of deep and widespread poverty, do we sacrificially give? 

Paul talks to the church in Corinth about the church in Macedonia. He says that though they have been experiencing great trials and poverty, they have given even beyond their ability to the ministering of the saints because of the joy of their salvation. As the church in Corinth abound in many other things (faith, speech etc), they should abound in this grace of giving also. 

In verse 15 Paul says that there should really be no church on earth that lacks help. If we truly are a global body, the excess of one’s abundance should be given to supply the lack of another, so that not one church has need, and if one has abundance, there is nothing left over. This is the Exodus 16:18 principle. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the LORD poured manna (bread) from heaven and everyone had according to their need. Those who had big families, were able to eat and be satisfied, and those who had small families, were able to eat and be satisfied. 

What Paul is talking about here is the true mindset of Kingdom abundance. A lot of the time, we misunderstand the passages in the Bible regarding wealth, prosperity and abundance. We think that God despises those who have abundance, but that completely contradicts His nature because He loves all men. If God hated those who are rich, the Bible would not have counted Joseph of Arimathea, a rich member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council), as Jesus’s disciple. The Lord understands the benefit of wealth and desires for all of us to be able to live and meet our needs. He is our Shepherd and psalm 23 says that if the Lord is our Shepherd, we should lack nothing. He cares for our daily needs. 

So what is it?

God hates greed and opulence.

There are two purposes for wealth in this kingdom: 

1. Provide for your daily needs

2. Support the program of God 

We need wealthy people who hold the kingdom mindset that any excess they have should be reinvested into what God cares about most. This does not just have to be targeted towards Christians, because God cares about the whole of creation. God desires for His children to walk in wealth, not only because it’s an accurate reflection of the abundance of His kingdom, but also because how will the church be able to do the things she’s called to without any finances? Health and welfare systems, the publication of Bibles, crusades and missions trips, strong institutions and education, all of this costs money. God does not hate money or those who have it, He hates greed and the idolatry of money. He’s not opposed to you being able to meet your daily needs, but we must remember that the One who gives, will place on demand on what He’s given.

Are we really ready to give millions and billions to support the program of God on this earth? 

Love sacrificially gives. For God so loved, that He gave. We are to follow this pattern of a generous God. Strive to give as much as possible. Generosity is a privilege, and if we can’t give financially, we can give of our time and our resources. We live poured out!