GENEROSITY

Generosity is the natural, consistent, and occasionally spotaneous giving of our material possessions to God's service and to our communites becuase of and modeled after what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Giving our time, talents and money is simple our natural response to an understanding of the generosity of a good God.

Here is a great explanation of Generosity from BibleProject, a nonprofit ed-tech organization and animation studio that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, blogs, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere.

In the Old Testament, believers were required to give a tenth of their income to the support of the ministry and the needs of the poor. The New Testament teaches that we should give as we are"abel and even beyond (our) ability" (2 Corinthians 8:3). Therefore, the 10% (tithe) is seen as a kind of minimum guideline for giving.

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23)

This is a journey each of us are on - each of us are looking to find what God is calling us to give.

Scripture teaches that we are to give back to God our "first fruits" (Exodus 23:16,19). Proverbs 3:9 encourags us to "honor the Lord with (our) wealth, with the first fruits of (our) crops," meaning the primary and choicest of our possessions. God has modeled "first fruits" by giving us his son, Jesus Christ. Our response to God should reflect our love of and devotion to him - it really is up to you - what is God calling you to give?

Everything in your life is a journey – giving is no different. Just start where you can today. Jesus gave 10% as a marker along the way, the goal is to increase above and beyond that to continue to us generosity as a vehicle to have our hearts shaped by God by blessing the communities around us. The only way to get to that goal is to start - give what feels significant today and then continue evaluate in the future.

That choice is an act of personal worship to God in response to his grace in your life and the gift of Jesus. The answer is "Give to what you are thankful for and give to what breaks your heart " (Andy Stanley, North Point Ministries) . If you are thankful for Ascent we encourage you to give to Ascent, but the amount is up to you.

God has called us to be intentional and good stewards of our money, time, skills, influence and position. Therefore, generosity is about much more, but definitely includes, our financial resources. "For where treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). God uses our finances as a vehicle to clear the way for the Lord - if it's in the way give it away.